A REVIEW OF THE REVISED SEXUALITY EDUCATION CURRICULUM IN INDIA

BY TARSHI*

We at TARSHI (Talking About Reproductive and Sexual Health Issues) applaud the Indian
government’s renewed efforts to re-instate a sexuality education curriculum (now called Life
Skills Education) in India’s schools for 10 to 19 year olds1. Recognition of the importance of
educating youth in these matters is a large step towards a healthier and happier population.
However, after careful review of the material covered in this new curriculum, we believe that it
is lacking components that are essential to not just comprehensive sexuality education, but to the
efforts this curriculum intends to make in HIV/AIDS prevention.

A review of the proposed curriculum in the context of helpline calls

In taking a conservative approach after last year’s backlash, the new curriculum proposed by
NACO and the Ministry of Human Resources and Development leaves out critical information,
as well as imposes beliefs and values on young people that prevent them from clarifying their
own beliefs and values and discourages them from making their own decisions. Calls to the
TARSHI helpline have allowed us to identify key areas in which both young people and adults
are lacking information. Many of these are ill-addressed by the revised curriculum, including
information on: puberty and the body, conception and contraception, healthy relationships and
communication, gender identity, body image, and HIV prevention.

Our critique of this new curriculum stem from what we have learned from the 60,000+ calls we
have received about the needs of people of all ages for sexuality information on the TARSHI
helpline. TARSHI is a Delhi-based NGO that is dedicated to working towards sexual well-being
and a self-affirming and enjoyable sexuality for all people. TARSHI believes that all people,
irrespective of age, have the right to information on sexuality so that they can lead lives free
from fear and confusion and be able to make decisions about their lives. Since 1996, TARSHI
has hosted a confidential telephone helpline service providing information, counselling, and
referrals regarding sexuality and reproductive health issues. It is staffed by professionals in
fields related to sexual and reproductive health who are trained for this counselling. Since its
inception in 1996, the TARSHI helpline has responded to over 60,000 calls. 43% of the calls
received by the helpline asking for general sexuality information come from young people under
25 years of age.

Sexuality and young people

For several years now, the subject of sexuality education in India’s schools has been hotly
debated across the country. Despite the efforts of NGOs and schools to institute a curriculum,

1
The revised Adolescence Education Programme module developed by the National AIDS Control Organisation
(NACO) and the Ministry of Human Resources and Development.

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the governments of 12 states have resisted the proposed sexuality education programs. This
reaction has been due mostly to heavy opposition from conservative groups, who claim that
sexuality education will harm the youth and pollute the nation and culture2.

The main argument cited by those against sexuality education is that access to this knowledge
will “corrupt” the youth and encourage them to experiment sexually. However, many studies
have shown the opposite to be true. For example, a 1997 study commissioned by the WHO and
Global Programme on AIDS entitled Sexuality Education and Young People’s Sexual Behaviour:
A Review of Studies reviewed 47 studies that evaluated sexuality education interventions
implemented in various countries. In 17 of these studies it was reported that education delayed
the onset of sexual activity, reduced the number of sexual partners or reduced unplanned
pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) . 25 studies reported that education neither
increased nor decreased sexual activity and attendant rates of pregnancy and STIs. Also, the
WHO Technical Report Series No.938 Preventing HIV/AIDS in Young People: A Systematic
Review of the Evidence from Developing Countries, 2006, shows that school curriculum-based
HIV prevention education results in delayed age at entering a sexual relationship, reduced
number of sexual partners, increased use of safer sex and contraception and other such positive
behaviours.

Not only is the “experimentation” argument debunked by official study, but examination of calls
received on the TARSHI helpline also provides information to the contrary. The helpline callers
did not become curious about matters of sexuality because they have been introduced to them in
school – obviously as sexuality education is still not part of the curriculum. Their questions
come from things they see and hear around them, and from the experiences of their own lives.
Everyone already possesses a certain amount of sexuality information, gathered from family,
friends, the media, and many other sources, which is often incomplete, erroneous, and possibly
contradictory. Why should they not have the entire picture, from a reliable and accurate source,
instead of piecing together random bits of information?

