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Man accused of sexual harassment claimed posterior doesn't constitute as private parts is precisely why we need sex education in India.
Man accused of sexual harassment claimed posterior doesn’t constitute as private parts is precisely why we need sex education in India.
Recently, the Times of India reported that the Mumbai High Court passed a judgement convicting a 22-year-old man to five-year imprisonment. The accused was punished for inappropriately touching the posterior of a minor girl affirming, “Posterior is a private part and touching it with sexual intent is a crime.”
Meanwhile, the accused had submitted a statement in his defence that the 10-year-old has stated that he touched her private parts. He claimed that “posterior” did not fit in that definition.
Later the court said that teasing, laughing and touching the posterior of a female child cannot be without a sexual intention. Outraging the modesty of a 10-year-old in broad daylight is crime enough to be sentenced by the Constitution of India.
Such occurrences make us realise how vital it is to educate our children on sex-related information and topics like inappropriate touches and actions.
In the generation of the internet, the kids aren’t as naive as we used to be when we were at that age. They are evolving fast in this technological world. But does this internet era also bring us face to face with underlying hazards for our children?
Sex and sexual education are two of the most vital topics on which education needs to be imparted right from school. Providing structured knowledge of such sensitive and important topics can prevent young minds from being deluded or exploited.
In the recent incident, while the minor was unaccompanied by an adult, she could recognise the intent of the touch and knew that it was inappropriate. However, in a different scenario, had the child not reported the incident to her parents, the culprits would’ve continued with their ill intentions. It could’ve resulted in an even worse case had action not been taken on time.
In such cases, isn’t sex education necessary to your child?
Sex education is a program that establishes a strong foundation to maintain good sexual health throughout a person’s life. This is done by providing knowledge on attitude, beliefs and values about one’s identity, sexuality, relationships and intimacy.
It includes information related to sexuality and sexual identity and emotional relations and responsibilities. And also includes information about human sexual anatomy, sexual activities and reproduction. It tells them about birth control, practising safe sex, age of consent, and reproductive health and rights.
The underlying point here is that ‘good sexual health is not just about the absence of diseases in your body and practising safe sex. It is also about the physical, emotional and social well-being of an individual with respect to their sexuality.’
The easy availability of porn on the internet can mislead the juvenile minds of youngsters and give them wrong ideas about how sex works. Teaching safe use of the internet and social media is absolutely necessary in today’s times.
Formal programs in an educational institution are the best ways to relay this knowledge. The preferable age to start sex education is around adolescence. Thus, making the middle school the perfect place to start.
At the same time, introducing children to the concept of ‘good touch and ‘bad touch’ at a younger age. Providing this basic understanding will potentially prevent them from being sexually abused.
Teenagers need this educational aid extensively so they can make the right correct choices and decisions to protect themselves. Sex education can help reduce the number of teenage pregnancies and hopefully even the number of sexual abuse cases.
In India, sex education and talking about sex is still taboo. We are still made to believe that it is a western influence that will corrupt the minds of Indian students. The cultural norms and traditions prevent parents from talking to their children on this topic. For that matter, sex education was banned in many states of India.
After years of struggle by our educators and administration, we now have a sex education program since 2018. This initiative includes activity-based modules and role-playing sessions taken by trained educators. It is a 22-hour-long program where students learn about sexual health and sexual violence.
India still has a long journey to travel in the domain of sex education. Every time we try to move a step ahead, our progress is intimidated by the orthodox bent of mind in innumerable ways. But the key point to note is that – sex awareness is unquestionably important for our children. It will not corrupt their ‘innocent’ minds but will actually protect them from being physically and mentally tainted in future.
Picture credits: Photo by Yogendra Singh from Pexels
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