Sex, pornography, child sexual abuse, sexual abuse, sexual relationships. These words are trending in our society. They're still a taboo. No one wants to talk about them or channelize them. Let's break this taboo and give the right information in terms of knowledge to educate our children and women about sex and sexual abuse. It's all about learning how to protect and save yourself.
Pakistan is one of the top ten countries, where more than 60% women experience physical or sexual violence in their life by a spouse and more than 90% women face some form of sexual violence in a public setting in their lifetime. In a report the World Economic Forum mentioned, it will take another 169 years to bridge the gender gap at our current pace. Pakistan is one of those fortunate countries where most of the violent crimes committed against women are strictly prohibited by law, such as child marriage, sexual violence, domestic violence, karo-kari, kidnapping and harassment. However, unfortunately we are lacking in implementation and there is an absence of awareness and addressing. It is argued that sex education is a need of this era for protecting women and children for a better future.
The term "sexual violence" is an all-inclusive one, referring to crimes like sexual assault, rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, online grooming and domestic abuse or violence.
Sexual abuse is a crime by law, and it is considered one when someone engages another person by force, by pressure or by cheating into taking part in any kind of sexual activity. It includes many things, i.e. any physical contact or being touched for anything that a person doesn't like, without taking their consent, online or offline, someone flashing or exposing their bodies to you, being forced to get involved in sexual activities like an intercourse, looking at sexual pictures or videos, or watching someone do something sexual without their consent.
It can also include sexual misuse (to pressure someone into having sex in return for getting something like money or drugs), sexting or child pornography.
5 facts about sexual abuse:
● Both boys and girls can be a victim of sexual abuse.
● A sexual assault could be done by a stranger, or somebody that you love and trust, like your boyfriend or girlfriend, or a spouse.
● The victim of sexual abuse could be of the same gender as the assaulter.
●Sexual abuse includes touching, kissing, oral sex or anything sexual apart from a proper intercourse.
● Sexual abuse can take place online as well as offline.
Child abuse, on the other hand, is a broader word. It includes child sexual abuse, which means doing any sexual activity with a child. By law, a child cannot consent to any kind of sexual activity. It is a crime by law in many countries to engage children in any activity for sexual pleasure, such activities can have long lasting effects on a child for years. Child sexual abuse does not need to include physical contact between a perpetrator and a child. It includes, touching a child's private parts for sexual pleasure, making a child touch someone else's genitals, encouraging a child to play sexual games or have sex, putting objects or body parts of child for sexual pleasure, showing pornography to a child, purposely exposing an adult's genitals to a child, photographing a child in sexual poses, encouraging a child to watch or hear sexual acts, inappropriately watching a child undress or use the bathroom.
In order to prevent any sexual violence against women and children, the government should act boldly and implement all possible laws. It is also important and a need of time to educate children on such a sensitive topic so they identify and avoid any sexual abuse, internal or external.
A well planned and the right sex education in institutions like schools will nurture good values and not leave a bad impression on the kids. But how to present this sensitive topic to kids, because a single mistake may give them the wrong idea, is a big question.
Our society wants to restrict sex education to families only and expects parents to personally take the lead and educate their children. In this modern era, where the social media reigns, it almost impossible to restrict information, since people have many options like the TV, the Internet and electronic gadgets, which proves that such information might go to children through any medium in any form which might leave bad effects on them. It would be better to channelize it in form of education.
There are many factors making it a controversial issue in several countries, particularly age. At what age should a child start getting such education, how much information should be revealed, and the topics dealing with human sexuality and behavior (e.g, safe sex practices and masturbation, and sexual ethics).
Parents should maintain a close relationship with their children. A child should always feel comfortable talking to his or her parents without the fear of anything. Sex education is the most important need of modern era, especially in our society.
YOU ARE READING
A journey from Women Imprisonment to women empowerment
RandomFor thousands of years, we have been living in a society where women have been killed for honour, they have been raped, they have been burned with acid and they have been imprisoned. ____ This book is a collection of articles on woman imprisonment...