Additionally, anti-sexuality education crusaders often argue that introducing these topics into
formal education will “harm the culture” of India. Sexuality, however, is a central aspect of
being human. To argue that it is not part of the culture is to argue against being human.
Whether sexuality and the matters it encompasses should be aired openly in the public arena is
also not even up for debate anymore – these issues are already pervading society through every
form of media, from television advertisements to magazine photos to music videos, even if they
are still forbidden as topics of open conversation. It would be far more beneficial to teach young
people to integrate sexuality information with their beliefs, values, and culture rather than just
ignoring these influences and leaving adolescents alone to sort through all the mixed messages
bombarding them from every direction.

This is the reason the TARSHI helpline exists, and also the reason that sexuality education
should exist: to clear up misconception and in fact discourage unsafe experimentation. The
TARSHI helpline currently runs three days a week, Monday to Wednesday, from 10 am to 4 pm.
Calls are taken by trained counselors. Callers may begin their conversation with a ‘safer’ topic
before moving on to address their real concerns. Several different sexuality-related topics may be
2
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/24/africa/letter.php, among others

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addressed in the course of a call, as callers begin to be more comfortable and speak about more
intimate issues and their feelings about them. Over the years, the helpline has been publicised
over FM radio, cable television, through newspaper and magazine articles and through the
TARSHI website. The Internet is fast becoming a popular way of reaching out to people and we
have recently received calls from people as far away as Tamil Nadu, Assam and Karnataka, who
got the helpline number from the Internet. Each call on the TARSHI helpline is documented in
writing, in order to maintain a high quality helpline service, to continue to offer quality
counselling to callers who call again and to deepen TARSHI’s understanding of sexuality and
reproductive health and rights issues within the Indian socio-cultural environment. The calls are
not tape recorded in order to preserve the callers’ confidentiality and anonymity. However,
counsellors are trained to make relevant notes of the conversation immediately following each
call. Documenting the issues that the callers seek counselling for also provides data for future
research and analysis on how sexuality is being played out in diverse circumstances of peoples’
lives. The information from calls informs and guides the activities that TARSHI engages in.

A look at the demographic profile of the TARSHI helpline callers demonstrates that calls come
from married individuals even more than single ones3. This isn’t just about teenagers and
experimentation – sexuality information is needed for those who are older and have spouses and
careers and children as well. The needs of callers fall across the entire spectrum of sexuality
topics, from the most basic information on hygiene and puberty, to modes of HIV transmission,
to complicated issues of communication and consent within a relationship. While many callers
are operating under myths and misconceptions about sexuality, some of which could be
dangerous and bring unwanted consequences, many more suffer simply from a lack of
information and an inability to communicate with others about these issues.

Let us look now at young people’s needs for information on puberty and the body, conception
and contraception, healthy relationships and communication, gender identity, body image, and
HIV prevention, and how the proposed curriculum provides information on these.

Information on puberty and the body

The curriculum is intended to be taught in classes 9 and 11; however, as many young people in
class 9 will have already begun to experience puberty, this is much too late to begin sexuality
education. Young people need to be told what to expect before they begin to go through these
changes so that they can confidently navigate these trying years free from anxiety, fear, and
abuse. When young people go through puberty, their whole world can turn upside down. These
are difficult years socially and emotionally, not to mention the confusion and insecurity that can
be created by the physical changes going on in a young person’s body. These changes can be
even more bewildering to a child who has no idea how or why they are going on. Additionally,
lack of information on hygiene and taking proper care of one’s body can lead to health
consequences such as infections.

3
See Talking About Sexuality: A Report of Preliminary Findings from the TARSHI Helpline, TARSHI, 2007. Also
available online at www.tarshi.net

