ZCZC
BSS–11
PARENTS-EDUCATOR-SEXUAL (UNICEF FEATURE)
‘ Parents should be first sexual health educators of children’
DHAKA, Oct 17, 2018 (BSS/UNICEF FEATURE) – Parents should be the first and most
important sexual health educators of their children, providing them proper knowledge
on the matter, still considered taboo in society like ours and save them from any
kind of misguidance.
“It is important for parents to teach their children about sexual and reproductive
health (SRH) because they may receive messages from television, social media and
peers which may negatively influence their understanding of normal sexual and
reproductive health,” Chairperson of Asia and Oceania Federation of Obstetrics and
Gynaecology (AOFOG) Prof Rowshan Ara Begum told BSS.
Sometimes parents also feel hesitant to share such information to their children,
she said.
There are a variety of reasons; many parents have never received any sexual health
education themselves, either from their own parents or in school. As a result, they
don’t feel equipped to broach this topic with their children, Prof Rowshan Ara Begum
added.
Some parents feel their children will get this information in school, so they don’t
feel the need to talk about this at home. Others are overwhelmed by the vast amount
of information available on the Internet, and they just do not know what is credible
and what is not, she said.
Open discussion on SRH also help children to avoid any mistakes and help stop
making wrong decisions,” Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Bangladesh (OGSB)
President Prof Laila Arjumand Banu told BSS.
People in our country feel embarrassed to discuss topics related to sexual health.
There was a strong belief among guardians that adolescents would become adventurous
with such discussion, she said.
Conversation between older generation and adolescents regarding sexuality was rare
case and to avoid complexities associated with adolescent’s physiological
development, parents should discuss this issue very cordially with their children,
the experts said.
However the experts stressed how important it is for parents to be the primary
educators when it comes to matters of physical changes in their teenage years.
Parents do not need to be an expert as it its crucial for them to set an open and
honest space for conversations, they added.
BSS/SPL/UNICEF FEATURE/DH/MHR/1550 Hrs