Mysore/Mysuru: District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) senior lecturer N. Jayanthi has said that our adherence to religious and pious practices were still preventing from providing sex education to children. “We need to educate children about subjects that are outside their text books,” she opined.

She was speaking at an interaction programme on ‘Ittichina Dinagalalli Hechuttiruva Atyachara Prakaranagalu,’ organised jointly by the District Kannada Sahitya Parishat and Sri Basaveshwara Samskrutika Pratishtana, at Kannada Sahitya Bhavan in Vijayanagar here on Friday.

“The recent rape and murder incident of a school girl at Malavalli in Mandya District is an indication of the perverted nature of human mind which is a matter of grave concern for all of us. In all rape cases, we tend to view the victim as guilty and discuss the issue from that angle. Instead, we should all give our moral support to the rape victim,” she added.

“We should stop discussing whether male is superior or female is superior. Sending a message that being human is more important is the need of the hour. We need to teach children about good and bad touch at Primary School level and educate them about the changes they go through during their adolescence. We are feeling shy of teaching these issues in schools and are only teaching students that are in the text books,” Jayanthi said.

Observing that in most of the rape cases the accused is rich and the victim is poor, Jayanthi felt that it is the failure of the parents to take proper care of their children which is the main reason for sexual abuse and suggested that victims should be provided medical counselling. “Country’s judiciary, legislature and social system should ensure that the guilty in rape offence should be given severe punishment. The entire society should be awaken and the education system should be strengthened in this regard,” she concluded.

Sharana Sahitya thinker H.C. Shivabuddhi, who too spoke on the occasion, said that children follow the path of their parents and advised parents to practice good culture. “Of late, films are influencing children. Rape cases are less in a few countries because there is stringent punishment for the accused. Even in our country also, POCSO Act has exposed the sinister activities of many who are in political, spiritual and educational sectors. But they should be given more punishment through the judiciary,” he opined.

Mysuru District Government Employees Association Senior Vice-President Malangi Suresh, Advocate M. Poornima, Farmers Association President Kanenoor Jagadish, Sri Basaveshwara Samskrutika Pratishtana   President Basava Rajendra Swamiji and others were present on the occasion.