RIGHT TO EDUCATION AND WHY SEX EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT

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– Nikita Sharma

The Constitution (Eighty-sixth Amendment) Act, 2002 inserted Article 21-A in the Indian Constitution to provide free and compulsory education of all children in the age group of six to fourteen years as a fundamental right. Discussions of topics of a sexual nature are generally considered a taboo in the Indian society. This acts as a barrier in the deliverance of adequate and effective sexual education to the Indian adolescents. At school level, there have been strong objections as well as apprehension of sex education by parents, teachers, politicians, etc. Six states have provisions that ban such education entirely—Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Karnataka.  Adolescents are at a stage where they are vulnerable and influenced by peer pressure which can be conducive to socially unacceptable and perhaps even criminal group behaviour.  The rapidly emerging rape culture among youth needs to be addressed and stopped at the earliest possible instance. This requires concentrated efforts not only from institutions and organizations, but also from individuals as members of that society, as sexual offenders often have mental health and psychosocial risk factors that incite, maintain, and perpetuate the offence. This can be achieved through education about sex, drugs, teaching the use of ethical and moral principles to govern their actions, in order to discourage ambiguity and the development of careless, unhealthy, and potentially dangerous attitudes. The sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents in India are currently overlooked or are not understood by the Indian healthcare system. According to the social nature of Indians, the nature of the youths may be corrupted and they would be unable to instil “Indian values” which eventually ends in promiscuity, experimentation, and irresponsible sexual behaviour.  It is shocking to see that in a country that is meticulously working to become developed, its people are against sex education stating that it has no place in this country and its rich cultural traditions and ethos. These views lie in the heart of the tradition Indian psyche and will need to be approached tentatively with psychological insight when challenged. These perspectives are remarkably outdated in comparison to the fast modernizing society, with an ever-growing adolescent population adopting rapidly evolving attitudes toward sex. Mass media has greatly influenced them and has a mixed impact on the Indian way of life. 

Sex education includes topics about family planning, conception, and contraception could ameliorate the situation and give the young women the opportunity to make their own informed decisions. The skills adolescents develop from sexuality education are linked to life-skills, such as communication, listening, decision-making, and identify sources of help and advice such as parents, care givers, and professionals through the family, community, and health and welfare services. These useful life-skills are not only to applicable to sexual relationships but also in other aspects of life. They are taught to recognise situations in which they are pressurised by others and how to resist and deal with these, along with challenging long-standing prejudices they are faced daily.

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