Body Literacy Project

This is a sex education programme for schools. The school prgramme, is part of a larger project called the Body Literacy Project where children, teachers and parents explore

* what we are, how we came to be,
* how our bodies function
* all that is essential to lead a healthy life, physically, emotionally and socially.

It rests on the premise that an understanding of body and mind should be approached both biologically and socially. An understanding that our bodies share more similarities than differences would promote a greater sense of equality and a rational way of thinking. Media images and stereotypes put on young children strong pressures. Differences are socially constructed. So are the images related to the body.

Ignorance is seen with the internal as well as reproductive and sexual parts of the body. These may result in great sense of confusion in all, and especially among children in puberty ages, or for those wishing to prevent/or those who may wish for pregnancy, or even in women in menopausal ages. 'Body Literacy’ here attempts to fill the gap in knowledge and practice by encouraging a ‘friendship’ with and an understanding of one’s own body. Within our curriculum we bring the discussion of diverse sexual expression including homosexuality. While sexuality and everything that influences healthy sexuality, such as gender and power is at the core of our school programme, we also deal with body in its totality.

Child Harassment and Abuse are also complex areas. How do we equip children to say 'no'? How do we teach girls that when they say 'yes' it should be on their own terms - not to please someone else? We work towards de-linking in boys the image that aggression and violence, or vigour and power mean real men. Through our school outreach programmes, through movies, cartoons and discussions children are made aware of the difference between good touch and bad touch. We also have sessions with parents and teachers on child sexual abuse.

The very term ' Body Literacy' makes the sessions more acceptable to parents, teachers and children. And this is important, as the gender sessions simultaneously work as rapport building sessions. "This is dirty", and "we do not want to talk about this" are some of the children's reactions and we build up our discussions from these.

Fertility and Sexuality Awareness

Sexuality and Fertility Awareness (FA) education as part of ‘body literacy’ is a core area of Tathapi's work, involving not only bodily experience of the 'reproductive system' but also the socio-cultural and political experience of women's health.

Others tend to view FA as a natural birth control method but we see it more basically, as a woman's skilled ability 'to read' subtle feelings and body signs during her menstrual cycle. These signs tell of the natural states of fertility and infertility - that is, when she can conceive and when not. They also help her tell what is 'normal' in her own body from what is not. They tell her if she has ovulated or not, let her predict her next menstrual period, and inform her very early if she is pregnant.

FA gives girls and women a chance to reclaim power over their reproductivity and sexuality, and over many myths and misconceptions that restrict them. It helps understand the subtleties of sexuality and negotiate relationships with others, including men. It gives space for men to take responsibility for reproduction and demands equal relations between women and men.

This self-help approach for women draws from indigenous healing systems, from modern scientific discoveries, and from the women’s liberation movement.

The need for sexuality and fertility awareness education in terms of ‘body literacy’ in our Indian context:

In most of India even today, acquiring FA has sensitive and crucial social implications...

* The fact that a woman produces an 'egg' is traditionally unknown. The cultural image is of a man planting his ‘seed’ (beeja) in a woman's body as if she is the earth, or rather his field (kshetra). So even discovering that they have ‘half of the seed’ is empowering for women, and FA is much more.
* Restriction of girls' knowledge and mobility is to keep them 'innocent' and 'protected'. Parents opt to curtail their daughters’ education and marry them off early, but this lays them open to unprotected sexual encounters and abuses, even in the home. Girls and women need to know and be free.
* FA allows the skillful practice of contraception, helping to decide what to do and when. It is not a contraceptive device to 'use' by itself, but involves feeling, thinking, deciding and acting on the options. Birth control methods may be compatible or incompatible with our body and our fertility.

Child Born & Literacy

At the national level, the mean number of children ever born per woman (in agegroup 45-49 years)- which implies the level of ‘period fertility’- is 3.8 in 2001 against 4.3 in 1991, showing a decline of 10 percent during the decade 1991- 2001. The mean number of children for illiterates and literates in 2001 being 4.2 and 3.3 respectively against 4.4 and 3.8 respectively in 1991 shows a decline of 4.9 and 14.6 respectively for illiterates and literates during the decade 1991-2001.

It is observed that the level of education and the fertility rates are inversely related. The negative correlation between these two is stronger when the fertility is high and as the fertility comes down and reaches a certain minimum level, the intensity of correlation becomes weaker. The data reveals that at the lowest level of education (below middle level), the decline in the mean number of children is 13.7 percent (4.3 to 3.7), whereas among graduates and above, it is 7.0 percent (2.3 to 2.1).

The TFR, which represents the current fertility rate, is 2.52 for all women in 2001, whereas it is 3.09 for illiterates and 2.02 for literates. TFR is going down with the increase in the level of education starting from a high of 2.37 among ‘literates but below middle’ and reaching a low of 1.35 among ‘graduates and above’.

The data suggests that the education is undoubtedly one of the most potent instruments to bring down the total fertility rates, especially, in areas where the fertility rates are higher and the female literacy rates are lower. The data suggest that if the females acquire education upto matric or secondary level, the desired level of fertility rate (replacement level) of 2.1 or even less than that may not be difficult to achieve.