Osmania University’s intervention in providing Comprehensive Sex Education to Undergrads

Osmania University’s intervention in providing Comprehensive Sex Education to Undergrads

Started
22 January 2021
Petition to
Prof. Dandeboina Ravinder (Vice Chancellor OU)
Signatures: 2,096Next Goal: 2,500
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Why this petition matters

Started by Meghana Chaganti

One morning she woke from what seemed like a nightmare and googled “How does an orgasm feel?” and google said “It's similar to your body falling off a cliff into a pile of tingling ecstasy. It's a sense of sensual release that you find yourself having no control over and letting yourself go because it's just too damn good. An earth-shattering female orgasm is one of a kind” confused, she shot her next question “Is manipulation a form of abuse?”

While google is a safe space to explore our wildest curiosities, is google really the place for these questions? Why was she not aware of something so natural? Why do we shy away so much from these conversations?  Why can't we openly discuss sexuality, consent and healthy sexual habits especially when our country has a growing youth population?

Comprehensive sex education can act as a very effective tool to provide answers to all the whys whats and hows of so many young adults. We think it is most important to have Comprehensive Sex Education at UnderGrad Level.

What is Comprehensive Sexuality Education? 

According to T S Sathyanarayana Rao, a renowned psychiatrist and sexual health specialist, “sex education does not teach people how to have sex! On the contrary, sex education covers gender identity, gender sensitivity, contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, sexual problems, a healthy way of sexual expression, consent and awareness about sexual abuse”.

In a country like India, along with the growing youth population and evolving attitude towards sex due to the influence of mass media, comprehensive sex education curriculum can prove successful in addressing a wide range of social issues. It is an essential part of HIV prevention and has proven effective in fostering healthy sexual habits to prevent Sexually Transmitted Infections. It can help prevent unintended pregnancy cases and also sensitize people towards gender and consent in our patriarchal society, paving the way for a safer environment for women and non binary people. It can help adolescents combat body image issues and to steer away from unrealistic expectations around other’s bodies. It can create a more inclusive space for LGBTQIA+ community and promote gender equality. Topics like Sex Education, Puberty and Sexuality are being brought to discussion through mainstream shows like Sex Education (Netflix) and Big Mouth (Netflix).

Countries like The Netherlands can be taken up as case studies for a successful Sex Education curriculum where children as young as 4 years olds are taught about sex and sexuality through contextually relevant and age-appropriate content. As a result, The Netherlands has one of the lowest rates of teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases and it is also one of the most gender-equal countries.

Some of the aspects the University should focus on is:

·        Should be medically accurate, evidence-based, and age-appropriate, providing information about reproductive development, contraception (including long-acting reversible contraception methods) to prevent unintended pregnancies, as well as barrier protection to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

·        Teach about forms of sexual expression, healthy sexual and nonsexual relationships, gender identity and sexual orientation and questioning, communication, recognizing and preventing sexual violence, consent, and decision making.

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Signatures: 2,096Next Goal: 2,500
Support now
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Decision Makers

  • Prof. Dandeboina RavinderVice Chancellor OU