In France, Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) has been compulsory in schools for more than two decades – yet the lived reality for many young people tells a very different story.

Since 2001 and the passing of the law that made sexuality education mandatory in primary, middle and high schools, at least three sessions per year on emotional life, relationships and sexuality (EVARS) should have been offered to each age group. However, being on the statute books has never guaranteed effective delivery. Evaluations in recent years showed that fewer than 15–20% of students actually received the mandated sessions, and many reported never having had any dedicated sexuality education during their schooling.

This gap between law and practice was starkly highlighted on 2 December 2025, when the Administrative Court of Paris condemned the French State for failing to organise EVARS sessions as required. The court found a “carence fautive” – a faulty omission – in the state’s application of its own legal duty and awarded a symbolic one euro in damages to a coalition of civil society organisations, including Planning Familial, Sidaction and SOS Homophobie.

The judgement references the new national curriculum for CSE – formally adopted in February 2025 – as a crucial tool to rectify the situation. For months before its formal approval, the curriculum was caught in the middle of heated political debates, facing resistance from extreme-right wing parties and contentious discussions over age-appropriate content. The reality is that the new curriculum provides educators with a clear framework outlining themes tailored to each level of schooling – from respect and consent in primary school to relationships and sexual health in secondary.

The practical national guidance appears to be easing implementation, giving school leaders clearer tools to organise EVARS sessions in practice. As Cécile Stola, Co-Director of the association Élan Interculturel, explains, by January 2026 all students at her son’s lower secondary school in the suburbs of Paris had already participated in at least one workshop led by trained teachers.

“Further workshops are scheduled before the end of the [academic] year, so that every young person can participate in a total of three EVARS sessions,” she said. “Parent representatives, like the teaching staff, are very satisfied to see this approach finally taking shape on the ground.”

The French case illustrates a universal lesson: legislation alone cannot ensure meaningful Comprehensive Sexuality Education. To achieve its intended impact – equipping all young people with knowledge, critical thinking and rights‑based perspectives – the law must be backed by training, resources, collaboration with civil society, and genuine political will. Only then will CSE stop being a legal promise and become a lived reality for students across the country.