Despite a thriving market for non-veg jokes, sex is taboo and its discussion largely off-limits in India. Parents hesitate to bring up the topic with their children, and schools are reticent about introducing sex education in their curriculum. It’s this unmentionable approach to sexual health that Delhi-based NGO Haiyya wants to change for the better, with an initiative they have titled #healthoverstigma. From talking about sexual health to visiting gynaecologists, the young and single Indian girl has a trying time. The Haiyya team encourages change through shared stories and action. The lack ..read more

India ranks among the top five countries with the highest rate of child sexual abuse. A 2013 report by the Asian Centre for Human Rights explained the epidemic proportions of this problem, with over 48,000 child rape cases recorded between 2001 to 2011. As high as 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before their 18th birthday. On top of that, 85 % know their perpetrator. Most of the children surveyed did not report the matter to anyone. Despite these harsh statistics, children have remained a politically voiceless, vulnerable group that few organizations in the last 68 years ..read more

Is it time to talk about sexuality and puberty with your kids? Sex education is important for kids and teens to avoid abuse, develop healthy relationships and be aware of their bodies. Here are 11 books by Indian authors that can help you start the conversation. Talking about sex, puberty and relationships is still a topic of taboo in Indian households. But it needn’t be so anymore. If you’re looking to start a dialogue with your children, here’s a list of books you need to get. For kids below 10 years of age, read it with them, exploring topics of sexuality. For pre-teens and teenagers ..read more

Trigger Warning: Child Sexual Abuse “It takes a village to prevent child sexual abuse,” says Anuja Amin, a 37-year-old who founded Circles of Safety in 2015. This venture, she says, is an attempt to sensitise the community and to be the voice for children who are sexually abused. “I have heard it all — uncles will be uncles, what will you do about it? and others telling me that this is a part of growing up,” says Anuja, sharing that her intent to start the platform stemmed from personal experiences. “When I was 5 years old, I was sexually abused by a male servant in the sanctity of my own home ..read more

What image do we conjure when we hear the word ‘condom’? The 2017 government ban on advertisement of the contraceptive between 10 am and 6 pm can give us a hint — salacious and hyper-sexualised ads that breed indecency and “promote unhealthy practices” in an otherwise sanskaari society. This hush-hush and behind-closed-doors perception of sex and contraception is jarring when you realise that India ranks third in the world when it comes to HIV cases, and that the number of unwanted pregancies are likely to reach a whopping 23 lakh due to little to no availability of contraception methods amid ..read more

In his 10 years of teaching, Raju Sain had never been this nervous. With sweaty palms and a fluttery stomach, he jotted down the points on safe birth control measures. A resident of Sarmathura tehsil of Rajasthan’s Dholpur district, the 36-year-old was new to the modules of adolescent health (AH), despite teaching science. Read More: 70,000 Copies Sold: 75 Rajasthani Villagers; And Their Bestseller on Women’s Sexuality Asking questions or raising doubts on feminine hygiene, reproductive health and gender-based discrimination were frowned upon up until now. Once back home, he decided it was bes ..read more

Discourse around sexual wellness in India remains tiptoed around, hushed up, avoided, or ignored. A report in the Reproductive Health Journal states that in India, young women, especially those in rural areas, are at a high risk of negative sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes. Women aged between 15 and 24 years constitute 41% of the total maternal deaths in the country. This, and more, stems from a lack of understanding of sexual wellness in the country. For laws and legislations to work, a deep correlation with awareness and understanding of sexual health and wellness must exist, an ..read more

Sitting atop dirty, fishwater strewn counters, Reshma Tilo and her mother, Leela Ramesh Chinbaikar, sell their fresh catch on the weekends at the Bandra fish market in Mumbai. The duo have a selection of big and small fish – from prawns to kingfish, tuna and Indian salmon. And with a welcoming smile, Reshma, who has quite the gift of the gab, regales her haggling customers with stories from her past. She tells this writer about how her dream of being a police inspector got cut short because she didn’t meet the minimum height requirement to join the force. Over the years, a lot of her plans did ..read more

When was the first time you read or discussed sex? The first time I found proper information about sex in one place was almost 25 years ago in an India Today summer edition that discussed sexual health. Until then my knowledge about sex was slightly skewed. No matter how progressive we become, we continue to consider discussing about sexual health and sex as taboo subjects. 18-year-old Niyati Sharma, a Delhi resident is attempting to break several myths that surround sex, especially amongst the youth. She founded an organisation called Pratisandhi which is a Sanskrit word that has two meanings ..read more

“Mummy pregnant hai meri,” an embarrassed Nakul tells his girlfriend. A 25-year-old man, well settled at his job, with a teenaged brother ten years younger, Nakul can be any one of us. His family, the Kaushiks, are as typical as can be. The mother-in-law finds fault in everything that her bahu does but her precious son could not be better. The brothers barely talk to each other–they only taunt, provoke and show off. But Badhaai Ho features another beautiful relationship–the love between parents that hides behind societal approval and the “norms” for a middle-aged couple IRL. This couple, cute ..read more