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One of the most common subjects of calls from teenage girls is menstruation. Girls in the 15-19
year old age range are most concerned about the irregularity of their periods, notably lateness
and length of cycle. Teenagers seem to be suffering from a lack of information about their
bodies, specifically about what happens when a woman starts menstruating. Most of these
young women had started their periods recently, within the range that regularity is not
necessarily to be expected, and considering their age, it is likely that the irregularity was due to
normal development rather than an actual health problem. This indicates that these women were
not educated properly about menstruation, either on this specific aspect of menstruation or on
the development of their bodies in general. And, had they asked their mothers, older sisters or
other women, their anxieties most likely could have been allayed by the experiences of these
older women. However, several calls from older women indicate that they themselves are
unable to broach this topic with their daughters, likely due to the discomfort around sexuality
that they grew up with and have now adopted. One woman expresses that she “doesn’t know
how or what to say” to prepare her daughter for menarche, and another states shyness as a
reason for her hesitation in broaching the subject. Their embarrassment will likely be
transferred to their daughters who, taking this cue from their mothers, will also be shy and
embarrassed when talking about these issues to their daughters. The best way to break this
cycle is through a program of sexuality education that provides accurate information and
encourages discussion within an academic context, removing discomfort around these issues in
the process. The menstruation information included in the new curriculum thoroughly covers
the biological process of menstruation, but lacks the specific information that is relevant to a girl
actually experiencing menarche. The young girls who called the helpline worried about their
irregular periods would not be helped in this respect by the proposed curriculum. Additionally,
no information about sanitary napkins or tampons is provided.

Another related anxiety that women callers often have is that of “leucorrhoea”, or “excessive”
white discharge. Of the women who called with this concern, only one or two seemed to have
an actual problem – the rest were unnecessarily worried by the normal discharge that keeps the
vagina clean and healthy, expressing concern that it will affect their fertility. If they had been
taught, in a sexuality education class perhaps, that this discharge is not only normal but a sign of
healthy vaginal functioning, their fears would be nonexistent. To allow young people to suffer
from needless fears of normal body functioning due to lack of information is unfair and unkind.
Young people deserve to know the facts about how their own bodies work and the changes they
experience throughout adolescence.

A lack of information about sexuality is not restricted to young women: teenage boys also face
concerns about their bodies and suffer from misinformation. Most notable among their concerns
is the issue of nocturnal emission. Many young men view nocturnal emission as a “disease” that
is caused by some inappropriate behaviour and are therefore ashamed and embarrassed to be
experiencing it. Some go to great lengths to hide these “wet dreams”. They call with inquiries
on how to “cure” their problem, and some frustratedly complain that the “cures” they received
from doctors or healers did not work. These young men need to be reassured that nocturnal
emission is a completely normal part of the sleep cycle and not at all evidence of some internal
evil or retribution for past transgression. This applies to older men as well: one man called very
depressed because he didn’t know that nocturnal emission was not an illness, stating that “we
were not given any sexual education”. That the perception of nocturnal emission as an illness

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can give rise to such negative emotion is telling of the consequences of dispelling these
rumours. Elimination of the shame and embarrassment surrounding nocturnal emission would
do wonders for the self-image and confidence of young men who are suffering under the
impression that they are somehow wicked for experiencing what is a common bodily process. It
is good that the proposed curriculum dispels the rumours about “nightfall” and reassures young
men of the naturality of this occurrence.

Calls from those above the “teen” range demonstrate that even adults are still lacking basic
information about their bodies and body functioning. Several callers express confusion about
the location of the vagina or the number of “holes”, with many callers unaware that the urinary
opening is separate from the vagina. Genital hygiene, another important topic that would be
included in a sexuality education curriculum for young people, is also a subject around which
there is much questioning and confusion. This is a health issue that if left unaddressed could
have future repercussions, such as infection.

Even older women seem to have missed out on ever learning about menstruation. Many calls
about menstruation from older, married women center around pregnancy, either how to achieve
it or how to prevent it. One couple called, concerned that they may have conceived, but also
stated that the wife had been having regular periods since the night they thought conception had
occurred (42807). Not knowing that regular periods signified the absence of pregnancy, the
couple became needlessly anxious about the possibility of conception. Also, as the age of
women calling about menstruation increases so does the likelihood that they are on medication
that affects this bodily process. Many of the women above the age of 20 years who call with
irregularity concerns mention that they have taken some form of emergency contraception
recently, and this is generally determined to be the cause of skipped or late periods. The misuse
of emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) has received much attention recently with the
introduction of the Cipla I-pill, and calls to the TARSHI helpline lend support to these reports of
misuse. As continual overuse of ECPs can lead to serious health consequences, it is essential
that information about these repercussions and means of proper use be distributed to the public.

