The communal shower following gym or swimming practice can be uncomfortable for some students. Reports came out on Friday morning, stating that girls were obligated to shower naked in front of their classmates in a school in Bern. This led Korab Rashiti, the French-speaking MP for the UDC to file an interpellation with the Bernese Grand Council. Showering is an individual’s right, explained Rashiti, and the feelings of young children should be respected. Rashiti also pointed out that a gym lesson doesn’t always make one sweat, and the practice of communal naked showers is dubious and violates students’ privacy and modesty. The deputy further asked the Bernese government to clarify the rules regarding this matter. Some students choose not to expose themselves due to personal or intimate reasons, and their will should also be acknowledged.
Canton of Bern
Forced shower at school: “The feeling of a child must be respected”
A mandatory shared shower following gym in a Bernese school makes MP Korab Rashiti react.
Updated
The common shower following the gym is not suitable for all students.
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The communal shower following the gym or the swimming pool can become hell for some students. On learning this Friday morning in the press of the obligation imposed on girls to strip naked in front of their comrades in a Bernese school, the French-speaking MP Korab Rashiti (UDC) wrote and filed an interpellation with the Bernese Grand Council. “Showering is an individual freedom”, explains this parliamentarian.
The teacher who first allowed them to shower in their underwear was reprimanded by the principal, according to online media ‘Today’. “Some make it a matter of hygiene, but does a gym lesson always make you sweat?” asks Korab Rashiti.
“Whatever the reason for his refusal, moral or ethical, the feeling of a 12-year-old child must be respected,” insists the MP for Gerolfingen. The title of his interpellation sums up his thoughts: “Coercion and freedom: how far can the school or the teacher impose his will on others by threats of coercion?”.
“Source of mockery”
The common naked shower is a practice that seems to him “questionable” and “contrary to respect for the privacy and modesty of students”, but also “potentially a source of mockery, harassment or violence and ultimately once morest the will of the individuals in our canton”. The deputy asks the Bernese government to inform him of the rules in force.
For Korab Rashiti, it is a question of respecting the will of certain pupils who “for intimate reasons do not wish to be exposed”, but also “for reasons which are their own”, he writes.
The debate surrounding mandatory shared showers in schools has once once more highlighted the importance of respecting individual privacy and freedom. For some students, the thought of having to strip naked in front of their peers can be an anxious and uncomfortable experience, and it is essential that their feelings are taken seriously. MP Korab Rashiti’s interpellation to the Bernese Grand Council has raised important questions regarding how far schools should be able to impose their will on students, and we hope that this will lead to a re-evaluation of current showering practices. Ultimately, every child’s feelings and wellbeing should be respected, and we must ensure that our schools are fostering an environment of safety and inclusivity for all students.
