Call to include lessons on personal safety in curriculum

The Centre and State governments should prepare age-appropriate educational material and curriculum for children on personal safety including measures to protect their physical and virtual identity and to safeguard their emotional and mental well-being to an affidavit filed by the Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KELSA).

The affidavit was filed in a case related to the inclusion of a prevention-oriented programme on sexual abuse in school curriculum. The syllabus for schoolchildren should not only have bare minimum sex education and the The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act but also gender sensitivity which would help identify and address gender dysphoria with a healthy mindset, the KELSA suggested.

The Central government and every State government should take all suitable measures to spread awareness about possible risks and vulnerabilities, signs of abuse, information about children’s rights, and access to support and services available for children. It was necessary that teachers were sensitised before they were expected to impart this sensitive subject to students, the affidavit said.