Sex education in India- a rising need of the hour

The majority of us have seen our teachers skipping basic biology lessons including reproduction, male-female genetics, etc. because these were topics we could just fast forward and learn by ourselves. How are we supposed to do that when there is nobody to guide us? Basic sex education has been denied to children in schools and at home. Sex includes a complex variety of subjects that needs to be taught at a very young age. But Indian culture has labeled sex education a taboo and topic that should remain untouched and a virgin. 

Why does our culture refuse to acknowledge and speak about the basic human biology that we are all a part of? What is it about the word sex that instigates rage among elders and parents? The roots of inequality between a man and a woman can be seen widely in our society. From the time a boy is ‘punished’ by being asked to sit next to a girl, a girl being asked not to dress ‘provocatively’ in front of a boy, are all merely slight instances of cultivating wrong ideas into the minds of kids who would grow up misguided. They grow up into young adults with curiosity, accessing wrong information from friends and the internet, and become ignorant of so many details like gender diversity, consent, pleasure, sexual health. These give rise to sexual abuses, STDs, homophobia, and more. 

In India, every day an average of 88 people get raped. But these statistics don’t even include kids. Why are all these men, women, and kids facing such abuse? It is because of the barrier that our culture has set between different genders that limits male-female communication, access to full sex education explaining what is right and what is wrong, which is the reason for the shaping of an inhuman mindset. Men grow up thinking they are above women and have complete authority over their bodies. Premarital sex is silently being oppressed by every community in India. Therefore, young couples are not aware of the safety precautions that they should know before entering into sexual intercourse. 

At present more than a quarter of young adults engage in premarital sex out of which one-third are not aware of the risks of unprotected sex. This is also extensively seen among female sex workers, who are open to the risk of having contracted STDs like HIV because either the male is not willing to use the protection or because the female is not aware of it.  

Many schemes have been introduced to implement sex education as part of the curriculum in India recently. But these will need a long time before actually coming into effect. This is due to the communal and patriarchal mindsets of people that refuse to change. We need to encourage the practice of using protection like condoms in both males and females. At present, around 2.1 million Indians are HIV positive. Schools and other institutions need to conduct regular sexual health awareness programs for teenagers and adults if we want the number to decrease.  

We should educate kids from childhood about their body and the way it thinks and react. It is at home where the basic education starts. The little things that we change at home can be a big impact. Treating your kids equally and talking to them and answering their doubts instead of asking them to stop asking ‘inappropriate’ questions will help them understand the changes that they are going to go through with age. 

Your culture and your beliefs should never stand in the way of equality and awareness. If it does, it is time to change your beliefs.