The empowerment of girls begins with a healthy relationship with their bodies

Every year International Women’s Day is celebrated to bring the conversation about gender inequality to the forefront and to acknowledge the milestones that have been reached in the journey towards a more equal world. This year, the theme of International Women’s Day is #BreakTheBias, but in the context of India, gender discrimination is a complex, sprawling problem that encompasses a skewed sex ratio, female infanticide, cultural preference for boys, early marriages, malnourished young mothers deprived of not just bodily autonomy but also the chance to seek higher education and gainful employment.

In rural areas, a widely prevalent notion considers daughters to be socially and economically disadvantageous. The point being, we will possibly need more than just a hashtag to break the bias against girls. And this bias begins its systematic dissemination of shame among young girls when they begin to step into adolescence. Misinformation about menstruation and other bodily changes makes them feel disempowered but this story can be changed via positive interventions at many levels.

The power of information

Anecdotal evidence during our work in the social sector encourages us to believe that there is an attitudinal shift in rural areas with adolescent girls negotiating with their parents to delay early marriages to be able to focus on their studies. This shift owes a lot to the outreach work done in the field of sex education by local schools, social organisations, and local health workers.

I cannot emphasise enough the importance of dispensing correct information about the physical, emotional, and psychological challenges of adolescence to the most underserved young people in the country. For young girls especially, this information can potentially make the difference between a life that offers them academic opportunities, adult choices, and reproductive health, and another that deprives them of even basic bodily autonomy. It is particularly important for them to understand the power of exercising choice, understanding the meaning of consent, setting boundaries, exploring sexuality in a healthy way, and getting adequate information, resources and support to improve reproductive health.

Getting past taboos and orthodoxy

Here it would be important to acknowledge that in orthodox and traditionally patriarchal cultures, educating daughters itself is a big step forward, and discussing sexual health with them is virtually unthinkable. During Covid-19, so many economically challenged families sought to marry off their daughters without comprehending that sending young girls unprepared into marriage will not only deprive them of healthy reproductive choices but also perpetuate the cycle of poverty, misinformation, and disempowerment.

In rural areas, SRH (sexual and reproductive health) information is tough to access and so young boys and girls rely on each other or unreliable sources like films and media to assuage their curiosity. The lack of accurate information regarding the reproductive process and their own bodies makes them feel frustrated and anxious. They feel reluctant to talk to their parents and often cause self harm through unhealthy choices. Girls especially cannot always talk to ASHA or Anganwadi workers because of the fear of speculation. At such a point, a school where a standardised sexual education curriculum is imparted by teachers and supported by counselors can inspire trust and allay fears. Even parents can be counselled by educators to discuss supposedly taboo subjects with their children.

Providing safe spaces

It is in schools that girls can find a safe space to get their queries answered. The supportive role social organisations play is also critical as was seen during the pandemic when all health centres focused their resources on COVID patients, and women and girls could not access hygiene products and contraceptives.

Together schools and social organisations can repair the broken rung of information that can help young girls better relate to their bodies, their gender, their sexuality, and the spectrum of choices available to them. When they understand themselves better and know that there need not be any shame attached to a natural process, they can have a healthier relationship with themselves and their partners in the future.

Decoding consent, boundaries, and risks

In rural areas, a lot of pressure is exercised upon young couples to prove their fertility and when boys and girls are well-informed, they can argue in favour of planned pregnancy and family planning with confidence. Also, be it pre or post-marital sex, young boys too need to grasp the meaning of consent and be taught to respect boundaries. Sex education hence is necessary to build an equitable relationship between both genders. It is so important to disseminate SRH information among the young considering more than half of the India population is under the age of 25. According to Unicef, India has the largest adolescent population in the world (253 million), and every fifth person is between 10 to 19 years. Multiple surveys of this demographic have indicated the dangers of unprotected sex, sexually transmitted diseases, unplanned pregnancies and hasty abortions.

A 2019 survey by Guttmacher Institute, New York reported that more than 75 percent of abortions among adolescents in India are unsafe. These could potentially even be fatal and we rank third as far as the number of HIV patients go. That the SRH curriculum is now mandatory in schools from 2018 is a good step towards systematically, sustainably and cost-effectively imparting potentially life-changing and life-saving knowledge to our young.

Such a long journey

It has taken us a while to get here though. In 2007, when the sex education curriculum was promoted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the backlash focused on how the youth could be corrupted, become promiscuous and lose traditional Indian values. Every time such resistance crops up, counselors can help parents understand how knowledge about bodily functions and boundaries can help protect their children and empower them rather than causing them harm. When they know more, they understand how to cope with mental health issues and have less anxiety as well.

Human-centered communication modules that make space for privacy and confidentiality, address cultural taboos with empathy and verifiable information, can lead to generational shifts that will have a huge impact on not just families but the nation.

Information is power and well-informed girls can play a big role in contributing to the health of the economy and of their families. According to unwomen.org, women make up more than two-thirds of the world's 796 million illiterate people. Just 39 percent of rural girls attend secondary school and unesco.org has noted that 11 million girls may not return to school post the pandemic in 2020. As the government and social agencies work towards getting more underserved girls in schools, there may come a time when the biases that come in the way of their progress will become easier to break.

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)