Supreme Court bats for comprehensive sex education to tackle child porn menace
Noting that positive sex education promotes healthy attitudes towards sexuality and relationships, which can counteract the distorted perceptions often associated with the consumption of child pornography, the Supreme Court on Monday called for comprehensive sex education to deter potential offenders and address common misconceptions.
A Bench of CJI DY Chandrachud and Justice JB Pardiwala, which ruled that mere downloading, storage or watching of sexually explicit and abusive material involving children amounted to offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) and the Information Technology (IT) Act, asked the Centre to consider constituting an expert committee to devise a comprehensive programme or mechanism for health and sex education.
The panel may also work out modalities for raising awareness about the POCSO Act among children across India from an early age, for ensuring a well-informed approach to child protection, education, and sexual well-being, it said.
“Positive age-appropriate sex education plays a critical role in preventing youth from engaging in harmful sexual behaviours, including the distribution, and viewing of CSEAM (child sexual exploitative and abuse material),” the top court said, adding it promoted healthy attitudes towards sexuality and relationships. A study of over 900 adolescents in Maharashtra found that students not exposed to scientific literature on reproductive and sexual health were more likely to initiate sex early, it noted.
“One prevalent misconception is that sex education encourages promiscuity and irresponsible behaviour among youth. Critics often argue that providing information about sexual health and contraception will lead to increased sexual activity among teenagers. However, research has shown that comprehensive sex education actually delays onset of sexual activity and promotes safer practices,” it said. It favoured comprehensive sex education, including information about the legal and ethical ramifications of child pornography.
