Why is it important to include sex education in the curriculum?

In a sexually repressed society like Pakistan, where rape and sexual violence against children and women are commonplace, imagine the hypocrisy of this society when we talk about the most important topic like sex with our children. They shy away. Here, on the walls of every small city, you will see advertisements for male impotence and infertility treatments, but talking about sex in a healthy way will be considered unhealthy and inappropriate. The verbal abuses given to each other here may be related to female genitalia, but no one is ready to take steps to stop social immorality by providing sex education.

The incidents of abuse that appear in the newspapers every day wake up our conscience for a few days only, which then goes to sleep. Irrespective of the fact that in today’s age where the internet and the media have exposed children to a lot of necessary and unnecessary information before their time, avoiding discussing this important topic is like seeing a cat in the eyes of a pigeon. It is permissible to close.

I remember in my matriculation biology class when the teacher started teaching the lesson on reproductive system, all the students started talking in sign language and whispering. Ustad Sahib also explained very important and complicated information in round words and ended the lesson quickly. This attitude is very frivolous and worrisome that we are not able to discuss these most important topics just because of a social shame or reluctance.

It is important to provide sex education to children in homes and schools from an early age so that later when they are discussed with them on topics like sex, they themselves listen seriously and attentively and it is not unusual for adults too. It doesn’t work. In addition, the benefit of teaching sex to children is that children talk about their problems with parents or teachers instead of feeling ashamed or hesitant. If children try to find out about these issues from friends or other sources, they not only have access to wrong and inappropriate content but also increase the opportunities for sexual exploitation.

It is very important to understand the difference between good touch and bad touch in order to avoid molesting children at a young age that they often do not understand what is happening to them. In this way, they will be able to immediately inform the adults about the inappropriate behavior. Due to changes in body composition after puberty, children become prone to mental confusion and conflict. Therefore, it is important to inform them in advance about all these factors.

In our country, it is generally considered wrong to talk to children about sex because they do not develop curiosity in this regard and their innocent minds are not polluted, while children naturally have curiosity about what they are talking about. Unable to control and try to find out about them from their friends and other sources. Thus, they are exposed to wrong information. For example, many children often ask the question, where do children come from? Now, if the parents answer such innocent questions according to their age, they will not feel the need to know from anywhere else.

Another misconception that parents usually fall victim to is that our children are not interested in activities like sex etc., while the hormonal changes in the body after puberty increase the tendency towards sexual intercourse or physical relationship and this It can lead to many problems like unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Therefore, it is very important to educate children about safe methods of physical contact.

There is no appropriate word for male and female genitalia in Urdu and usually words like शरमग़ा or अग्रा शिशाज are used to indicate that it is a matter of shame and wrong to talk about genitals. Is. This is our general attitude towards sexual desires and this is the reason why children also feel ashamed about their sexual and physical desires and if something inappropriate happens to them, they consider themselves guilty and guilty. . Sex education inculcates the awareness of consent in children that touching someone without their consent or engaging in sexual activity is wrong and consent of the other partner is essential for this, otherwise it will fall into the category of coercion.

The other day I was reading a UNESCO study that showed that in countries where children are provided sex education in the early years, children are able to control their sexual desires for longer and are less likely to get STIs and infections. Decreases occur as well as safer and better methods of sex are observed. Therefore, sex education has become even more important in today’s advanced age, where sexual content websites on the Internet are becoming increasingly popular and children’s interest in porn movies is increasing. The activities shown in these movies not only affect their mental health but also create wrong concepts about sex which they then try to adopt in their real life.

Note: Opinions expressed in any DW Urdu blog, comment or column are the personal opinions of the author, with which DW does not necessarily agree.