Imparting sex education to girls, that too in Johi, a conservative part of Sindh, is indeed a commendable act on the part of the Village Shadabad Organisation that has taken the initiative. The girls’ parents too need to be appreciated for brushing aside any taboo attached to the idea as do the teachers tearing down the walls of inhibition to teach their wards about sex. Discussing sex has been considered by conservative opinion a moral perversion. More often than not in such circles, sex is reduced either to prurient whispers or portrayed as a procreative but ugly necessity. Another abnormal school of thought considers even social interaction between girls and boys as the equivalent of sexual encounters. This thought process has produced a suffocating atmosphere wherein free mingling of girls and boys is strongly opposed and any such get together is dealt with harshly. If the community to which the ‘errant’ youngsters belong is tribal, the outcome is usually for the couple to face death as a punishment.
On the other hand lack of sex education makes girls vulnerable to harassment and even exploitation, which they may in their innocence initially fail to understand and later, out of shame and fear, keep silent about. Even if a girl comprehends what is happening to her, lack of confidence or awareness about her rights may prevent her from being able to thwart any unwanted advances. Sex education of girls therefore, if carried out in a proper and serious manner, arms them with knowledge that can help them cope in a male-dominated society.
A total of eight schools with 700 girls enrolled are being imparted sex education as part of their regular curriculum in Johi. Using modern teaching techniques such as flashcards, the students are shown visuals of how they could be harassed and ways they should respond to it. The most important part of this activity is the realisation given to the girls that they could be subjected to marital rape, a subject we choose to sweep under the carpet. This awareness would give a sense of ownership to women over their lives. Many women in our society spend an insipid life for no other reason than the belief that marriage means surrendering sovereignty over oneself.
Unfortunately the government has been loath to allow sex education in Pakistan. Recently the Lahore Grammar School’s initiative to this end has been cut short. The All Pakistan Private School Federation’s president has called it unnecessary knowledge. Even the Sindh government expressed surprise on hearing of the Johi project. In view of the situation of women in Pakistan, it is imperative that the government seriously consider imparting sex education to girls and institutionalise it through legislation so that no adverse results emerge, as is feared by traditional circles.
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