Setting a Syllabus for Sex Education in India
Written by Adhila Muhammed Arif and Pratap Muthalaly
India is famed across the world for its rich and varied cultural heritage, its magnificent cuisine and of course it’s fast developing economy with a robust young work force. Sadly, all the positive press that our nation receives stands to be overshadowed by its poor treatment of women and skewed views of sexuality.
Why do we need Sex Ed?
In 2007 the government of India, in collaboration with NACO, NCERT and the UN, announced the launch of the Adolescence Education Programme (AEP). There was however widespread opposition from a number of Indian states. Many prominent political figures voiced their concerns about the programme and some even went so far as to say that the AEP would make young individuals indulge in more sexually immoral behavior. This highlights the need for further advocacy and research towards making Sex Ed mainstream.
Sexuality has been an object of confusion for a multitude of children and adolescents. That is, ever too often children receive misleading and incorrect information regarding sexuality and sex related acts that create lasting biases. According to a UNESCO article published in 2018 two out of three girls in some countries are completely unaware of what is happening to them when they begin menstruating. Moreover, in the digital age it is inevitable that children will be exposed to sexual content, regardless of the best efforts of parents and care givers alike. Pornography and erotica can have a profound negative impact on young children. It can lead to young boys seeing women as merely objects of pleasure, with vital factors like consent virtually slipping over their heads.
This is especially important in a country such as ours which reports high teen pregnancy rates and sexual abuse. Furthermore, young children are often taken advantage of sexually due to their inability to distinguish between a good touch and a bad touch.
What should the proposed Sex Ed syllabus include?
Regardless of how a potential sex education syllabus is framed, it is important that it be centred around the following key aspects.
Puberty
In the present day it is not surprising to find most children to be aware of a variety of sex related topics by the time they reach puberty. This is of course due to the power of mass media and also the internet. However, as is often the case with the internet, the information they are exposed to may be varying in accuracy. This is why it pivotal that schools reach students prior to their exposure to inaccurate sexual content, effectively setting a well-researched base for sex education. In the case of puberty, it is very important that children are made aware well in advance of the changes that they are due to undergo at the onset of puberty (between ages 8–10). This includes bodily changes, growth spurt and the development of secondary sexual characteristics. When it comes to classes on puberty, schools in India often segregate children. This is a major reason why a lot of men view menstruation as filthy and have misconceptions about it. A 2014 report by the NGO Dasra titled ‘Spot On!’ found that nearly 23 million girls drop out of school annually due to a lack of proper menstrual hygiene management facilities, which include availability of sanitary napkins. 71 per cent of adolescent girls remained unaware of menstruation till menarche. The lack of availability of menstrual hygiene products results in women resorting to unhygienic practices during their menstrual cycle which leads to diseases like cervical cancer that can affect their day to day life. The availability of menstrual pads in schools will be a huge step to solve this problem. It is very important that young girls are educated about what menstruation is and how best to deal with it. However, the most important aspect of lessons on puberty and sex education in general, is that it should not be gender segregated. That is, boys should be made aware of what a menstrual cycle is and what changes women go through, similarly girls should also be made aware of the changes that boys go through.
Consent
The concept of consent is something that is often not given enough importance, especially consent in relation to sex and sex related acts. Consent has to be taught in stages, with early framework being established during the smaller classes like kindergarten, with the children being gradually updated as they progress with age. An important aspect of teaching consent is, in instilling respect for others and their feelings. Further, from a young age kids have to be made to understand physical boundaries and what kind of touch strays into what we would commonly recognize as inappropriate. Ideally as children age and enter adolescence they should be taught that it is not right to continue pressing a potential partner if they refuse or show unwillingness to have sexual intercourse. Similarly, adolescents and teenagers must also be taught that it is okay to refuse the advances of others if they are not feeling up to it. Simply put, they should be made to understand that choices over their body lies solely in their own hands.
Good Touch and Bad Touch
Children are often the targets of sexual predators, due to their relative innocence and inability to grasp when they are being taken advantage of or abused sexually. According to data by the National Crime Record Bureau, 109 children are sexually abused every day in India. This is why it is essential that young children in our country are taught to properly differentiate between what is a safe touch and what is potentially an unsafe or unwarranted touch. Also, children should be taught the correct names of all their different body parts, including their private parts. Children often find it hard to talk about sexual abuse because they don’t know the right words to use, and as such are unable to quite understand what is happening to them when they are subject to abuse. It should be instilled in our kids that that they have ownership over their own bodies and that there is nothing wrong is protesting or shouting if they are being touched inappropriately.
Pornography
In the absence of a proper sex education policy in our country, pornography has often filled in the gaps. Pornography, however is quite ill suited for this task. This dependence on porn for sex related information has caused many misconceptions in the minds of the children and young adults alike. This is because of the fundamental fact that pornography is entertainment, and as such it is not necessarily the most accurate depiction of sex. In its eagerness to satisfy our fantasies, it often fails to address crucial topics like consent and safe sex. This is why it is of the utmost importance that kids are educated sooner or later of the reality of porn and what better way to convey this than at schools where you can educate multiple children at the same time.
