A recent report\nsuggested that money from the Nirbhaya Fund has hardly been utilised in several\nstates. After witnessing the horrifying gangrape and\nmurder of a woman veterinarian in Telangana, States have decide to\nimplement more women safety measures, one of which is conducting sex education an\nsensitization programmes in schools. Another incident that surfaced was the\nwhatsapp messages circulated among boys of an elite school in Mumbai where\nterms like, \u201cgangbang\u201d, \u201chomophobia\u201d was used and women were termed \u201ctrash\u201d.  Dr\nSrishti Saha, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at Fortis Hospital Anandapur explains\nwhy sex education and gender sensitization among youth is important. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nterm \u201csex\u201d generates a lot of controversial and contradictory reactions from\npeople. In our country, open discourse about any sexual matter is largely\nconsidered to be taboo. Sex, especially pre-marital sex, is believed to be\n\u2018bad\u2019, \u2018wrong\u2019, and in violation of our sense of morality. From a young age,\nmost children and adolescentslearn that sex is something to be avoided and not\nto be talked about, or learn nothing about it at all. It is no wonder\ntherefore, that the youth often have numerous pressing, and sometimes bordering\non the bizarre, questions about sex. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Not talking about sex, in today\u2019s\nworld, ceases to be an option due to the easy access that youngsters have, to\nsexual content on mass media. A large number of programmes, movies, shows, and\nadvertisements that the youth devours, focuses on themes of romance, and\nsexuality. It is natural, therefore for them to be curious about the said\nthemes. The concept of having a \u201cgirlfriend\u201d or a \u201cboyfriend\u201d is so rampant, at\nleast among urbanites, that many youngsters actually feel upset, isolated, or\ndifferent for not having a partner.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One\ncrucial aspect of sexuality education is gender sensitization. Gender\nsensitization aims at questioning the existing gender stereotypes in our\nsociety and developing a sense of empathy and acceptance towards the other\ngender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\ngreatest importance of gender sensitization in today\u2019s world, is the\ncontribution it has to the creation of a safe society. Sexual attitudes and\nmisogyny are often at the root of most sexual and violent crimes. Research has\nshown that children growing up in gender sensitive environments do not internalize\nsexist attitudes. Knee-jerk reactions to violent crimes cannot be a holistic\nsolution. To bring about a reduction in the rates of such crimes, and\nhopefully, an altogether eradication of the same, we need to invest time and\neffort to instill the right values in our children from the very formative\nyears. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

India\nhas the largest adolescent population (243 million with more than 50% of the\nadolescent population living in urban areas). The figures itself speak to the\nimportance of addressing the well being of this age-group, especially for a\ndeveloping country like ours. What we, as a society, need to understand, is\nthat sex education should not be taken literally to mean imparting knowledge\nabout sex and sexual activities. Sex education needs to be viewed from a more\nholistic perspective. A curriculum-based process of teaching and learning about\nthe cognitive, emotional, physical and social aspects of sexuality is important.\nIt aims to equip children and young people with\nknowledge, skills, attitudes and values that will empower them to realize their\nhealth, well-being and dignity; develop respectful social and sexual\nrelationships; consider how their choices affect their own well-being and that\nof others; and understand and ensure the protection of their rights throughout\ntheir lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":248,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n