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Need for Sex Education: From the perspective of a Millennial

Published : Saturday, 19 December, 2020 at 12:00 AM  Count : 583

Need for Sex Education: From the perspective of a Millennial

Need for Sex Education: From the perspective of a Millennial

The British TV series, 'Sex Education', had premiered on the 11th of January 2019 and as soon as this quirky, humorous series had appeared on Netflix, it created a buzz around the world; especially within the lives of typical millennials which includes mine. This surprisingly educative  TV series deals with and explores one of the most unaddressed yet controversial issues-Sex Education which often gives 'chills' to some people. And this issue brings us to one salient and essential fact-The need for the incorporation and implementation of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE).
Never has it been more important to include the Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) education in the national curriculum in Bangladesh. How long people will hold onto their prejudiced beliefs regarding the less talked about issues like menstruation and customary questions on sexuality? Again, a survey conducted by BRAC shows that twenty-seven per cent of male youths are not even familiar with the words 'family planning' and fifty-four percent do not know the term 'sexually transmitted diseases'. When affected with such diseases people at times believe that these diseases occur due to weak faith, curses, or sometimes even 'evil looks' and go to the pharmacies or homeopaths instead of specialists to receive treatment, moreover, doctors frequently project certain conservative attitudes.
One would argue that teenagers should rely on the internet to quench their thirst for facts such as where do babies come from, enabling the incognito mode; but who can ensure that they will acquire the straight, ethical, and practical facts. This brings us to another issue-how pornographic contents are affecting the young minds as in most cases pornography proposes a hard-to-reach ideal that is far from reality.
Pornography presents such content that affects the human mind in such a way that directly leads to disrespect and violence towards another human being, in most cases the victims are women and girls. This is exactly why we need CSE considering the current reality of our society. The concept of holistic sexuality education is defined as learning about the cognitive, emotional, social, interactive, and physical aspects of sexuality and in simple words, sex education aids people to acquire the correct information, skills, and motivation to make healthy decisions about sex and sexuality.
However, integration of Comprehensive Sexual Education will be a very arduous effort as the norms and practices of our society are deeply rooted in conservative beliefs. Hence, initiatives are needed to be taken from the ground levels. Hilary Clinton had once said "Parents are the teachers and home is a child's first and foremost classroom" but how can a child or teenager attain the basic knowledge about their sexuality as most parents refuse to talk about it and some believe that this can lead to 'immoral behaviors'.
According to Sabrina* boys and girls in our society are treated differently and parents are often biased towards the male members of a family, even their mistakes are perceived indifferently. Hence the result- a child cannot differentiate the difference between good touch and bad touch and is many times molested by the members of their own family. Families should be the initiator of open and empathetic discussions regarding sex education. Furthermore, most teachers in schools either skip or tell the students to read the chapters related to reproduction and reproductive health at home as these chapters are occasionally termed as too 'sensitive'. Sexual health is a very sensitive issue and teachers must convey information related to this topic in a very thoughtful manner. When asked,*Nisa said that "girls of our society are raised following a conservative manner. Thus, if such a topic or curriculum is introduced it should cater to the needs and mindset of the students regardless of gender".
Sex education does not only teach or deal with sex and sexuality, the exploration of this teaching area is a broader one. CSE explores topics such as human development (including reproduction, puberty, sexual orientation, and gender identity) and relationships (including families, friendships, romantic relationships, and dating). Most importantly, sex education educates one regarding what the value of mutual consent and respect is which can be seldom found nowadays. Each and every individual has the right to know about their bodies and the purpose of education should be to teach us how to be human. Voicing this need, *Aysha said, "If an argument is presented in a respectable and appropriate manner, one is bound to consider it". Ignorance will only lead to disharmony and violation of trust and respect. Henceforth, it is a necessity for our betterment to incorporate and implement Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE).








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