A life so precious that it sublimes with the spirit of God,
A life so hopeful that the parched earth makes a harvest nod,
A life so celebrated that the community fails to realise,
That with the coming of a new life; every predator, every demon, every offender will be on a rise.
According to the Indian Census, every day 49,481 babies are born in India and as per the National Crime Records Bureau, every hour there are 4 child abuse cases in India. In times like these, one goes back to Wordsworth’s – What Man has made of Man! But because just Literature wouldn’t resolve discrepancies, activism and advocacy comes to play.
At the 1994 United Nations International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and its Five Year Review, member states of the UN, including India, affirmed the Sexual and Reproductive Rights (SRRs) of adolescents and young people. Therefore, as a part of their commitments under the ICPD agenda, governments are obliged to provide for free and compulsory comprehensive sexuality education for adolescents and young people.
Taking cognizance of the ICPD commitment and sexual education gap, the Central Government in India developed the AEP (Adolescent Education Programme) for implementation in all secondary and higher secondary schools. This Program was objected to by certain organisations on the ground that it is contrary to Indian culture and morality.
A study titled ‘Effects of Sex Education on Young People’s Sexual Behaviour’ by the WHO has shown that sex education delays the start of early sexual activity, reduces sexual activity among young people and encourages those already sexually active to have safer sex. Furthermore, information may be presented in an age-appropriate and culturally sensitive way, but there can be no compromise on the content of the information.
I collaborated with Ek Pahel to hold a workshop on Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), focussing on good touch, bad touch and menstrual hygiene for 70 girls from Grade II to Grade X.
What Is Comprehensive Sexuality Education ?
Comprehensive sexuality education means to empower young people to protect their health, well-being and dignity. It is understood that in order for adolescents and young people to freely make informed decisions on all matters relating to their sexuality and reproduction, they require comprehensive sexuality education.
From talking about human anatomy to nullifying menstrual myths; from shaming victim shame to advocating menstrual science; from initiating talks on rehabilitation of feelings after a ‘bad touch’ encounter to knowledge sharing about menstrual hygiene and health; from encouraging the children to say a loud and clear ‘NO’ to impress upon the children the fact that ‘periods are not shameful’.
There can be lofty talks about youth participation and youth empowerment but if education is given amiss then all these magnanimous goals of empowerment will go down the drain. It’s time to address the elephant in the room – our children are vulnerable, vulnerable to predators inside the homes and outside and vulnerable children cannot shoulder the responsibility of the nation.
Educating children about their bodies and sexuality in an age-appropriate way can go a long way in helping them understand the difference between sexual and non-sexual touch. Such education can help children escape the guilt and fear that often accompanies sexual abuse and empower them to report previous or ongoing abuse.
So let’s talk to our children about all the ‘queer stuff’, answer all their ‘uncomfortable questions’ and encourage dialogue and discussion n all topics labelled ‘taboo’.