Removing the stigma around sexual gratification and pleasure
In our country there is often an unnecessary stigma surrounding masturbation and sexual pleasure. Especially in the case of women, who are often times seen as objects of sexual desire, but are also, rather ironically, judged negatively for experiencing a sexual appetite themselves. If women are seen to be actively seeking sexual fulfilment, they are labelled as ‘sluts” among other derogatory usages. Therefore, it is crucial that we teach our children that sexual pleasure is only normal and human and that it should not be reserved to any one gender.
Gender identity and sexual orientation
Generally, sex education is exclusive to heterosexual intercourse and cisgender people. Adolescents who identify themselves as LGBTQ+ are more vulnerable to sexual assault and early heterosexual sex, especially unprotected, compared to cisgender heterosexual adolescents. They are also subjected to bullying and harassment because of their identity. It is necessary to make these children feel accepted and to educate their heterosexual peers to treat them with dignity. It is important to make sure that sex education is inclusive of LGBTQ+ community so that they can also be taught about safe sex and not just safe sex that is heterosexual. It is ideal to include this in the syllabus for high schoolers since adolescence is generally when children start forming more concrete ideas of themselves and their identities.
Safe sex and risks of unsafe sex
Another major area that needs to be addressed under the umbrella of sex education is the importance of safe sex and the risks involved in unsafe sexual practices. While, it is desirable for adolescents to abstain from sexual intercourse as it is the most efficient way to prevent unwanted pregnancies and STI’s, it is important that we also equip our kids with the knowledge of what safe sex is and what are possibly unsafe sexual practices. Adolescents should be given the requisite tools like condoms and contraceptives to reduce the risks of pregnancy in the off chance that they engage in sexual intercourse. Moreover, in the likelihood that they do engage in intercourse, they should be advised to discuss important things with their partner like past partners, history of STIs and drug use before engaging in the act itself.
While many parents and the more culturally conservative in this country may advocate a strict abstinence only program, it is best that we avoid taking this path. Abstinence only programs usually avoid topics of safe sex and contraceptives and only focuses on sex within marriage to preserve family values. For example: a report published by the National Centre for Biotechnology Information stated that, in the USA, the 21 states that stressed an abstinence only policy averaged 73.24 teen pregnancies per 1000 girls aged 14–19. This is in stark comparison to the 56.36 percent averaged by states that covered abstinence for school-aged teens as part of a comprehensive sex or HIV/STD education curriculum, which includes medically accurate information on contraception and protection from HIV/STDs. Therefore, it can be said that it is clear for all to see that a comprehensive approach triumphs a narrow abstinence only program.
The issue of safe sex is especially serious in India, which has a teen pregnancy rate of 33.6 percent, according to a Firstpost article published in January 2018. This is a damning statistic for a country with a population of roughly 1.2 billion. Also, in spite of there being some existing programs in place, the majority of the youth in India have little to no knowledge of their existence. A prime example of this is The Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) or National Adolescent Health Programme, which has made a total of 7,500 village health clinics sensitive to adolescent needs nationwide. Yet in spite of this, no more than 1 percent of boys and girls aged 10–14 interviewed knew about RKSK. This is why it is essential that such policies and programs are more visible to the youth in this country. This can only be done if a comprehensive sex education policy is formulated.
Law and provisions that need to be amended
In order to implement any proposed syllabus on sex education, first and foremost the existing laws and provisions have to be amended. In India, the age of consent is set at 18. But the age for accountability for sexual assault and rape is set at 16, to be tried as an adult. Even if two adolescents have consensual sex, it is considered as a crime under the POCSO Act. Section 19 of the act makes it mandatory for anyone having knowledge of sexual abuse of a minor to report it. Since all sexual activity between minors is looked at as sexual abuse under POCSO, doctors and hospitals are mandated to report teenage pregnancies — regardless of whether the relationship and/or sex were consensual. That is the police will invariably register a POCSO case.
If both the boy and girl are minors, then technically both can be victims under POCSO. This however, is determined by the person who files the complaint. Many Child Rights activists have suggested the age of consent to be set at 16 as the age of accountability as an adult is also set there and also because the sexual activity between adolescents is really high in the 16–18 age group.
Similarly, another alternative would be to follow the Canadian route. A provision exists in Canada, where the age of consent is 16 years. However, a 14 or 15-year-old Canadian can engage in sexual activity consensually as long as the partner is no older to them than by five years, and there isn’t a relationship of “trust, authority or dependence” between the two.
How should sex education be implemented In India
In order for any proposed syllabus on sex education to be a success in India, it is important that we take care in its implementation It is not only important that we remove any contradictory legislation as mentioned earlier but also that we have a clear framework and set of guidelines to implement the proposed Sex Ed syllabus. The ideal way to do this would be to follow a strategy similar to those who framed our constitution. That is, borrow what is suitable from existing Sex Ed curricula in foreign countries while simultaneously adapting these to the Indian situation.
