Alatakshi Gosain

Akshita Todi
Introduction to Critical Thinking - 002
23 Sept 2019

Why Sexual Education is needed in Incredible India

My father found condoms on the floor. And he was beyond horrified.

Instagram/ byehoe_baeno; https://instagram.com/p/B2Wdup9lNDD/

I woke up fairly late that morning as my elder sisters had come for a sleep over. The eldest
one got condoms for us saying, “better safe than sorry." And, no we weren't giggling like
little kids while hiding them in our bags. This is something so normal for us that it doesn't
require a second thought. After keeping them, we started talking about anything that remotely
interested us and played a long game of truth and dare. We forgot about those 2 extra packets
we left on the floor.
Next morning, my father came to our room because he needed something from there.
He was scandalized when he saw the condoms on the floor. He couldn't believe that these 24,
22- and 18-years old girls had these. It sure is tough for him to believe that we have grown up
now and aren't the little kids he could pick up on his shoulders anymore. Even though it was
good for us that we were aware of the measures of safe sex and would probably be safe from
things like unwanted pregnancies or STIs, he still seemed to disapprove of the idea of
condoms with the young girls.
Sex, sexuality and nudity is considered a taboo in India. In the ancient times, before
colonialization, nudity and sex was acceptable and was even portrayed as art. Everyone had a
positive view of it. Paintings and sculptures in Ajanta, Khajuraho temple in south consisting
of erotic sculptures are some examples. Now days, people are uncomfortable to talk about
this and dislike it if someone else is talking about it. The media censors a lot of sexual
content. Kissing, nude or sex scenes are removed from movies and shows, even if it is an ‘A’
rated film. In 2015, the government had banned about 857 pornographic websites. Due to
public protest, they partially rescinded the ban. We have YouTube videos like “Buying
Condoms, Funny Reaction, GlintTV”, with a sequel of “Condom Wali Ladki Ka Sachh” (The
Truth About the Condom Girl). Buying a condom, and staying safe, can actually get you
funny reactions and views on YouTube, with extras of how a girl went and bought condoms.
Sex is seen as a shameful act here, something against the “Indian culture”.
In a country like India, where according to the Population Council in
India, there are 315 million young people aged 10-24 years in India, representing 30% of the
country’s population, sex education is important for this is the time when an adolescent or a
young adult wants to explore new things. The thrill of doing something you were told not to
do is interesting really, especially when it turns out good for you. But information and
awareness are essential and necessary for someone to make informed, and personal,
decisions. Adolescents find the answers on internet to questions they can’t ask anyone around
them. But sometimes the questions are baffling, like, “Can I get pregnant from watching
porn?” or “If a man and woman sleep on the same bed, can she get pregnant?”. These are
basic biological facts that one should be aware about, adolescent or not.
Not only constricted to sexual exploration, but sex education helps with health also.
According to SIECUS Guidelines, 2004, the overall goal of sexual health education is to
provide young people with the knowledge and skills to promote their health and well-being as
they mature into sexually healthy adults. Sex education includes topics like human
development including reproduction, puberty, gender identity, relationships, personal skills,
sexual behaviour, sexual health including STIs, contraception and pregnancy.
National family health survey of 2015-16 found that HIV/AIDS awareness in the 15-
49 age group is at 20.9 per cent among women and 32.3 per cent among men. A community
based STI/RTI prevalence study conducted during 2002-03 by the Indian Council of Medical
Research (ICMR) has shown that 6% of the adult population in India has one or more
STI/RTI. This amounts to occurrence of about 30-35 million episodes of STI/RTI every year
in the country. This can be contained and countered with enough awareness and de-
stigmatization of sexual education.
But regardless of how important this is, people are still scared to talk about these
things and feel it should be hidden. Understanding its importance and talking about these
topics will help remove the stigma because not talking about them can also be life threating.