| When do parents in India tell children about the birds and
the bees? Chances are, they don't -- ever. With most parents and schools afflicted with
this denial syndrome, the media in this information age has taken over the role of sex
education. And so, fed with distorted images and messages in this information age, our
children are growing up alarmingly early, with dangerously warped notions of sexual
behaviour. Schoolboys barely in their teens think they can seduce a girl, as they do on
television. Girls are beginning to believe it's okay to get physical. It's a perverted
sexual-learning process that can permanently mar relationships with the opposite sex. The
tenderness of the first crush, the blossoming of a relationship -- our children are
growing up without knowing how sex and love are meant to evolve. We found this week's cover story especially difficult to report and
present, given the sensitiveness of the topic and the strong views that the topic of sex
evokes. Statistically valid studies on pre-teen sexual behaviour were hard to come by so
it was impossible to gauge the extent of the change sweeping our society. But the
indicators of an early sexual awakening were unmistakable. Special Correspondent Vijay
Jung Thapa in New Delhi and Principal Correspondent Sheela Raval in Mumbai spent more than
a month talking to counsellors, doctors, parents and children. They were often unprepared
for what they heard. "I was stunned when I attended a sex-education class where
13-year-olds were discussing sexual techniques," says Raval, a veteran of reporting
changing sexual attitudes among adults. Not surprisingly, their reportage sparked off a
furious debate amongst our editors about how the story should be handled. Pictures were
changed, copy was rewritten. We hope the final result will convince parents and teachers
of the dangers of not educating children about sex. As they say, if you don't teach your
children about sex, the dogs will.
(Aroon Purie) |
