It’s a pleasant fine morning, with a cup of tea in your hand, you flip through a national daily and you’re left dumbstruck by the awful news headlines which are enough to destroy your peace for the day. For example, “A three-and-half-year-old girl was allegedly raped by two minor boys in Ingipalli village in Dattajeru mandal of the district on Thursday. The accused were identified as 14-year-olds residing in the same village.” This headline effectively reasserts the heading of the article being read.
It’s the eleventh hour to introduce Sex Education as a course in school curriculums. Sex is considered a taboo in Indian society and hence, is not talked about. If given proper guidance and instructions, if children are told of its complexities and complications, it’ll affect them positively, and they’ll rationalize before the thought of raping crosses their mind. Since, sex is not talked about, minors out of curiosity resort to actions like raping a three-year-old. Introduction of sex education in the curriculum will help the students to abstain from such hideous crimes.
With easy access and availability of social media and internet, children can no longer just be children, it is hence very essential that they’re rightly informed and not get carried away. The days of sneaking a peek at a naughty magazine or a porn site are long gone, sex needs to be openly discussed to reduce the alarming rate of rapes in the country. Half knowledge of sex misguides minors. From whatever information they’ve acquired through peers and internet, they proceed with their actions without giving it a second thought. Had they talked about it to adults, they would have been aware of the morals attached with it. They would have been aware of the difference between love, sex, and intimacy.
Knowledge and control over one’s own body is a fundamental human right. Sex education will help individuals to know themselves. If biological, social and psychological aspects of sex are openly discussed, it’ll help a kid to grow into a responsible adult. If their knowledge of sexual intercourse is fertile, they’ll have a healthy behavior and restrain themselves from getting into abused actions and relationships.
If the recent incidents are taken into light, it can well be inferred that parents too do not provide their kids sex education. A father raping his daughter has become a common headline. Had the daughter been educated, she might have saved herself of the subjugation. It paints how the country is forwarding to cultural and moral decay. It’s a startling fact that 27 million children are born out of mothers below 19 years of age every year. (Arora 42) Is there a need to say more? With an inexpensive and simple measure such as an introduction of sex education in schools, this menace can be prevented and help to build a healthier nation.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (“LGBTQ”) community across the globe will be benefitted. Everybody need validation, the introduction of sex education will bring them a step closer to come in terms with the reality. They need to assert that their body exists and that they are accepted in the society. If the masses are educated well, then in the future, LGBTQ won’t have to face the ordeal that they’re, at present, subjected to. It’ll prevent the struggle they have to get through for assertion and acceptance. It’ll help them co-exist peacefully in the society.
Issues like abortion, birth control, gender roles remain unattended. Introduction of sex education will address these crucial issues. It’ll cover a variety of viewpoints and will guide the youngsters in the right direction. It’ll create awareness of the complexity and seriousness of such issues and give a vivid picture to the masses at the right age. They would no longer be confused and take wrong steps or resort to dirty practices.
Adequate communication regarding the issue between children and educators may further encourage them to talk to their parents, who generally don’t take up the issue by themselves. This will help the children to be more open about the issue and discuss it more comfortably. It’ll break the existing notion of sex as a taboo in the country and help in creating healthier, wiser and sensible generations. Once parents start talking to children about sex, they’ll be able to tell more about the moral values associated with sex than any other educator.
These problems will multiply exponentially if no steps are taken. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the seriousness associated with it and the adversity it’ll cause if not resolved at the earliest. The prevailing misconceptions need to be cleared. Hence, proper guidance should be imparted by introducing sex education in schools and at parental level too.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
- “3-year-old Girl Raped by Minors in Vizianagaram – The Times of India.” The Times of India. 21 Aug. 2015. Web. 12 Sept. 2015.
- Arora, Pankaj. Sex Education in Schools. Ed. 1st. ed. New Delhi, India: Ocean, 2008. 42. Print.
About the Author:
De
vanshi Gupta
Devanshi is a final year student of B.A.(Hons)-English, Amity University. She is an avid reader and likes to invest her time in creative activities. She is also an enthusiastic orator and never leaves an opportunity to put forth her views on an issue of concern.
