MP Cong sees ‘indecency’ in AIDS campaign

[Guest guest]

MP Cong sees `indecency' in AIDS campaign

BHOPAL, MARCH 2: The Sangh Parivar may have earned itself a

reputation for prudery, but in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress is giving

it a healthy challenge by opposing photographs of human anatomy used

in adolescence education programmes in schools, saying it's an insult

to the teacher-student relationship.

But, as is the case with such campaigns, this latest one too seems to

be ill-informed. The sets of photographs the Congress and its

students' wing, National Students' Union of India, are objecting to

and which they displayed during a protest here yesterday, are not

actually meant for students.

The kits for the Adolescence Education Programme, run by the National

AIDS Control Organisation and UNICEF throughout India, have been

available in the state for quite some time. The Flip Chart, which

carries the coloured sketches, is part of the kits, which are

distributed to teachers after they undergo a four-day training under

the programme.

The programme was introduced in the state two years ago and under it,

Classes IX, X and XI students are given sex education and told about

AIDS.

" When the Flip Chart is given to teachers they will obviously share

it with students. Why should it be given to them in the first place? "

asks Congress leader P C Sharma, who led the NSUI protest, noting

that the BJP often lectures others on cultural values.

Told that the kits had been distributed to all teachers across the

country, Sharma's reply was: " We are based in Madhya Pradesh, ruled

by the BJP. We don't approve of such education. There are other ways

of making children aware of AIDS. "

Commissioner of Directorate of Public Instructions L S Baghel points

out that the kits were meant only for " resource persons " trained

under the programme, and were not part of the syllabus nor meant for

students. " If teachers themselves are unclear about the subject, how

will they educate students? "

State Nodal Officer P R Tiwari says students in 30 of the 48

districts in the state were covered under the project, and that the

only reason it wasn't extended to all was lack of funds. " Only half

the schools in Bhopal and Bhind could be covered as a result. "

But the Congress claims that some teachers were themselves hesitant

to use the kits in the classroom. " Any nude picture would look

indecent. Instead of such kits, students should be told that they

should abstain from sex till 25 and they would get the message, "

reasoned a principal of a school for excellence.

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/24688.html

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

Re: /message/6971

Social taboos around discussing sex with young people are so strong that even

doctors will tell adolescents, “Wait till you’re married and you will find out.”

But young people want to know. In the age of AIDS and growing up as part of the

AIDS generation, they have to know the full story about sexuality, about sex,

about negotiation, and about options. Because they will find out whether you

want to tell them or not.

And if the state, the education system and parents do not help them, they will

turn to their peers, television, porn magazines or videos, or worse to somebody

who is older than then and may be “more experienced” and will help them

experiment. As a result they will not get complete and correct information on

their sexual and reproductive health and rights. And they are liable to contract

HIV from the first sexual encounter.

In fact, in the Indian context, this first sexual encounter need not be

experimental, as the NFHS III data has revealed that 45% of women here are

married off before they become 18. So how can these girls say ‘no’ to this man

who they have been taught to respect as God? Can she ask him to be faithful to

her and not risk a beating or even being thrown out of the house?

These are the realities that young people have to face.

It is young women who are particularly vulnerable to HIV and this vulnerability

is intimately linked to power. The entire paradigm around sex is that of power

relations and negotiation is only possible between equals. Until a young woman

or man does not realize their self worth they cannot negotiate a safer lifestyle

for themselves. They simply cannot be in control of their own lives.

In this context how practical is the Abstinence, Be faithful, use Condoms (ABC)

approach? Does it really address the needs and rights of young people today? Are

abstinence-only programmes empowering?

Prevention programmes for HIV need to be socially inclusive and comprehensive.

The ABC approach excludes those without rights, those who do not or cannot

aspire to mainstream heterosexual monogamous relationships, males who have sex

with males, sex workers and drug users. And if there is one lesson that we have

learnt from our AIDS history, it’s that we cannot afford to create tiers of

responses based purely on lifestyle choices. Respecting and honouring human

rights is key.

Research shows that students who vow abstinence till marriage might actually

indulge in oral sex or anal sex while reporting to be abstinent. So what does

abstinence mean? Until when should I abstain?

What if I choose to become involved with someone who has a different sero-status

to me? What if I don’t want to get married? What about males who have sex with

males?

A rights-based approach cannot be isolated from the realities of the immediate

environment and social constructs that young people live in. There is a pressing

need to dispel the culture of silence and shame that surrounds sexuality and

move out of oppressive patriarchal structures.

Arushi Singh

IPPF

New Delhi

e-mail: <dawnlion@...>