Tunisian sex ed flyers mentioning homosexuality removed from book fair

Booklets intended for Tunisian parents to answer their children's questions about sexuality, including same-sex relations, have been pulled out from the Tunis International Book Fair, its director said on Thursday.

The fair's director, Mohamed Salah Kadri, told AFP that the sex education pamphlets had been withdrawn by representatives of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), which produced the material in collaboration with the Tunisian Reproductive Health Association.

"We expressed our embarrassment about the content of these pamphlets, and the UNFPA representatives were understanding and removed them from their stand," Kadri said.

The UNFPA as well as the Tunisian association did not respond to AFP's requests for comment.

The pamphlets offer answers to questions frequently asked by teenagers and children around sexuality, according to media reports, including same-sex relations.

Article 230 of Tunisia's penal code criminalises consensual same-sex sexual relations and sets a punishment of up to three years in prison.

It also allows the authorities to conduct anal tests on individuals, a practice harshly criticised by the United Nations' Committee Against Torture.

The legislation, which dates back to the French colonial era, has remained in force since Tunisia gained independence in 1956 despite calls from civil society groups to revoke it.

Since Tunisia's 2011 revolution, LGBTQ activists have been able to work more publicly, but their situation remains precarious due to both legal and social norms.