Conception and contraception

The formal setting of a classroom is an ideal place to distribute correct information about
contraceptives. Calls from those who are sexually active reveal a vast number of
misconceptions about reliable methods of contraception. The questions asked are of such a
basic nature that these callers cannot possibly be having sex safely – taking the precautions
against pregnancy that they intend to – but they are having sex regardless, even with half-baked
information (which they may or may not know is inaccurate). One young man called to ask if
his girlfriend could get pregnant if they had sex without a condom. Many other callers inquire
about the reliability of methods that are quite unreliable, such as withdrawal and safe period.
One female caller provided incorrect information on the fertile days. Misconceptions range far
and wide, from the belief that there is no chance of pregnancy with anal sex to the folktale that if
a woman urinates right after sex she will avoid conception, which goes hand-in-hand with the
misconception that the urinary opening and the vagina are the same.

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Calls inquiring about contraception also indicate a desire to have intercourse safely and
responsibly. Many who are “about to get married” call for contraceptive information,
demonstrating their knowledge about the role and importance of contraception despite an
absence of specific details. The desire for this information is promising, because it displays an
increasing awareness of and commitment to safer sex, and with that comes a decrease in
unwanted pregnancy, HIV, and other sexually transmitted infections. It also indicates a need for
more comprehensive information to be included in the sexuality education curriculum. The base
of young people who not only want but possess this information would be significantly
increased, the effects of which would be mirrored in the considerable decrease of the above
mentioned consequences of unsafe sex. However, the contraception information provided in the
proposed curriculum is severely lacking. A brief description of “methods” (mechanical,
chemical, intrauterine, surgical) is given, but with no instructions on actual use, availability,
reliability, and side-effects, which are the concerns most relevant to the helpline callers.

Details on contraception are difficult to impart if intercourse itself is not explained. The lesson
on conception, while addressing internal biological mechanisms, omits any description of
intercourse. Sexual intercourse is shrouded in the euphemism of “intimate physical
relationships”, insulting the intelligence of young people who know there is more to the story
than that. It also puts those who don’t know in danger, for example, an 18-year-old girl called
the helpline to ask if kissing causes conception. Without the knowledge of what does cause
conception, as the curriculum would leave her, this young woman is at risk for unwanted
pregnancy and possibly infection. There is no mention of the function of the vagina and penis in
sex in the description of these organs. Young people need to be told not only that the vagina is
where menstrual blood as well as the baby comes out from, but where sperm get in to fertilize
the egg and cause conception. To omit this information is to put young people at risk for
unwanted pregnancy.

Healthy relationships and communication

Additionally, not talking about sex intensifies the taboo around the subject rather than alleviating
it. One of the most important consequences of sexuality education is that by fostering discourse
about these issues early in adolescence, it gives an individual the capacity to talk about sexuality
outside of the framework of the classroom. This leads to the development of communication
skills that are needed in future relationships. Many calls to the helpline demonstrate an inability
to communicate about matters of sexuality within relationships, whether romantic, platonic, or
familial. Issues of sexual dysfunction and dissatisfaction, for example, can often be solved
simply through communication with one’s partner, and many times the all that is required is for
the person to just talk with his/her partner about the issue at hand.

These skills are extremely important, for a relationship suffers greatly when those in it are unable
to communicate with each other. One caller admits that “the difficulties in sex life are damaging
other aspects of the relationship”. He says that he and his wife become irritable with each other
and get into arguments, and that his wife now avoids him when they are alone at home and goes
into the kitchen or is busy on the phone. Another caller, frustrated with the monotony of his sex
life with his wife, states that this is affecting his mood and he often takes his frustration out on

6
others. So not only does this inability to communicate about desire and dissatisfaction affect the
relationship with one’s partner, it also has an impact on other areas of life by taking a toll on
mood and general well-being, damaging other relationships as well.

Even outside of sexual relationships, the inability to talk about matters of sexuality can hinder
relationships and even lead to serious health consequences. For example, a young man, age 18
years, called the helpline with a health concern that he felt he couldn’t talk to his parents about –
he had found a lump in his testes. His inability to confide in his own parents about a problem
simply because it had to do with sexual anatomy could have had serious consequences – for
example, if the lump had been cancerous and not been treated. This taboo can have a negative
effect not only on mood and emotional health, but physical health as well. A woman called to
ask questions about post-childbirth health, stating that she didn’t feel comfortable asking her
mother or even her doctor. She couldn’t turn to her mother, who would have been able to offer
the wisdom of personal experience, or to her doctor, who is trained to advise her, because of the
discomfort that exists around all matters of sexuality, even one as tame as childbirth.

