Photo courtesy of rnc via Pxhere.
Though sexual education has historically been a neglected subject in India, many organizations are at the forefront of breaking the taboo on sexuality.
By Maahi Jaiswal ’24
Staff Writer
While discussion around sex education in India has continually evolved, the topic still remains largely taboo.
Mainstream sexual education has taken a backseat in the schooling system, and such conversations lack acceptance in most sections of society. However, recent efforts by the Indian government, independent content creators and startup companies to make sexual health information more accessible are changing how sexual education is perceived in the country.
Although there has been much growth in policy and curriculum development, India is behind many smaller developing countries in implementing such programs, UNESCO reported. In a 2018 study conducted across metropolitan cities in India, it was found that 6 out of 10 parents do not discuss sex education with their kids.
As a country with 444 million children and adolescents, many believe that sex education needs to be developed on a panoramic scale in order to give children important information about sexual health, according to Manoj K. Pandey, associate professor in the Department of Clinical Psychology at the JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research. These findings were published in an editorial for the Journal of Psychosexual Health last March.
However, this opinion is not shared by state governments and various other institutions. States in western India like Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat have banned sexual education programs as they are of the opinion that this would “increase risky behavior and destroy the educational atmosphere,” according to Pandey. Even though the Government of India has implemented educational campaigns since 2020, the move has faced criticism from various groups.
Many are looking to public-private partnerships to bridge the gap, much like the “Udaan” program, which was started by the Government of Jharkhand, a state in Eastern India. This program has made skill training mandatory for teachers.
Several young people and organizations are at the forefront of breaking the taboo on conversations around sexuality, primarily by using social media to create safe spaces. Leeza Mangaldas is a prominent influencer who is providing accessible sexual health information to her 2.5 million followers across multiple platforms, CNN reported.
“Several young people and organizations are at the forefront of breaking the taboo on conversations around sexuality, primarily by using social media to create safe spaces.”
In an interview with CNN, she said, “There was definitely a desire for change. … I feel like I was one of several people at that time who were frustrated by this state of affairs when it comes to sexual and reproductive health and rights. And what I was doing on social media connected with a lot of people.”
Other digital educators and creators are also providing information on safe sex, relationships and gender, CNN reported. However, with increased moderation of media and censorship, creators are having their content removed by the platforms, which is, in turn, hurting their followers and their brand partnerships.
Mangaldas attributes this to the fact that regulatory processes fail to differentiate between “nudity, sexual solicitation, pornography, art and educational content.” Many are now calling for better transparency and communication to improve moderation practices.
In other spheres, young Indians are also seeing the emergence of startups that highlight sexual health and wellbeing. Thatmate, a company devoted to providing sexual education resources for children in rural communities, is one such startup. By developing an app with a focus on mental health and wellness for teens, they have positively impacted over 100,000 students so far through partnerships with local schools.
StandWeSpeak is another startup that has created a sexual wellness platform with an overarching one-stop-shop for resources. The educational technology — ed-tech for short — initiative provides biodegradable menstrual and sexual health products. It also offers digital content, podcasts, professional consultancy services with gynecologists, lawyers and sexologists, as well as educational programs for kids and parents. Their website even has its own AI-driven chatbot, which is an expert in reproductive health and can answer questions about sex, interpersonal relationships, STDs and more.
As Pandey noted in the article, while digital companies like Udaan are just starting to grow, they are making a considerable impact. With a greater number of such spaces, public awareness will continue to expand and hopefully lead to the normalization of conversations surrounding sexual health and wellbeing at home, she explained. Pandey also explained that it is critical to create a dialogue around sexual education to disprove myths and provide accurate information.