What and why sex education ?

- Anchita Thiagarajan and Chunmithra C.V

With the increase in discussion about sex among the youth, we often see that the only and primary form of sex knowledge that they receive is through the adult film industry - porn. And the major issue with this is that porn does not show the nuances of the sex and the psychological, social and physiological long term effects of sexual intercourse of any form. It does not show consent of any form nor does it show how it actually happens. Porn is basically an Alice in wonderland version of sex and life. You know you can't pay for taxis via sex, but still, it’s on the internet.

We do understand that proper and correct information of sex, sexuality, conception and contraception is needed, where we lack is to bridge the differences between our generation and the older generation and make them understand the importance of sex ed. 

What is sex education?

Sex education is defined as a broad program that aims to build a strong foundation for lifelong sexual health by acquiring information and attitudes, beliefs and values about one's identity, relationships, and intimacy. Sexual health is considered to be a state of physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being in relation to sexuality and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity as defined by the WHO.

Geneva: WHO; 2006. WHO. Defining sexual health. [Google Scholar]

Along with this, sex education also teaches young girls about the complex reproductive structures that they carry, and how they can be different from each other and completely unlike what the adult film industry shows. With the help of proper sex education, not only can we expect proper sex and decrease in the number of rape cases, but we can also ensure early detection and treatment of STI mainly HIV. 

Why is sex education important?

Adolescents in the age group of 15–24 years contribute to a disproportional 31% of the AIDS burden in India, despite the whole demographic comprising about 25% of the country's population according to the last UNAIDS report. Sex education will also help us understand that AIDS HIV can not only be transmitted via oral or vaginal sex, it can also be transmitted by food, water. 

New Delhi: UNICEF; 2010. [Last accessed on 2015 Sep 05]. Adolescents in India. Desk Review Report of Existing Evidence and Behaviours, Programmes and Policies Report. Available from: http://www.un.org.in/img/uploads/Adolescents_in_India.pdf . [Google Scholar]

Another very important reason for sex education is the lack of knowledge about ones own reproductive parts even among adults. This is true, most of the young women even those who are doing their 11th and 12th grades don't know that they possess a vagina, an urethra and an anus and that these holes are SEPERATE! 

Complications arising from the pregnancy and unsafe abortions are a leading cause of death among women aged 15–19 years, with 20% of the group experiencing childbearing before 17 years of age, with pregnancies often closely spaced. The risk of maternal mortality among adolescent mothers stands twice as high that of mothers aged 25–39 years. In rural areas, socioeconomic barriers such as lack of literacy and school attendance can stand as barriers to the primary level at which sex education acts as a preventive measure. For instance, data from major household surveys suggest that the prevalence of perceived importance of FLE was relatively high among the youth (81%) in India. However, only 49% of women actually received FLE due to vast demographic and socioeconomic differentials within the population

 Barua A, Waghmare R, Venkiteswaran S. Implementing reproductive and child health services in rural Maharashtra, India: A pragmatic approach. Reprod Health Matters. 2003;11:140–9. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Sex education also throws light of sexual abuses and malpractices which could impart lifelong trauma in a person. Awareness and knowledge on such issues, helps victims overcome them, and also provides them with an escape from their abusers. Such knowledge could be key to victims of abuse at a very young age, once again highlighting the importance of sex ed. 

Steps which were taken by the country to promote sex ed:

In 2007, the government of India announced the Adolescence Education Program or AEP for short, in collaboration with NCERT, NACO, and the UN. This program was to be launched in schools to provide thorough and clear instructions about sex, relationships, health, etc.

However, not all of this went according to plan, as 13 Indian states banned it almost immediately, because “such policies went against Indian cultures”. As this gained momentum, more politicians decided to speak up for the ban, claiming it would simply encourage sexual practices among India’s youth.

https://qrius.com/sex-education-in-india/

Why is family life education not sufficient nevertheless?

https://www.ncfr.org/sites/default/files/fle2014.pdf 

Well, just the fact that most of you didn't even know that there is something called FLE in India which touches on the basic aspects of sex education proves to be the fact that FLE is not sufficient. 

FLE talks about establishing a good social interpersonal relationship and completely turns a blind on establishing a proper intrapersonal relationship first. It talks about having proper sex and completely ignores the question of what sex is. Neither does it talk about the most effective and safest form of birth control pill developed in India which is available to females in India - saheli.

http://www.lifecarehll.com/product/view/reference/698d51a19d8a121ce581499d7b701668hYCD

Apart from avoiding the question of intrapersonal relationship, sex and birth control; FLE completely ignores the question of STI and other infamous reproductive illness like PCOS and the fact that the STI’s do not contract only via vaginal sex, and that it can also contract via oral intercourse, anal intercourse, food, water, injections etc. 

*This is a vast topic, and there are many more topics to cover. I have not covered all the topics, I have hence attached a link of NCBI below which you can refer to if you are interested in this topic. And kindly comment down below if you want a part 2 explaining in detail. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4711229/#ref16