Right to Sexual and Reproductive Health Education 2016
had either talked among their friends or searched for information on the
internet.
Almost all participants stated that they would shy away from asking their
parents for any information if they can get the information from other sources.
However, if any problems related to such issues arose, majority of both the
male and female participants agreed that they would share it with their family
members first, while a few participants stated that they would prefer to share
it first with a friend. A participant stated:
“I wouldn’t dare even ask my parents about puberty, let alone
tell them I am having any changes in myself. It is a disgusting
topic and very embarrassing.”54
It was noted that most parents felt uncomfortable talking to children about
SRH. One factor that can promote such hesitancy may be the lack of parental
knowledge about related information. Many parents agreed that they worry
about what and how much information to give to their children. Most of these
worries are based on a belief that providing children with this information
would increase their involvement in physical relations before marriage.
Majority of the parents stated that they themselves did not receive
information on SRHE and therefore admit that they shy away from actively
educating and giving information to their children about these issues.
Unfortunately, many parents failed to realize that by withholding such
information and avoiding questions asked by their children would only send
their children negative messages about such issues.
Even though most of the parents agreed that SRHE must be provided to school
children, there were also those few who didn’t agree. Majority of those who
believed that SRHE should be provided in schools stated that the best age to
54
Student FGDs
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THEMATIC ANALYSIS