SEYA fighting the stigma of sex education
SEYA, a city-based-NGO, vouches for comprehensive sexuality education for young adults
Hyderabad: Sex education is usually geared towards adolescents in the early to mid-teens and it covers the biological aspects of sex and doesn’t cover topics related to sexuality and other social aspects related to sex and that is exactly what SEYA (Sex Education for Young Adults) Collective aims to do.
A city-based collective started by youngsters Meghana Chaganti and Aaisha Uttarwar, SEYA vouches for Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) for young adults.
“There are many existing methods to impart sex education in schools but there’s none for young adults. It is also important for young adults to understand the dynamics of relationships, understand consent, understand gender and sexual identities, be aware of sexual abuse. This is the reason behind why we started SEYA,” says Meghana.
Recently, the collective has also filed an online petition to include CSE as a part of the curriculum at Osmania University. “We initiated a petition on change.org stating the importance of CSE in the college curriculum, as understanding it enables young adults in making informed decisions in personal lives,” shares Aaisha adding that such a system will also give the right information in the right manner.
In this context, it is also important to understand that education on sex and sexuality is a process and not an end. Having interacted with many students from various backgrounds, the team realised there’s extensive ambiguity and stigma surrounding sex education and subsequently the petition was filed online. “We also plan on meeting officials from the Osmania University soon to further discuss this,” informed Aaisha.
The collective is currently attempting to bring in experts to collaborate with and create a curriculum of sorts covering various aspects, including LGBTQIA+, body image issues, gender sensitisation and many more. On the issue of gender sensitisation, Aaisha says, “Gender sensitisation is usually very women-specific but it has to be made comprehensive. Understanding boundaries in a relationship is also a part of gender sensitisation.”
To take this ahead, the collective is also planning on conducting a series of panel discussions and sessions with educators and experts.
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