Bengaluru: Girls openly violated in a public space in Bangalore on January 1st and other constant news of rape and molestation in our country is not only shameful and disturbing but a reminder of our flawed social system. With approximately 26% of Indians infected with HIV/AIDS and 53% of children between the ages of 5 and 12 subjected to sexual abuse, it is important to address the topic of sex early in life through sex education in schools.

“It is time westop behaving like hypocrites and don’t shove it under the carpet anymore. We need to break a few myths around sex education. Sex education does not teach children how to have sex at an early age. It teaches them about the physiological, social, and biological aspects of leading a healthy sexual life in the future,” says Rina Banerjee, teacher and a mother to two boys.
She adds, “To raise sensitive, responsible boys, sex education is a must. Children nowadays have access to information through internet, movies and friends– and in most cases, they get half-baked information, which leaves them curious and can mislead them. Sex education not only teaches about the physical act of sex, but also – gender identity, physical changes, consent, awareness about sexual abuse, birth control measures, and prevention of AIDS and STDs.”

We have the highest rate of population growth, with one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. A huge percentage of our children are sexually abused and don’t even know about it.
“With paedophiles around, we need to impart age appropriate comprehensive sexuality education. Children should have accurate information in a non-judgemental, fearless way,” says Dr Pulkit, Psychologist and Counsellor, Imago.

It is encouraging to know that a lot of schools are doing this already. “We tell our students, as young as 5-year-olds about bad touch and good. We inform them about their bodies,” says Bhuvaneshwari Viswanathan, Principal, Inspiro International School.