Adolescents find it quite difficult to discuss their psychological and physical changes for lack of awareness and comprehensive sex education, said experts at a workshop.
“Comprehensive sexual education can break the barriers an adolescent faces. If we teach parents about their [the adolescent] mental and physical situation, we can ease their turmoil”, said Md Imtiaz Pavel, vice president of Network for Ensuring Adolescent Reproductive Health, Rights and Services (NEARS).
NEARS is the largest network of organizations and individuals working in the field of adolescent sexual and reproductive health, rights and services in Bangladesh since 2003. It’s currently comprised of 85 national and international organizations.
Plan International and Marie Stopes Bangladesh, arranged the workshop to discuss the agony of adolescents, at a hotel in Dhaka on Wednesday.
“When I go to buy a sanitary napkin for my mother or sister, shopkeepers look at me in such a way that it irritates me. I always sneak it home embarrassed. Why is this happening?” said an adolescent boy.
The absence of sexual education in our society drives adolescent to desperation, said an adolescent, participating in the discussion.
“We are urged to increase our GPA [Grade Point Average], to obtain Golden GPA-5. But we are not taught about sexual education.
“Everyone has biological needs. But I can’t talk about my sexual needs,” said an adolescent girl.
“Sometimes shopkeepers [in village markets] don’t want to sell condoms to us. We have to focus on this,” said another adolescent.
Experts from NEARS, some government officials and adolescents who attended the workshop urged sexual education be included in text books.
Not only married or adolescent people, but also unmarried people in general, need sexual education, said the participants.
Halima Begum, executive committee member at NEARS, said that Bangladeshis do not have the information the world already has.
Our society doesn’t allow someone’s sexual preference, said Imtiaz Pavel.
He said, “Some may not have a sexual urge. This is also a human right. We have to concede it.”
NEARS has the first-ever website for adolescents where they can ask for and get information about adolescence.