Pune NGOs protest ban on sex education in schools
Coming down heavily on the Maharashtra government and the education department over the recently imposed ban on sex education in schools, members of the civil society and NGOs have asked the government to clarify its position. After Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra has become the third state that is planning to ban sex education. Around 40 delegates from more than two dozen NGOs in the field of child and women's rights gathered in Pune city on April 11 to formulate a joint action plan. They adopted a three-poit programme as the civil society's response to the governmen's ban on sex education in schools. Termining the government's decision as another example of tolerance of child sexual abuse in the guise of "protection of Indian cultrure and ethos" , Meena Seshu of Sangram NGO said issues related to education should not be politicised. "It is not a question of subscribing to right wing or left wing ideology. The matter is inculcating positive attitude about human sexuality by empowering the children to have an idea of what is the common phenomenon in the world".
Writes Meena Seshu, "We have enough evidence to show that young married girls are totally unprepared for sex when they get married leading to a lot of issues from Rape to the inability to cope with sex within marriage. From our experience in Sangli with rural girls and boys we can say with some authority that the young are really unprepared clumsy!! We need to teach them that sex is enjoyable, safe and not dirty. They have a right to information and to enjoy a satisfactory and healthy sexual life.
The meeting resolved to write a letter to the state primary and secondary education minister demanding clarification of the government's position. The participants also volunteered to be part of the effort in case the education department feels the need for modification of the curriculum.
In a shocking revelation a government commissioned survey had earlier found that more than 53% of children in India are subjected to sexual abuse, but most don't report the anssault to anyone. In 50% of child abuse cases, the abusers were known to the child or were in a position of trust and responsibility and most children did not report the matter to anyone.
Nandita Patel .of Indian Express writes: If the maharashta government had any concrete plans to address the rampant male bias across the nation they would see the importance of sexual education in high school and its role in reversing the long term prejudices against women in Indian society. That the Maharashtra government cannot see the link between the CBSE's Adolescent Life Skills Programme and the rights of women in society, only betrays the patriarchy inherent in their own world view. That the Maharashtra government thinks educating school children about sex is a Western influence that will corrupt "pure" Indian minds demonstrates its own adverse snobbery and stupidity. Aren't AIDs and other STDs , teenage pregnancies and sincgle motherhood, dysfunctional families, sexual abuse and paedophilia, child prostitution - to name a few - as much Indian issues as they are Western ones?
Writes Meena Seshu, "We have enough evidence to show that young married girls are totally unprepared for sex when they get married leading to a lot of issues from Rape to the inability to cope with sex within marriage. From our experience in Sangli with rural girls and boys we can say with some authority that the young are really unprepared clumsy!! We need to teach them that sex is enjoyable, safe and not dirty. They have a right to information and to enjoy a satisfactory and healthy sexual life.
The meeting resolved to write a letter to the state primary and secondary education minister demanding clarification of the government's position. The participants also volunteered to be part of the effort in case the education department feels the need for modification of the curriculum.
In a shocking revelation a government commissioned survey had earlier found that more than 53% of children in India are subjected to sexual abuse, but most don't report the anssault to anyone. In 50% of child abuse cases, the abusers were known to the child or were in a position of trust and responsibility and most children did not report the matter to anyone.
Nandita Patel .of Indian Express writes: If the maharashta government had any concrete plans to address the rampant male bias across the nation they would see the importance of sexual education in high school and its role in reversing the long term prejudices against women in Indian society. That the Maharashtra government cannot see the link between the CBSE's Adolescent Life Skills Programme and the rights of women in society, only betrays the patriarchy inherent in their own world view. That the Maharashtra government thinks educating school children about sex is a Western influence that will corrupt "pure" Indian minds demonstrates its own adverse snobbery and stupidity. Aren't AIDs and other STDs , teenage pregnancies and sincgle motherhood, dysfunctional families, sexual abuse and paedophilia, child prostitution - to name a few - as much Indian issues as they are Western ones?
posted by deepamariam @ 11:03 AM
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