So many calls demonstrate the caller’s need to simply talk to someone about their problems, to
weigh their decisions, to validate their feelings, or to help them clarify their values. Some callers
even admit that they are uncomfortable or afraid to talk to anyone else and that there is no one
with whom this would even be acceptable. If people are taught from school-age to talk about
these matters without shame or embarrassment, then they will be able to communicate with their
partners/spouses, parents, families, and friends more easily about their problems – whether
related to a sexual relationship or not – rather than resorting to an anonymous voice on a
telephone helpline. Having a sexuality education program that includes comprehensive and
complete information would achieve this by initiating discourse about matters of sexuality,
which will eventually lead to more comfort with these topics and thus healthier communication
in relationships. The way some aspects of sexuality, such as intercourse, are addressed in the
recently proposed curriculum works against this aim and puts the health and well-being of young
people at risk.

Body image, gender, and identity

As described above, the influences a young person has to integrate and make sense of are many
and varied, often sending mixed messages about the “right” or “normal’ way to be, which is
very confusing for an adolescent trying to develop his or her own identity and self-confidence.
Messages about standards of beauty and normalcy pervade society through every form of media,
from television advertisements to magazine photos to music videos, but sexuality and the
matters it encompasses are forbidden as topics of everyday conversation. Many young people
are led to believe that there is something “wrong” with them if they don’t measure up to the
images and ideas they see in the media. This affects both young women and young men.
Unfortunately, the new sexuality education curriculum perpetuates such “standards of
normalcy” through its prescriptive view of young people’s sexuality, identity, and ability to
make decisions, which will have harmful effects on their self-esteem and self-image.

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Data from the helpline calls indicate that body image issues for women tend to be centred
around weight and breast size, while men are more concerned about penis size and how that
relates to premature ejaculation and satisfaction of their partners. Many women call asking for
advice on how to increase their breast size. A large number of these women are under 20 years
of age and may not even be done developing yet, but the standard of large breasts perpetuated
by the media has caused them dissatisfaction with their bodies, causing some to go to great
lengths to change something over which they truly have no control. Sexuality education would
stress that media representations of the “perfect” body are not necessarily good or healthy and
instead promote healthy lifestyle, the importance of taking care of one’s body and having
appreciation for our differences, thus increasing self-esteem and body confidence. Young men,
too, suffer from doubts about their worth caused by the media and also pornography. Men call
to ask why they can’t perform in the way they see in “blue films” or why they don’t “measure
up” to the actors. The perception that porn is a reflection of reality is a problem for men in their
self-image as well as their relationships. Young men who doubt their self-worth because of not
measuring up to what they see in porn films can develop anxiety and- low self-esteem, causing
them to seek out “treatment” for problems where there are none. It is important for young men
to have a source from which to get an accurate version of reality, and a school-taught sexuality
education course would be an appropriate. Misconceptions lead to self-confidence issues,
unwarranted fears, unwanted consequences and unhealthy relationships. They can be physically
or emotionally harmful or both, and they should be put to rest for good by offering young people
the facts in sexuality education courses.

Young people should be taught that everyone’s bodies are different, and what they see in films
or on TV or in magazines is not at all representative of the “normal” or “average” person – the
idea that there is a “normal” or “average” person should be completely dispelled by the
curriculum rather than shamelessly propagated to instil fear and doubt in India’s youth. The
messages given to teens from the media indicate that they have to be a certain way to be normal
and acceptable. If these messages aren’t countered by messages of acceptance, tolerance, and
diversity, young people will be led to believe that they are abnormal, ugly, or inferior.
Unfortunately, the narrow scope of the messages propagated by the new curriculum may cause
young people to think just that.

