Not So ‘Shuddh’ Desi – Why We Need Sex Education In India

A normal teenage adolescent mind goes through a lot of turmoil. Today, when teenagers experience the lack of a strong support system (especially the absence of one that encourages and welcomes discussion) they reach out to their one omnipresent and omniscient companion.

Imagine being a teen today…

Imagine being a teenage girl who hasn’t been briefed on what menstruation is. Now imagine finding yourself in a fix every month during the first few years of puberty. You would be utterly lost and confused about the changes taking place in your body and emotions. At the same time, being addled regarding whether or not you can approach or ask somebody about it.

The same applies for a teenage boy too. Unable to make sense of what they are going through, teenagers tend to seek help. When a teenage boy find himself at a dearth of understanding the basic concepts of human biology, he would naturally turn to the consumption of content on social media. This then begins to influence him.

The exposure to unedited and freely accessible content leads to the shaping and forming of their perception about girls and women on the whole. This applies to the teenage girls too.

Schools aren’t over archaic notions

Indian schools do an excellent job of training the students to be at par with their global peers. However, we are yet to get over the notion that sexuality education will end up distracting students. And will plant “wrong” ideas in their heads.

With reports of teenage pregnancies and sexual abuse in India on the rise, the ideal expectation would be that a holistic curriculum be introduced within high school education. That of a genus of education that covers topics of gender equality and the significance of individual consent and boundaries. Which at the same time, also covers menstruation, reproduction and related topics.

However, the very idea of sex education in India is a controversial one. It is a topic that is considered offensive to the Indian value system. The argument goes with this, is that excessive knowledge about the same might lead to risk-involved sexual and promiscuous behaviour among the teens. Which then plays into the concern of repression of sexuality in the country.

The Adolescence education programme

The Adolescence Education Programme for schools was launched in 2007 by the Central Government. However, 13 states called for an instant ban. They stated that such comprehensive sexuality education went against Indian culture. Ten years have passed since then and the programme still stands banned in at least five states.

Sexuality education, as the UNESCO defines it, “provides opportunities to build decision-making, communication and risk reduction skills about many aspects of sexuality… encompasses the full range of information, skills and values to enable young people to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights and to make safe decisions about their health and sexuality.” The biggest deterrent in the initiation of a proper system of sex education in our country is all the harangue about social ethos, decency, discreet mannerisms and cultural boundaries. These are the boundaries we are expected to hang on to.

A study conducted by the Population Council of National Study on “Youth in India” (2006–07). It concluded that out of India’s total population of over 5,00,000 youngsters, barely 15% had access to information regarding sex from their parents or teachers.

Teaching them is better than the internet

We need to realise that unguided and inauthentic information will lead to unhealthy sexual practices amongst teens. Enlightening our teenagers about the importance of safe sex, birth control and consent is the need of the day.

The general consensus is that the introduction of such an education will pioneer an un-required discussion on sex and its nature. “The myth is that everyone is going to talk about sex,” says Dr Sunil Mehra, Executive Director of MAMTA Health Institute for Mother and Child. They hosted the 11th World Congress on Adolescent Health (October 27th to 29th, 2017).

The effort is, however, to initiate a discussion on and around the topic. This will help reduce the stigma attached, so that students feel free to approach their elders when in doubt and in times of need.

Basic sex education is necessary

Research also claims that comprehensive sexuality education postpones sexual initiation and brings down the rate of sexually transmitted diseases. While rates of sexual violence against women are infuriatingly inflating, the addition of basic sexuality education in India is of utmost importance.

Anju Kishinchandani, famed gender and sexuality educator, argues that our government is “abdicating its responsibility.” They are doing so by outsourcing sexuality education, to non-profit or private organisations.

The challenge is to nurture young adults who are comfortable and confident in who they are and how they interact with others, in a healthy and respectful way, with everyone, across the gender and sex spectrum.

This is what sex education entails. Comprehensive sexuality education does not teach teens about how to have sex. In fact, it informs them of changes taking place in their bodies. It teaches them how to make healthy and safe choices as they grow up.

Educate them right at the right time

We constantly hear about the political, technological and economic development of India on the whole. It is time we also make way for the social, psychological and cultural development of our country and its growing population by tapping into them while young. The key to empowering the youth of today is education — the right kind and amount of education, at the right time.

In a compelling move, the Union Health Ministry (under the leadership of Health Secretary C.K. Mishra) has put together the radical resource manual “Sathiyaa” on sexuality and reproductive health. It is to be circulated among over a lakh of adolescent and high school peer educators.

These educators are challenged with engaging the country’s adolescents. They would have discussions on forms of sexuality, sexual practices, gender-based behaviour and issues of reproductive health. The effectiveness of the curriculum remains to be tested. However, the initiative is, nevertheless, the first step in bridging a hitherto huge gap between the knowledge dearth on the said issues and its availability to adolescents.

Open a dialogue with your teens

Open dialogue needs to be encouraged within family circles and even schools. As of now, neither teachers nor parents address the conflicts and doubts that pass through the minds of adolescent children and teenagers. Many of us shy away from explaining and discussing these topics with teens. Those who do, usually end up mocking or reprimanding them.

It’s high time or rather, the right time for our schools to introduce basic sexuality education for adolescents and teenagers. On the other hand, it is also important to create a comfortable and an approachable space at homes which allows them to ask, discuss and opine about issues they grapple with.

Children and teenagers will genuinely start opening up about their worries and concerns, their doubts and queries. This will happen only when they realise that their families are no longer conservative. Rather they are supportive and understand the challenges they face on a daily basis.

Here’s how you can start

How about this as a start? You see an extremely sexist and misogynistic portrayal of women in an advertisement. Could we ask our teens about their opinion on this? Instead of practising our tendency to quickly switch channels when an item number is being played on television, could we not ask them what they think and feel about the song and the portrayal in it?

Teenagers are inquisitive. If not from us, they will find ways (and they aren’t always healthy) to seek the knowledge that they are barred from accessing. Can we then try, to not hide facts, and rather let boys know the reason behind their sister falling sick once every month? Could we not ask them if they like someone in school or college? Whether or not they are having any emotional difficulties with the same? Can we ensure and promise them a comfortable space, in our presence, where they can come and inform us — without a second thought — if they are ever abused or harassed? Could we not ensure that our teens learn about the facts of life from accurate and supportive sources, rather than from easily downloadable mobile content? Can we not, or won’t we?

Right knowledge and right amount of support

The right kind of knowledge along with the right amount of support and value system leads to the nurturing of healthy and well-adapted youth. Youth who know when and where to respect their and others’ personal boundaries.

The idea is to empower and equip the growing population of teenagers with unambiguous and reliable knowledge about themselves. It is to ensure they become confident, aware and responsible human beings.

What do you think?

Author: Jerin Jacob is an Educator and the Chief Editor at One Future Collective.

A version of this was first published here.

Picture credits: Pexels