In March 2023, the Dutch foundation Rutgers published a strange video in which noticeably troubled 4–10-year-old children are forced to answer adults’ questions about sex and masturbation. The video is part of the educational materials aimed at children called “What do I like?” that was part of the foundation’s national campaign “Week of Spring Feelings” that aims to expand sex education in primary schools. [1]
The Rutgers Foundation works to introduce the World Health Organization’s (WHO) extreme standard for sex education [2] into Dutch preschools and primary schools. [3] The Foundation’s approach and origins are similar to those of Swedish RFSU. [4] “What about sex education for kindergarten children?” they ask provocatively on their website. [5]
The foundation, which is mainly taxpayer-funded but also receives grants from IKEA and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, [6] writes on its website: “We want young people to be free to enjoy their sexuality and relationships, while respecting the rights of others in an inclusive society”, admitting that they advocate “progressive language and want to be standard-setters in sex education”. [7]
“Learning about your body, talking about what you like and getting a positive self-image. We are focusing on this during this year’s “Week of Spring Feelings”, an annual week-long project on relationships, sexuality and consent in primary schools including schools for children with special needs,” Rutgers wrote on its project page. “We want to get children to think about what they like and teach them to express their desires.”
Rutgers writes that “when primary school-age children raise issues of sexuality, the conversations are usually about making love, about petting, jerking off, losing virginity, masturbation and kissing.” On the teacher’s page of the programme, there are various videos to show the children, including “consent for children” and “orgasm for the first time”. [7]
In one scene in the video “What do I like?” a woman talks to a 9-year-old girl about boys’ ejaculation and the “nice feeling” she can get at orgasm. The adult then describes the different parts of the female genitalia to the little girl, stressing that she will get a “very nice feeling” from rubbing her “little button”. “You can rub it with your finger,” instructs the woman. [8]
In another scene, a 4-year-old boy is interrogated about his masturbation routines. His supposed mother asks him, “What about you? Do you ever play with your cock? Do you ever touch your willy? How does it feel? And when do you do it?” Despite the boy’s confusion, the mother continues with further questions: “Do you do it when we eat? … Why don’t you do it in class?” [8]
The video was removed just 24 hours after it appeared on Twitter. “We feel that the video was taken out of context by some people online and used to spread misinformation,” Rutgers wrote, citing the need to protect the children involved. [7]
The week was stormier than Rutgers had expected. The material was so widely and extensively discussed in the national media that the Minister of Education was questioned in Parliament by Baudet (FvD) parliamentarian about the content of Rutgers’ books and video materials. “Does the Minister think this kind of explicit sex education is good for child development? Does the Minister see a problem with the excessive sexualisation of children?” A somewhat nervous minister replied evasively, pointing out that schools were not obliged to use the material. [10]
The Forum for Democracy (FvD) reposted Rutgers’ video, saying the foundation’s “sexualization and indoctrination” of children is “disgusting.” Rutgers has tried to remove the video from YouTube on the grounds that “The parents and children have not given permission to publish the images” and is now threatening to sue FvD unless the video is removed. [7]
Sources
- Spring Week Feelings: What Do I Like?, Rutgers, https://rutgers.nl/nieuws/week-van-de-lentekriebels-wat-vind-ik-fijn/
- Standards for Sexuality Education in Europe, WHO & BZgA, 2010, https://www.bzga-whocc.de/fileadmin/user_upload/BZgA_Standards_English.pdf
- All-round sex education, Rutgers, https://rutgers.international/resources/knowledgefile-cse/
- Origins of Rutgers, Rutgers, https://rutgers.international/about-rutgers/origins-of-rutgers/
- What about sex education for preschoolers?, Rutgers, https://rutgers.nl/stories/hoezo-seksuele-voorlichting-voor-kleuters/
- Annual reports, Rutgers, https://rutgers.international/about-rutgers/annual-reports/
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded group trying to bury video of twisted interviews with little kids about sex and masturbation: ‘Do you play with your ****?’, Blaze, https://www.theblaze.com/news/dutch-group-trying-to-bury-video-of-twisted-interviews-with-little-kids-about-sex-and-masturbation
- “Do You Ever Play With Your Dick?” : Youth Sexual Education Charity Scrambles To Scrub Child Masturbation Video From Internet, Reduxx, https://reduxx.info/do-you-ever-play-with-your-dick-youth-sexual-education-charity-scrambles-to-scrub-child-masturbation-video-from-internet/
- Deleted video Rutgers Foundation: Shocking sexualization of young children, Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RM7R8jCy-8
- Baudet makes Minister Wiersma nervous with the contents of the Spring Feelings of the Week lesson package, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4G3BhVv17A
