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In today’s fast-paced world, maintaining a healthy work-life balance is crucial.
But the aspect which gets overlooked here is one’s sexual well-being, which is
one of the major components of a fulfilling life. Therefore, the 4th of September, i.e., ‘The World Sexual Health Day’ encourages open conversations on this topic emphasizing sexual health, consent and the importance of nurturing healthy relationships.
HISTORY
During ancient times, sex was a normal phenomenon but over time people started to see it as a shameful act which gradually suppressed the importance of talking about sexual health and well-being. Therefore, in 2010, the World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) declared September as World Sexual Health Month intending to create awareness about sexual well-being on a global level.
The Theme ‘CONSENT’
The thought that sexual acts are bad has been taught to us right from our childhood. Rather what should be taught is sexual acts without consent are gruesome.
‘NO’ is not just a mere word. It is a sign to stop and to immediately back out. It is an expression to let the other person know that you are not prepared. NO, draws boundaries, It says a lot more than just the 2 letters, 'N O'. Bollywood has played a commendable role in displaying the significance of this topic. The dialogue "No sirf ek shabd nahi hai, apne aap mai poora vakya hai, ise kisi tark, spashtikaran,explanation ya vayakhya ki jarurat nahi hoti " by the script writers of the movie Pink aptly points out what NO actually is!
Today's young adults think that sex is cool; which is absolutely correct. Sex is cool and pleasurable only if done with proper measures and consent of both the persons involved.
Sexual acts without consent are nothing but date rape which is punishable under law.
Apart from this, it leads to never-ending trauma which ruins the life of both the persons and leaves them with trust and commitment issues for life. Katha (urf. Kiara advani) in the movie Satyaprem ki katha says, "Sochna padta hai kuch sach aise hote hain jo dusro ko bardaasht nahi hote aur kuch jo khudko bardaasht nahi hote ".This highlights the mental state of the person being forced to commit some sexual activity without consent which may deteriorate to such an extent that the person may even think of committing suicide. What every person deserves is a partner like Sattu, not Tapan, who knows what makes the other person comfortable and when to get close and intimate.
The theme of this year i.e., 'CONSENT' is not just another aspect of sexual education but it is actually the very first step towards it. An act without consent is a crime and a criminal is a person who deserves punishment.
Today's young adults are the future of tomorrow. Therefore, they are the ones who can bring about the necessary change by inculcating the right values and ethics that can bring a change not only in their virtue but also in providing an educated and responsible future generation. Lets all as a society take a step forward and teach ourselves and others around us the importance of the word CONSENT.