Of 'Birds and the Bees' - Need for Sex Education in Schools

In recent times there has been a steep increase in the number of female attacks and rapes in the country. The number of rapes have gone up throughout the years . In 2012, 433 rape cases were recorded in Delhi whereas till 15 August this year, 1,036 cases have already been registered in various police stations across the city according to a study by DNA in collaboration with AC Nielsen . Female molestation cases are also up by 500% . In addition to that ,there are more than 2 million people living with HIV in India. Nearly a million new infections have occurred in the last two years, 50 per cent of which are among young people. Apparently, there has been a lot of thinking and discussion on this regard in our country on providing ‘sex education’ for growing children.

The changes in the family and society from an extended family to a nuclear family have had serious implications on the emotional and social mindset of children. During the times of extended families, an alert child who has crossed puberty would easily absorb the basic facts of life. These facts were taken in as a package, along with emotional and social overtones. 

The want for sex education in schools reflects the fact that even in a culture where comics and general movies include explicit references to sex, children's ignorance about their own bodies has not diminished over time. Similarly, parents seem as reluctant to initiate the necessary conversations as they have ever been. The Internet and widespread online access has made it easy for young people to get the wrong kind of information about human sexuality. Sexually explicit videos are only a click or two away on today’s smart phones and other electronic devices. 

Even when the system was implemented in many of the states, the response had not been welcoming . 11 of India's 29 state governments have either banned or are in the process of dropping sex education from school programmes. Reasons included 'overtly explicit teaching modules' and 'pictures that were too graphic'. Private schools are continuing with lessons, but many have watered them down to avoid controversy. The sex education in the country is 'highly retrograde’ and immediately requires a revamp. The material covered in the class must be medically accurate and age appropriate. It must cover a range of topics including healthy relationships and STD and pregnancy prevention including both contraceptive methods and abstinence.