By Geewananda Gunawardana –

Dr. Geewananda Gunawardana

Food, sleep, fear, and reproduction are basic needs of animal life. Humans are different from animals in that, if they wish, they can be aware of these functions, have some control over life, and be above normal. That is the message of the country’s main religion, developing mind above normal, contemplating the body, sensation, mind, and natural laws. Science too is trying to understand mind, and in the process, it is rediscovering what has been known for two thousand and five hundred years. Ironically, we Sri Lankans remain woefully oblivious of such matters despite having access to both sources of knowledge.

This resistance to knowledge is exemplified by the opposition from religious quarters to proposed introduction of sex education in schools. It is as if such education would turn the children into degenerate savages that will bring shame to the nation. Do they realize that it is an attempt to teach the basics of their body, how it changes during puberty, and how that affects their growing minds? What is taboo about knowing nature’s ways? Five years ago, it was the opposition to ‘Ape Hathe Potha,’ a supplementary reader, and now it is about the proposed curriculum. This is a pathetic commentary of the nation’s attitude; as we have never had such a formal education, we have no knowledge about reproductive biology; and based on various statistics, we are not any better than our animal brethren in that department. More about the statistics later, but there is a massive misunderstanding about this topic, and it behooves us to clear up it before proceeding.

Thanks to our colonial rulers, we have inherited the Victorian prudishness and have equated the word sex to filth. Sri Lanka was number one in Google searches for ‘sex’ for many consecutive years. No, they were not looking for educational material online, but they were looking for pornographic sites. No wonder we forget that sex is a noun referring to gender, as well as the physical activity of reproduction. It can be compounded with other nouns to convey many other related meanings: act, appeal, consensual, drive, education, forced, fair, gland, illicit, object, offender, opposite, oral, phone, safe, same, and symbol, all of which are important in this context.

Then the question is what sex education is. I have read ‘Ape Hathe Potha,’ and found nothing inappropriate for that age group. I recall an erudite Buddhist monk complaining that some of the explanations are coarse and the children could learn things and experiment with. How sadly mistaken; when we attain puberty, these things happen. It is nature, keeping hush about it will change nothing. I have not seen the proposed curriculum, but I assume those who formulate it are aware of world standards. The goal must be an evidence-based approach to instruct young people about the cognitive, emotional, physical, and social aspects of sexuality. This approach aims to equip them with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to make healthy and responsible choices regarding their own bodies, their rights, relationships, and health.

Then we must ask why we need sex education. We have never had a formal sex education. Most of the girls did not know about having periods until they experienced it for the first time. Similarly, there are boys who worry about nocturnal emissions. Even the university graduates, who did not come through the biological stream, have truly little knowledge about these matters. While there is a dearth of information, there are plenty of quacks who exploit the ignorant with remedies for non-existing ailments.

The major issue is that sexual abuse is deeply embedded in our culture; abuse of young people by those in positions of authority is common knowledge and considered norm. About 90% of women have been harassed and 74% sexually abused in public transport. What is not well known is the extent and diversity of sexual activities engaged by the young at alarmingly tender ages. Most of them are coerced or forced. The public policy advocate and scientist Rohan Pethiyagoda has compiled some of these data in a video available on-line:

The consequences of these activities are sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, emotional scarring, and broken lives with unhealthy attitudes towards relationships. Since abortion is illegal, we pretend it does not happen; however, it is common knowledge that there are plenty of frauds performing them under unsanitary conditions risking health and life of women. It is true that there are laws to protect sex abuse victims, but taking legal action is fraught with stigma, delays, and further humiliation in the hands of the law enforcement and judiciary. Let us admit that our society is far from being just and civilized, despite appearances.

Most of these horrors can be avoided by teaching the young about reality of nature and their individual rights. The troubling reality is that the abusers are often in authoritative positions, schools, universities, workplace, society, and family. As a result, young victims assume a sense of normality in these atrocities. They do not know any other way. Even if they voice their concerns, their word does not count against that of the authority. The trend is to blame the victim. The whole purpose of sex education is to bring the issue out of the proverbial closet, change the nation’s attitude towards the subject and turn the society into a safe place for children to grow. Sweeping the problem under the proverbial rug will not work.

If so, what is the downside of sex education, you may ask. All knowledgeable parties, doctors, educators, sociologists, and many other experts all over the world agree that a well-structured sex education is of tremendous value. The only opposition comes from some religious factions. What is the reason? A functional definition of religion is based on effects of it on worldview, moral systems, societal influence of institutions, oppression or liberation, security or anxiety (Reimers 2024). Sri Lanka is a highly religious society; but have the religions achieved any of that? Let the statistics answer that question. Instead, religions have been highjacked for fractious political purposes and personal gains. Should we rely on a failed system to inform the next generation or formulate policy?

On the other hand, nine out of ten dictionary definitions of religion contain the term ‘Belief.’ The value of beliefs depends on how they are formed. Therein lies the problem: Some religious teachings, especially when presented from an early age, can discourage rational inquiry, compel them to believe in things that are not true, and intentionally ignore facts. Others frame certain topics as beyond human comprehension or investigation and discourage seeking knowledge. Studies suggest that certain forms of religious conservatism are correlated with lower scientific literacy. Therefore, we must seriously consider whether we should frame our education or any other policy based on beliefs or scientific facts.

We Sri Lankans face many challenges; in this respect, we are faced with the task of showing our religious leaders the reality. They are engaged in a meaningless competition on who should control the sexuality of the nation based on whose beliefs. Although there is nothing explicitly religious in sex education, religious representatives fear that the teaching undermines their authority. In doing so they miss the whole point of a religion, which is to eradicate selfishness and highlight the value of interrelations and interdependence; to build a cohesive society based on basic human values. We must digest those statistics carefully to see the extent of damage caused by the current culture to those values. As a nation, irrespective of religious affiliations, we must recognize that this lack of information is a common threat we face. We must recognize that our lack of knowledge on human sexuality is a huge impediment to our collective wellbeing.

Without formal education being delivered through schools, who else is qualified to disseminate accurate information to the youngsters? How many adults could explain the ovulation cycle, for example? Or why do nocturnal emissions occur? Or what is inappropriate touching? What we know about sexuality is from hushed conversations with equally ignorant people. Those who search the internet for ‘sex’ end up assuming that human sexuality is a performance. Such misguided youngsters, and adults as well, end up ruining what could be a beautiful human experience that generations of poets, writers, and artists have strived to glorify. Why are we so hesitant to see nature as it is? Let us get together and provide the younger generation with knowledge to respect themselves as well as others. Let us remind the religious leaders that it is what religions are supposed to do.

*The writer, Geewananda Gunawardana (PhD) is a former pharmaceutical researcher currently residing in Boston Massachusetts and graduated from Peradeniya, and did doctoral studies in Australia.