Low self-esteem and body confidence decrease a person’s sense of well-being and happiness.
One caller expressed feelings of loneliness and guilt for being “different”. Another said he feels
an “inferiority complex” because he is bisexual. These feelings are created and perpetuated by a
lack of consideration and tolerance for difference, which is why sexuality education is important
for teaching respect and acceptance for all shapes, sizes, colours, and identities of people.
However, there is no discussion of gender identity in the section on sex and gender. Attraction is
only discussed in a framework of heterosexuality. The only reference to those who do not
identify heterosexually comes in the form of what can essentially be considered a veiled threat or
warning: “People, including children, who diverge from sexual norms are often stigmatized or
ostracized (including single/ unmarried person, intersex, homosexuals) while those who keep to
the rules (mainstream heterosexual norm) are well accepted.” This description will instill fear
and anxiety in those who have feeling that don’t “keep to the rules” (which may be the
curriculum developers’ intention). Their self-esteem and personal well-being will be harmed,
and they will be less likely to talk about their feelings and go to adults with problems. This puts

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them at risk for making unhealthy decisions, not to mention the “stigma” and “ostracisation” that
teaching something like this to young people will continue to propagate. An ideal sexuality
education curriculum would instill tolerance and respect for all types of people, regardless of
their gender identity or sexual orientation – as well as their choices to marry, not marry, or
divorce – and would not pass any kind of judgment, demonstrate bias towards certain values, or
propagate any “standard” or “norm” of behavior. This is one of the central tenets of a model
curriculum; while the revised curriculum states in several places that the instructor is not to pass
value judgments or express his/her own beliefs, the nature of the curriculum itself imposes
values and beliefs on young people instead of providing them with information and allowing
them to make their own decisions.

HIV prevention

Most notably, the way HIV prevention is addressed in the Teacher’s Workbook is highly
inadequate. Despite citing the fact that 86% of cases of HIV are sexually transmitted, the
curriculum provides scant information on how sexual transmission occurs and how to protect
oneself against this particular means of transmission. Of course, it is very difficult to explain
how HIV is transmitted sexually if one doesn’t explain what sex is in the first place. The guide
even states that “young people have limited knowledge about HIV because they are not
comfortable talking about it, as sexual mode of transmission is the major route…”. It would
seem obvious that the way to make young people comfortable with talking about the sexual
mode of transmission would be to talk about it; instead the curriculum leaves young people in the
dark, solely mentioning that HIV is transmitted sexually and leaving out the hows, whys, and all-
important information on HIV protection during sexual activities. Many calls to the helpline
betray the confusion and uncertainty surrounding HIV. Callers who ask whether activities like
kissing, eating lunch, or sucking nipples can cause HIV demonstrate that despite awareness of
the existence of HIV, they have no idea how to protect themselves from it. This incomplete
knowledge is hardly helpful – people who avoid kissing for fear of getting HIV but have sex
with many partners without a condom will be putting themselves and others in danger while
mistakenly thinking they are protected. While the curriculum very comprehensively informs
youth how HIV is not transmitted, the deficiencies in the material on sexual transmission and
safer sex make the curriculum essentially useless in its goals of checking the HIV/AIDS
epidemic. If people don’t know about sex, they will not understand this most common means of
HIV transmission, and it will be impossible for them to protect themselves from it. Young
people need and deserve this information.

While condoms are mentioned twice – once within the section on contraception (within
marriage) and once in the HIV prevention section (only as “correct and consistent condom use”)
– there is no information on how to use condoms correctly, or the detailed reasons they should be
used. Helpline data indicates that being provided with incomplete information can cause people
to question or misunderstand what they’ve been told. For example, one caller asked how having
multiple partners is unsafe. He had received the basic instruction but not the underlying reasons
for it, and therefore questioned the advice he had been given. A comprehensive explanation of
the nature of the virus, routes of transmission, symptoms, and the preventative measures is
necessary for the health and protection of every person. Young people appreciate honest and

9
accurate facts to back up the instructions given to them by adults – to not provide complete
information is not only unfair and unkind, but dangerous to their health and well-being.

Additionally, the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS can also lead to unjust treatment of the positive
person by their friends, families, and society. One caller described a friend whose daughter was
being kept away from her by her family because the woman is HIV positive. The feelings of
loneliness and isolation that those who are HIV positive can feel are only exacerbated when
those they love alienate and scorn them. Sexuality education should stress that positive people
can live a long healthy life and that they should not be treated with contempt, disdain, or fear.
This will create a generation of accepting youth who will become supportive family members
and friends to positive people in the future and help to eliminate the shame that surrounds HIV
and AIDS.

