A Swiss minister has declined to take a firm position in a recent row over a new sex education program in Basel's schools that uses wooden penises and fabric vaginas.

"/> A Swiss minister has declined to take a firm position in a recent row over a new sex education program in Basel's schools that uses wooden penises and fabric vaginas.

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Sex box row: minister won’t get involved

A Swiss minister has declined to take a firm position in a recent row over a new sex education program in Basel's schools that uses wooden penises and fabric vaginas.

Sex box row: minister won't get involved

The boxes, which are being distributed to 30 primary schools and kindergartens, contain dolls, puzzles, books and other educational material for 4 to 10-year-olds, and a box with more explicit materials for older kids.

Their introduction has met stiff resistance and stirred controversy over their suitability for such young children.

The controversy over the teaching aids has now reached the national level. But when politicians pressed Federal Councillor Didier Burkhalter over the issue, he said it was not his position to get involved.

“The Federal Council is convinced that sex education is primarily the responsibility of the parents,” the paper quotes from a note it said comes from Burkhalter.

The paper added that the Minister was reluctant to interfere with decisions taken at canton level. He stressed the importance of sex education in schools, not least as part of efforts to prevent the spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. 

A guide contained in the sex boxes instructs kindergarten teachers to “show that contacting body parts can be pleasurable.” It also recommends having children massage each other or to rub themselves with warm sand bags, all accompanied by soft music.

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CHILDREN

What names do foreign nationals give their babies in Switzerland?

Each year for more than three decades, the Federal Statistical Office has been publishing the first names of infants born in Switzerland the previous year. It seems that foreigners favour names that are typical of their national background.

What names do foreign nationals give their babies in Switzerland?
Foreigners give their babies names that reflect their nationality. Photo by Keira Burton from Pexels

As The Local reported on Wednesday, the most popular names for newborn girls born in Switzerland in 2020 were Mia, Emma, and Mila.

For boys, Noah took the top spot, ahead of Liam and Matteo.

REVEALED: The most popular baby name in each Swiss canton

But what about the most popular names among various nationalities living in Switzerland?

The answers come from the same study.

Italy

The top name for boys of Italian parents is Giuseppe, followed by Antonio and Francesco. For girls, Maria is in the first place, Anna in the second, and Francesca in the third.

Portugal

There are many Portuguese immigrants living in Switzerland and, like their Italian counterparts, they like to give their children traditional names: José, Carlos and Manuel for boys, and Maria, Ana, and Sandra for girls.

Spain

Spanish names are similar to those of Portuguese babies.

José, Juan and Jose are most popular boy names, while Maria, Ana and Laura are in the top three spots for the girls.

Turkey

Most boys of Turkish descent are named Mehmet, Ali, and Mustafa. Among girls, Fatma, Ayse, and Elif dominate.

Kosovo

Arben, Vallon, and Bekim are top names for boys, and Fatime, Shquipe, and Merite for girls.

Macedonia

Bekim is in the first place for boys, followed by Muhamed and Fatmir. Among girls, Fatimr is in the lead, Sara in the second place, and Emine in the third.

Serbia

Aleksandar, Dragan and Nicola take the first three spots. For the girls, Jelena, Maria and Snezana are at the top.

Can you give your baby any name you want?

Not in Switzerland, you can’t. It’s important to keep in mind that the cantonal registry offices, where new births must be announced, don’t have to accept very unusual names.

Several years ago, for instance, a Zurich court ruled that parents can’t name their infant daughter ‘J’.

In another case, a couple in the canton of Bern were ordered to change the name of their newborn son because their choice – Jessico – was considered too feminine. 

Several names have been forbidden in Switzerland, including Judas, Chanel, Paris and Mercedes. 

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