Sex Education needed in schools

By Kirti Ganganaboina

The finding of condoms, oral contraceptives, drugs, lighters and cigarettes in bags of minors studying in Bengaluru schools is not only shocking, but is also a matter of grave concern, as it reflects the social conditioning of the tender developing minds.

There could be several factors that have led these school going boys and girls to take to drugs, tobacco and sex. Though minors, they are in an adolescent stage, with their bodies going through a change coupled with the development of sexual attraction.

While such changes in the adolescents are as old as the human race, the changes in the body and mind need to be handled with good parental guidance or counselling. Access to pornographic material often leads to sexual arousing, making many of them wanting to get sexual experiences. Though there is ban on scenes of tobacco consumption in any form, in films, the old movies often carry scenes of men and women smoking. Such films give an impression that men smoke as a sign of masculinity, while women are primarily shown smoking, to depict a certain higher class. This often attracts growing children to smoking and alcohol.

The immature minds of these young persons are not in a position to analyse or understand the ill-effects of tobacco consumption, taking of drugs and alcohol or indulge in sex by minors. Along with this is the fear of exclusion by peers, which makes the adolescents imitate the wrong doings of their companions. The peer pressure is stronger than the fear of the ill-effects of the experiments or of being caught by teachers or elders in the family. The initial thrill of experimentation often leads to addiction.

With an urge to have sexual interaction due to such severe impact of watching titillating material; thanks to the internet today, both boys and girls look out for a partner to fulfil this desire. As endorphins and oxytocin are released during sex, which activates the pleasure centers in the brain, they find it to be relaxing and a stress buster, hence, at such a tender age of merely hitting puberty, these poor innocent children get addicted to sex. Whether at that age or as adults, it is often seen that the female becomes the victim. When the male speaks about his sexual episodes, it is looked up to by many in the society, but the female is flayed and often called names. To add to it, there are numerous cases, with the male partner walking out on the female partner on her becoming pregnant.

The internet has given easy access to pornography and also to the drug market. It is the tragedy of the nation that the youth is not being guided about the benefits of the internet, in terms of personal and professional growth. Many have overlooked the numerous benefits of the internet in terms of access to constructive knowledge and to the best literature on practically every subject one can think of.

Further, it is a need that school children should be kept busy with sports to tire them out and with other constructive activities, to prevent them from distractions that waste their time and should be detrimental to their all-round development.

Also, it is time sex education is made compulsory in schools, though previous attempts by some, have been opposed by religious fanatics.

Nevertheless, sex education could also help reduce rape cases on a larger scale.