A common myth about HIV is that only those who are sexually promiscuous or ‘dirty’ can catch
the virus. One caller believed that since all of his partners had been “girlfriends”, he was not at
risk for HIV. Though, as stated earlier, having multiple partners can increase the risk of HIV
transmission, the statement that only those with multiple partners can get HIV is very untrue,
and even couples who are married or in other supposedly monogamous relationships can
transmit HIV and other infections to each other. The proposed curriculum perpetuates this
stereotype by stating that abstinence is the only choice young people should be making – the
“information and skills” provided by the curriculum will make sure young people “reason out in
favour of the choice of abstinence”. Condoms receive a one-line mention in the ‘HIV
prevention’ factsheet, which is itself only one page long. Considering the fact that HIV
prevention is supposedly one of the most important goals of the curriculum, this is an
embarrassingly small amount of information on what is one of the most crucial topics on the
syllabus. The “abstinence-only” approach taken by the proposed curriculum has been proven
ineffective in both reducing prevalence of HIV as well as rates of teen pregnancy, as will be
discussed shortly.

Though it deserves the most attention as the STI with the most serious consequences, HIV is not
the only STI covered inadequately in the new curriculum, nor is it the only one suffering from
the myth that monogamy equals prevention. One woman called the helpline about an itching,
burning sensation after sex and mentioned that her husband was undergoing treatment for an
infection. The probability that the woman had gotten the same infection from her husband was
high, yet she wasn’t receiving treatment. The myth that married couples in a monogamous
relationship are immune from infection and disease seems to be present in the medical world as
well, since the doctor who was treating her husband didn’t deem it necessary to treat or at least
test her as well. This is problematic for all sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. To
say only that STIs are transmitted through “sexual contact” and if one is “sexually active” is to
leave young people with grossly inadequate information that puts them at risk for infection.
STIs are not transmitted solely through intercourse, which this information would lead young
people to believe, but can be transmitted through other sexual activities like oral sex. A young
person who follows the mandates of the curriculum to abstain from intercourse is at risk for STI
if she or he engages in other sexual activity, and this information should be included and
stressed. To not include these details puts young people at risk and does nothing to curb the
spread of sexually transmitted infections.

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The problem with abstinence-only sexuality education

The language used in the newly proposed curriculum is chosen very carefully: young people will
be taught to “develop life skills for avoiding [emphasis added] risky situations”, but very little
information is given on how to protect themselves should they choose to take a risk, as well as
the details of exactly what behaviors are risky and why this is so. Teenage pregnancy is talked
about in the context of the 20% of married teen girls who become pregnant. Unwed pregnancy
is hardly mentioned, as the authors likely assume that all teenagers who are given the message of
abstinence will follow it to the letter. However, abstinence-only education such as this has been
proven to have no advantages over a more comprehensive education that also includes
contraceptive information, or even over no education at all. Additionally, maintaining that “a
mutually faithful monogamous relationship in the context of marriage is the expected standard of
human sexual activity” will create paranoia in students who do not conform to this “standard”.
Young people who think they’re “abnormal” for acting on their desires will be less likely to seek
help when they run into trouble, leaving them vulnerable to abuse and infection for this reason as
well as their lack of information.

A 2007 study ordered by the United States Congress found that middle school students who went
through abstinence-only sex education programs were not any less likely to have sex in their
teenage years as those who did not take part in these programs4. The study tracked 2000 children
from different communities from elementary or middle school into high school. Half of these
children received abstinence-only education. In both groups, half of the young people had
remained abstinent by the end of the study (at average age 17 years). Condom use was not high
in either group. Those students who participated in the abstinence programs and became
sexually active had first sex at the same age as the other students and also reported having a
similar number of sexual partners.

The US-based National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy also conducted a
review of 115 sex education programs in 20075. They found no strong evidence that abstinence-
only programs delayed age at first sex or reduced numbers of sexual partners, whereas two-thirds
of programs that focused on both abstinence and contraception had positive effects such as
delayed initiation of sex and increased condom/contraceptive use. More than 60% of these
programs reduced unprotected sex. The comprehensive programs studied did not cause initiation
of sex to happen earlier or increase frequency of sex.