Some key things that should be implemented are:
1. Building an early foundation
It is important that the framework for sex education be implemented from the very beginning of a child’s education. That is just like children learn their Alphabets and numbers, it is important that they have the basic principles for what will evolve into comprehensive sex ed instilled from an early age. For example: In the case of the Netherlands, sex education begins as early as age four, when children receive lessons on relationships, appropriate touching, and intimacy. It is important that Indian children are taught something similar.
2. Make sex education compulsory by law in schools
Like how sex education is compulsory by law in countries like Sweden and the Netherlands, it is very important to make sex education compulsory in all Indian schools. Given the attitudes towards sexuality and the treatment of women in this country, it is an absolute must that sex education must not be an option but a must.
3. Subject integration, everyday efforts and themed days
For lessons on sexuality and sex related information to be truly effective, it has to first be normalised and integrated better into the overall syllabus. For example; discussions on topics like gender identity, pornography and safe sex will have to not only be normalised but also encouraged in classrooms. Another thing, is to celebrate and give extra emphasis to said issues through themed days like World AIDS day and International Women’s day. This approach forms the keystone of the Swedish sex education curricula which is one of the oldest and most effective in the world.
4. Role of Experts, Teachers and parents
It would be ideal if experts in the area of sexual health be dispatched to various schools to teach sex education. Possibly one expert could be assigned to a specific list of schools in a specific area or locality as is the case with the Japanese prefecture of Amori. It is possibly better that experts teach the more complex parts of the Sex ed curriculum. This however does not mean that teachers are necessarily out of the loop. If anything, they are most crucial in the effective implementation of any eventual syllabus on comprehensive sex education. For this purpose, teachers have to be retrained to better understand and teach Sex Ed. Teachers will be most important in the lower classes where the sex education framework is laid down. Similarly, parents and caregivers have to receive constant updates about what is being taught in schools regarding sex education. Further, they too have to be encouraged to inculcate similar positive values on sexuality and sexual heath. The constant nexus between parents, teachers and experts will be crucial to the any possible success in this area. That is, parents too have to made aware of the importance and necessity of Sex Ed in a child’s development.
5. Going beyond schools and educational institutions
While the effective implementation of a Sex Ed syllabus will undoubtably have a huge positive impact on the country’s youth, it is important that we don’t forget one crucial point. That is, that we must not forget the numerous kids that are not able to attend school. According to the report of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), 32 million Indian children of age up to 13 years have never attended any school, moreover in 2018, 13.5 percent of girls between the ages 15–16 were out of school. Therefore, it is a must that some adapted version of the syllabus must be taught to these children out of school. This could be through various public awareness programmes and schemes spearheaded by organisations like the National Adolescent Health Programme. For this to work, it is crucial that these organisations receive greater freedom, visibility and backing from the governments both at the state and centre.
Impact of sex education
Without a doubt sex education can have a hugely positive effect on developing countries such as ours. Countries with a comprehensive syllabus on sex education like the Netherlands report some of the lowest rates of teen pregnancy in the world. The Dutch also have a low rate of STD transmission. Furthermore, the argument for implementation of a comprehensive sex education policy is strongly advocated by the United Nations. In fact, a 2018 UNESCO report stated that Sex education has numerous positive effects, including increasing young people’s knowledge and improving their attitudes related to sexual and reproductive health and behaviours. Moreover, it stressed that Sex Ed in no way increased sexual activity or risky sexual behaviour for that matter.
Also, rather India, surprisingly already has a successful model of sex education which is being implemented in some schools in Nagaland. A 2018 article by Simran Bajaj in the Qrius digital magazine reported this, with one of their sources saying that the classes helped them understand sexuality, consent and taboo from a more mature perspective and ultimately made them and their peers capable, from an early age, of better judging right and wrong in the sphere of sexuality.
Conclusion
Prior stated facts and examples show that, there are numerous positives that come with the implementation of comprehensive Sex ed. Children will be better suited to deal with problems of their own sexuality as well as the advances of sexual predators. They will also have a better understanding of the risks of unsafe sex, and thus be able to take the required precautions in the event that they engage in sexual intercourse. Therefore, it is crucial that we push forward irrespective of the opposition from some quarters. Socially detrimental practices such as Sati and the more recent removal of section 377, initially faced widespread dissent. However, for the betterment of society it is important to persevere to remove the stigma around one’s sexuality.
References
1. https://en.unesco.org/news/urges-comprehensive-approach-sexuality-education
2. https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/menstrual-hygiene-day-facts-26-percent-use-sanitary-pads-periods-34309/
5. https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/other-autre/clp/faq.html
6. https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/22-jump-in-cases-of-child-sexual-abuse-in-2018-says-report-2162716
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3194801/
9. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/spring-fever
10.https://www.skolverket.se/download/18.6bfaca41169863e6a65bd27/1553966490106/pdf3580.pdf
