The primary responsibility of imparting sexual health education lies with the parents. With the fast changing market economy, migration of people, increasing educational opportunities and exposure to various mass media, there is certainly an added necessity to address the issue of sex and sexuality by responsible people.
Along with emerging and re-emerging social problems associated with behaviour patterns, HIV/STDs and substance abuse, the call for providing sexual health education to adolescents and young people is more justified than ever before. Since parents have the primary responsibility to impart proper sexual health education from the formative period, let us briefly list the responsibilities of parents in this area.
Parents should :
• Inculcate a positive attitude on sexual health education in children.
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• Strongly discourage tendencies towards developing unhealthy lifestyles in children.
• Provide a healthy home environment which is conducive to holistic growth of the child.
• Cooperate with the school in its attempts to encourage health life-styles.
• Build relationship with school teachers and co-operate with their initiatives towards providing sexual health education.
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• Encourage children to follow the instructions and guidance provided to them from the school on sexual matters.
• Cooperate with the community in its efforts at maintaining healthy environment.
• Provide children opportunities for sharing of ideas regarding positive aspects of sexual health and encourage discussion at home between parents and children on such matters.
• Serve as role model for children’s inspiration.