Preaching Sex

“In India we don’t hesitate to have sex, but when we have to talk about it, it’s against our culture,” says Anju Kishinchandani, a sex educator who runs weekend workshops in Mumbai

Sex education in India is one topic that even today attracts a few disapproving glances from grown-ups. Hardly have they understood how pivotal it is to take up the topic of sex with their kids. Attainment of teenager comes up with lots of unanswered doubts in the child’s mind but the social stigma doesn’t allow for easy communication.

UNSEALING

Sex education is a comprehensive process of providing information and helping young individuals form attitudes and beliefs about sexual intimacy, relationships and one’s sexual identity. It also helps develop an understanding in children about consent and the importance of making informed choices and being confident. Sexual composition of every individual need not be same. Some are straight while some are homosexuals or bisexuals. But society takes it as an “illness” trying to get it cured by infinite illogical way, opting out from changing their own perspective. There isn’t any particular classified age to teach about sex education. From primary school itself children know about gender classification. Eventually as they grow things mould around and so do their thoughts. The media and open variety of sources in internet exposes children to variety of content.

WHY IS IT NEEDED?

·It is of utmost importance that teenage girls and boys understand the changes that their bodies undergo when they reach adolescence.

·Both the girls as well as the boys need to understand all about menstrual cycle, so that the girls feel a sense of comfort rather being conscious about it. Teaching boys won’t get them grossed out by periods, tampons and sanitary pads and learn early in life to be sensitive to this issue.

·Awareness about sex will also spread knowledge about pregnancies and other related issues including safe sex and diseases like STD and HIV.

·Adolescents develop skills from sexuality education are linked to more general life-skills, such as communication, listening, decision-making and negotiation. These useful life-skills are not only to applicable to sexual relationships but also in other aspects of life.

OUTSOURCING SEX EDUCATION

There are many anti-sex education campaigns and supposed protectors of moral culture which may get destroyed if sex education is preached to all. As weird it may sound but there are very rigid famous names behind not allowing to impart this knowledge. We as a society find pleasure in to meet fake godmen to cure homo rather talking freely to their kids.

In India, the question remains whether we have even reached the point where we speak the word freely without apprehension. Unfortunately, sex education in most schools even today is limited to the education of sex in reptiles and animals and when it comes to the point of teaching the students the portion where sex in human being is involved, the teacher generally just breezes through with just the basic introduction to the reproductive parts.

HOPING CHANGE

The major role is played here are by the parents only. Talking on the topic up will break the ice and eventually the child will for sure share every of experiences and doubts. Being open and helping them understand about consensual sex. Rape and assault can be reduced if the right education is spread. Discussing about sexual orientation will help child to come out of his or her cocoon and share his or her own tale. They would gain confidence seeing the support of their own parents. A new society would become binded by only love and wiping off stigmas.