Studies from other countries as well as studies across nations also conclude that there is no
evidence that abstinence-only sex education programs have an effect on risk-taking behavior or
occurrence of STI and pregnancy.6 Publications as prestigious as the British Medical Journal7 as
well as respected organizations like the American Medical Association8 and World Health

4
Mathematica Policy Research Inc. “Impacts of Four Title V, Section 510 Abstinence Education Programs, Final
Report”. April, 2007 http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/PDFs/impactabstinence.pdf
5
Kirby, Douglas, Ph. D. “Emerging Answers”. November 2007. http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/EA2007/
6
WHO Technical Report Series No.938 Preventing HIV/AIDS in Young People: A Systematic Review of the
Evidence from Developing Countries, 2006
7
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/short/335/7613/248
8
http://www.ama-assn.org/apps/pf_new/pf_online?f_n=browse&doc=policyfiles/HnE/H-170.968.HTM

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Organization point to comprehensive sexuality education as having positive effects on the
behavior and health of young people.

To state it clearly: abstinence-only sex education does not have any advantages over its more
comprehensive counterpart, while comprehensive sexuality education has been proven to have
positive effects such as delaying onset of sexual activity and increased use of contraceptives and
safer sex. A sexuality education curriculum that discusses abstinence as well as contraception,
especially condom use to protect against HIV, is a much more effective and realistic approach to
protecting young people and giving them the tools to make safe and healthy decisions.

Conclusion

Young people already receive sexuality information from a myriad of often unreliable sources –
they deserve to know the facts, from basic information about their bodies to how to make healthy
decisions to how to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancy, STIs, HIV, and abuse. Not
only would sexuality education provide young people with much-needed information, it would
boost self-esteem and confidence about themselves and their bodies, something that all
adolescents struggle with at one time or another. Additionally, sexuality education creates a
space for a young person to clarify their own values about these issues and make choices that
reflect these values, rather than being swayed by the tide of whatever is the fashion at the time.
They need these skills in order to navigate the ever-shifting boundaries between cultural
acceptability and sexual taboos.

Calls to the helpline demonstrate that people of all ages and educational backgrounds are lacking
sexuality information – if you don’t receive this education in youth, when are you going to learn?
Not providing sexuality education to youth has long-lasting repercussions, extending well into
adult life.From the helpline data, it appears that there are callers in their 30s and 40s who still
haven’t learned even the basics of sexuality information, which is having an effect on their health
and well-being, as well as their relationships with others. That there is a need for sexuality
education is clear – the question is whether the governments of India’s states will step up and
acknowledge this need in the form of implementing a comprehensive sexuality education
curriculum in our nation’s schools.

Overall, the revised curriculum seriously underestimates the ability of young people to make
their own decisions about their lives. Despite devoting a large portion of lesson time to
developing “life skills”, the writers of the curriculum command young people to follow their
prescribed value system, including mandating a so-called “expected standard of human sexual
activity” in the form of abstinence until marriage. Considering that one of the qualities of a good
facilitator of sexuality education as listed in the guide is having the “ability to provide
unbiased/balanced view on sensitive issues”, this is hypocritical.

The IPPF Charter on Rights is included as a factsheet in the HIV Prevention and Life Skills
section of the curriculum manual. Two of these rights are trampled upon by the very manual in
which they are printed – the right to know, and the right to protect yourself and be protected. By
knowingly neglecting information that is crucial to sexuality education, the proposed curriculum

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disregards young people’s right to know. And by disregarding this right, despite the fact that one
of the main purposes of sexuality education is to control and decrease the spread of HIV, the new
curriculum does nothing to defend young people’s right to protect themselves from HIV.

The revised module is now open for public scrutiny and debate. This is the time for all civil
society actors, including young people themselves, to demand comprehensive sexuality
education. We urge NACO and all other relevant authorities to affirm young people’s rights to
information, to the highest attainable standards of health, and ultimately, their right to life itself.

For more information please contact [email protected] or www.tarshi.net

* Thanks to Lauren Hartmann for preparing this review.

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