There is a lot of discomfort in our society to openly talk about sexual health and reproduction leading them to be misinformed and unaware about several pressing issues. In order to shed light on the importance and misconceptions of sex education, a senio

 in the age of technology where information is so easily available and just a tap of your thumbs away, children are more prone to come across incorrect information which can have negative impacts

Topics of sex education, sexual health and sexuality can be a little challenging to tackle with. Especially in our Nepali society, when it comes to anything related to sex, most parents shy away and change topics, teachers solely stick to the biological aspect of reproduction, and naturally such air of discomfort causes children to feel ashamed to ask questions. But children are curious by nature and they will seek for answers through various other sources such as television, internet, magazines or friends. And in the age of technology where information is so easily available and just a tap of your thumbs away, children are more prone to come across incorrect information which can have negative impacts. In order to prevent this, it is essential to create a safe and open space for children and adults, where topics of sex can be discussed comfortably.

 

When it comes to sex education, the biggest misconception people have is that they believe it to be only about the act of sexual intercourse. And they disregard an entire array of topics that fall under the umbrella of sex education. Which includes information about body positivity, consent, sexual anatomy, sexual orientation, reproductive rights, contraception, prevention of sexually transmitted disease, sexual behavior, and empowerment. By having a proper understanding of your body, identity and rights, you become aware of your choices and develop the confidence and ability to make safe and healthy decisions in life. Furthermore, a better understanding about yourself and your choices empowers you to have a better understanding of the world.

 

To get professional insight, I interviewed Sreejana Bajracharya who is currently a senior communication consultant at Marie Stopes International Nepal. Her journey started from the time she ran a small NGO in Bhaktapur named Bhaktapur Youth Information Forum, a peer education program where she held sessions and went from school to school in order to raise awareness about sexual and reproduction. Later she also volunteered for Family Planning Association Nepal.  Excerpts from a recent interview with Sreejana Bajracharya:

 

A lot of parents don’t know the appropriate age to initiate a talk on sexual and reproductive health. When is the correct age to start and how should parents go about it?

 

Parents should start talking to their children from an early age. Educating your child about sexual health and reproduction is not only about telling them where and how babies come from. It is a process that builds upon itself every year. I suggest parents to start talking to their children about the dangers of child abuse, and inform them about private parts and how they should not allow other people to touch it. Most children who’re sexually abused tend to keep it to themselves because they’re either confused or scared to talk about it. So to prevent this, parents should tell their children to be vocal about it if and when someone tries to force them into doing something. In addition, parents can also engage their young children into sports, dance or any other form of physical activity. This way, children will be aware of their physical strength and will lead them to have a positive body image, and develop confidence.

 

As children begin to enter their adolescent years, parents can gradually talk to their teens and preteens about menstruation. There is a huge misconception where parents feel that they should only talk to their girl child about menstruation. In reality, the conversation about menstruation should be inclusive of both boys and girls. For instance, brothers should be able to understand when their sisters or mothers are going through the pain of menstrual cramp. And boys should not be embarrassed to go buy sanitary napkins during emergency situations. What this does is it tends to decrease the level of violence and discrimination in many ways. There are always a bunch of boys who tend to bully girls when they see period stains or sanitary napkins, simply because they are curious to know more about periods, or have partial information. This kind of behavior cultivates into lowering the self esteem of girls during their years of adolescent. In order to prevent this and make girls feel more secure, parents should educate both boys and girls about menstruation.

 

What roles can teachers play in educating their students about sexual and reproductive health?

 

Most teachers shy away while teaching about sexual and reproductive health. When we surveyed students from different schools, a lot of them said the teachers used to either skip the topic saying its not important or tell them to read it on their own. So, first and foremost, the teachers and the school administration should be sensitized about this matter. Many young girls in Nepal miss schools during their period due to reasons such as menstrual cramps, unavailability of sanitary napkins, lack of toilets, and bad toilets. Therefore, the teachers and the school administration should be aware of these problems and work together to meet the needs of the students and tackle for effective solutions.

 

Why are parents hesitant to talk to their children about sexual health and reproduction? And even when they do, most parents uphold the idea of abstinence from sexual behavior before marriage. Do you think this the right way to go about it? And what kind of impact does it have on children?

 

We still live in a conservative society where we do not talk about sex. People have this mentality of how it has been going on for that way. And they feel that their children will come to know about it somehow when the time is right. However, this attitude in parents has to change. This is because, children rely on the internet these days and there are a lot of inaccurate information lurking on the internet that leads to misinforming children.

 

When parents just talk about abstinence from sexual behavior, they fail to discuss other important topics on sexual health and reproduction concerning contraception, safe sex, and sexual orientation. One time, when we organized a Sexual Health and Reproduction session at St Mary’s school, towards the end we handed students with a notebook that had pictures containing the proper uses of contraceptives. Seeing the notebook at home, a parent called our helpline at Mary Stopes asking why we were teaching students about contraceptives. Our helpline counselor then explained the parent that we didn’t teach the students only about contraception. Students were taught about puberty, body changes, human reproduction, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and then about contraception and safe sex. The important thing that parents should understand is, educating children about sexual health and reproduction does not mean encouraging children to engage in sexual behavior. It is making them aware about the choices so they can make healthy decisions in the future.

 

From your experience at Mary Stopes International, what is the best way to eradicate the misconceptions and spread awareness in Nepal regarding Sexual Health and Reproduction? What kinds of problems have you come across while doing so?

 

We believe the best way to eradicate misconceptions and spread awareness is by involving the youth of the nation. There is a larger number of youth population, and we can make a substantial difference in the country if we can educate them about sexual health and reproduction. When we did a research and surveyed youth from different districts, we got an insight that youth want more privacy. We also found out that there is a wide gap between their aspirations versus reality. For example, we asked girls when they wanted to get married, and most girls said between the age of 24 to 29. But in reality, a large population of girls in the nation get married before the age of 20, and as early as 15. So, their entire married life from the age of 15 to 29 goes into nurturing children. This causes them to miss out on their own personal growth and have a lag in their education and career.

 

To overcome this, we have established several Youth Friendly Centers in the nation, to attract young people and empower them to be able to take their own body’s decision. Based on research we launched a program named Rocket and Space, where we make a team of students from various schools and get them to discuss openly about sex and educate them in other important issues such rape culture, abuse, consent, negotiation, how “no means no”, body image, sexual orientation, contraceptives, reproductive rights etc. We also came up with cartoon characters that deliver messages about sexual health and reproduction in a funny and casual way, but are extremely effective.

 

There are so many resources and services available in Nepal regarding sexual health and reproduction. However, people rarely go on their own to use these services due to the taboo. For instance, there is a huge stigma attached to Mary Stopes itself. People think ‘we are just a Family Planning center or an abortion clinic,’ and are hesitant to use our services as they fear the judgment of society. That way people get deprived of all the information and services we provide.  I would strongly encourage students, teacher, and parents to use the services provided.

 

For more information on Marie Stopes International Nepal:

 

Sunaulo Parivar Nepal, implementing partner of Marie Stopes International Nepal operate a helpline center which provide counseling about sexual and reproductive health issues irrespective to age, caste, gender, religion and ethnicity. We have trained and skilled service providers who receive the calls and counsel the callers as per their issues and concerns regarding sexual and reproductive health.

 

The helpline center is popularly known as "Meri Saathi Free Helpline". It has two toll free numbers:

 

16600119756 (NTC)

9801119756 (Ncell)

 

Hour of Operation:

Monday-Friday: 9:30 am to 7:00 pm

Sunday: 9:30 am to 5:30 pm

 

You can also visit their websites: http://www.msinepal.org.np/

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