Staff Correspondent

There must be training for teachers so that they can deliver the sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) lessons in an innovative and interesting approach, breaking the existing stigma and socio-cultural taboo, said speakers at a webinar yesterday.

They also pointed out the importance of inclusion of SRHR issues in the examinations, so that students become more interested and eager to learn these issues from their curriculum, which will play a great role in preventing sexual violence.

The webinar, titled “Importance of incorporation of Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) education in the National Curriculum for the prevention of sexual violence”, was jointly organised by Bangladesh Nari Pragati Sangha (BNPS) and The Daily Star.

Rokeya Kabir, executive director of BNPS, said since in 2021, the national curriculum will be revised, BNPS demands incorporation of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in the national curriculum and it must be treated as the health and sexual rights of women.

Rokeya Kabir also highlighted that a gender-sensitive education system and scientific analysis of CSE from an early age can work as a tool to prevent sexual violence.

Reproductive health specialist Dr Sameena Chowdhury, former head of the Department of Gynaecology and Obs at Dhaka Medical College, who is currently the president of Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Bangladesh (OGSB), stressed on the importance of knowing one’s body and highlighted the existing taboo related to sexual health issues.

She also condemned the irrelevant objectification of women in the media and stressed on the importance of humanitarian development.

Prof Dr Md Mainul Islam, head of the Department of Population Science, University of Dhaka, said, “Along with incorporating the CSE issues in the national curriculum, we must monitor the practice of such lessons in the national, mass and local levels.”

He also stressed on setting up the learning outcomes, as well as timing and delivery method for CSE.