A recent report suggested that money from the Nirbhaya Fund has hardly been utilised in several states. After witnessing the horrifying gangrape and murder of a woman veterinarian in Telangana, States have decide to implement more women safety measures, one of which is conducting sex education an sensitization programmes in schools. Another incident that surfaced was the whatsapp messages circulated among boys of an elite school in Mumbai where terms like, “gangbang”, “homophobia” was used and women were termed “trash”. Dr Srishti Saha, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Fortis Hospital Anandapur explains why sex education and gender sensitization among youth is important.
The term “sex” generates a lot of controversial and contradictory reactions from people. In our country, open discourse about any sexual matter is largely considered to be taboo. Sex, especially pre-marital sex, is believed to be ‘bad’, ‘wrong’, and in violation of our sense of morality. From a young age, most children and adolescentslearn that sex is something to be avoided and not to be talked about, or learn nothing about it at all. It is no wonder therefore, that the youth often have numerous pressing, and sometimes bordering on the bizarre, questions about sex.
Not talking about sex, in today’s world, ceases to be an option due to the easy access that youngsters have, to sexual content on mass media. A large number of programmes, movies, shows, and advertisements that the youth devours, focuses on themes of romance, and sexuality. It is natural, therefore for them to be curious about the said themes. The concept of having a “girlfriend” or a “boyfriend” is so rampant, at least among urbanites, that many youngsters actually feel upset, isolated, or different for not having a partner.
One crucial aspect of sexuality education is gender sensitization. Gender sensitization aims at questioning the existing gender stereotypes in our society and developing a sense of empathy and acceptance towards the other gender.
The greatest importance of gender sensitization in today’s world, is the contribution it has to the creation of a safe society. Sexual attitudes and misogyny are often at the root of most sexual and violent crimes. Research has shown that children growing up in gender sensitive environments do not internalize sexist attitudes. Knee-jerk reactions to violent crimes cannot be a holistic solution. To bring about a reduction in the rates of such crimes, and hopefully, an altogether eradication of the same, we need to invest time and effort to instill the right values in our children from the very formative years.
India has the largest adolescent population (243 million with more than 50% of the adolescent population living in urban areas). The figures itself speak to the importance of addressing the well being of this age-group, especially for a developing country like ours. What we, as a society, need to understand, is that sex education should not be taken literally to mean imparting knowledge about sex and sexual activities. Sex education needs to be viewed from a more holistic perspective. A curriculum-based process of teaching and learning about the cognitive, emotional, physical and social aspects of sexuality is important. It aims to equip children and young people with knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that will empower them to realize their health, well-being and dignity; develop respectful social and sexual relationships; consider how their choices affect their own well-being and that of others; and understand and ensure the protection of their rights throughout their lives.
