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When I was in school, I remember how my biology teacher simply skipped through the human reproduction chapter. “It doesn’t come in the exams,” she told us. Maybe she was uncomfortable to talk about it in a co-ed class.
But the times have changed and so has the need to talk about sex. We are in an era where children ought to be taught about physical attraction to the opposite sex, and the same sex too. Yes, because people are coming out openly about their attraction to same sex people.
Sex education will help children confront any sexual abuses, and also make them come out of their inhibitions.
The Government of India understands these changing needs. Therefore, the Health Ministry has come up with a resource kit to educate millions of adolescents across the country about the thousands of questions they have about sex. So, what’s this resource kit all about?
Developed in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund, the ‘Saathiya kit’ aims to educate the teenagers and answer their queries such as:
‘Why am I attracted to the same sex’
‘What does safe sex mean’
‘Is masturbation bad’
‘What if I get pregnant and need abortion’
The ministry plans to have 1.6 lakh peer educators called ‘Saathiyas’ to explain things to the teenagers and answer their queries.
The resource kit highlights the importance of consent and respect while having sex, and explains why a ‘No’ strictly means ‘No’.
Most of the topics covered in the material are considered a taboo among Indian families. For example, the resource material says, “Getting attracted to the opposite sex is a fact, and the same attraction towards the same sex is also ‘normal’.”
It positively dismisses gender stereotypes and bats for gender equality by statements such as, “It is OK for boys to be involved in cooking or designing, and it’s alright for girls to dress up like boys or play games like boys if they want to. It’s inappropriate to label them otherwise.”
The section on reproductive health is worth mentioning. It not only has information about HIV and STDs but also has exhaustive details on options for birth control (pills, condoms, IUCDs etc.,) for both the sexes. It stresses on the importance of having ‘safe sex’ of which masturbation tops the list.
It also covers aspects of abortion and the need for parental support for teenage girls who want to undergo an abortion. Another forbidden topic, menstruation, which leads to drop-out among girls from schools, has been dealt with deftly with supporting material.
The resource kit will be distributed under the health programme Rashtriya Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) for all adolescents across the nation.
Well, that’s positive and reassuring.
The Saathiya Resource Kit is one of the efficient ways to drive home the point to adolescents and their parents as well. This helps the teachers and parents to break their silence on sex education and encourages them to talk to the children about the taboo topics in detail. The success of the health programme depends on the willingness of adolescents and their parents to discuss the issue with each other.
The mobile app Saathiya Resource Kit and Saathiya Salah can be downloaded from the Google play-store.
Do let us know what you think about this health programme for young adults. Leave your comments below.
