Parents should be the first and most important sexual health educators of their children, providing them proper knowledge on the matter, still considered taboo in society like ours and save them from any kind of misguidance.
“It is important for parents to teach their children about sexual and reproductive health (SRH) because they may receive messages from television, social media and peers which may negatively influence their understanding of normal sexual and reproductive health,” Chairperson of Asia and Oceania Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (AOFOG) Prof Rowshan Ara Begum told BSS.
Sometimes parents also feel hesitant to share such information to their children, she said.
There are a variety of reasons; many parents have never received any sexual health education themselves, either from their own parents or in school. As a result, they don’t feel equipped to broach this topic with their children, Prof Rowshan Ara Begum added.
Some parents feel their children will get this information in school, so they don’t feel the need to talk about this at home. Others are overwhelmed by the vast amount of information available on the Internet, and they just do not know what is credible and what is not, she said.
Open discussion on SRH also help children to avoid any mistakes and help stop making wrong decisions,” Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Bangladesh (OGSB) President Prof Laila Arjumand Banu told BSS.
People in our country feel embarrassed to discuss topics related to sexual health.
There was a strong belief among guardians that adolescents would become adventurous with such discussion, she said.
Conversation between older generation and adolescents regarding sexuality was rare case and to avoid complexities associated with adolescent’s physiological development, parents should discuss this issue very cordially with their children, the experts said.
