while the discussion on why and how to impart sex education in Indiais going on, Kerala’s Rehana Fatima’s experiment lead her to a court litigation. She is apprehending arrest for crimes under POSCO and IT acts. She asked her children to paint her half-naked body with some pictures. A case was filed on her in June for uploading that video in to social media. “The petitioner, while being semi-nude, has allowed her body to be used a canvas for her children to paint on and there can probably be nobody, except a pervert, who would be aroused to sexual desire by seeing the nature of the work,” argues advocate Renjith Marar who filed petition against her. A case was filed under POSCO act.
The high court did not agree with Fatima’s argument that her intention was to teach sex education to her children, with that purpose to paint her half-naked body. The high court did’t heed the logic of imparting sex education to her children in that manner. But her contention is that female nudity can not be considered as obscenity and mother allowing here children to paint her body can noway be taken as child abuse. Of course during the court arguments some reference case like Bobby Art International v. Om Pal famously known as the Bandit queen case were refered.
Leaving all the legal entanglements to the litigants and Court, We shall concentrate on the method of introducing sex education to our children. Already cyber revolution made available a lot of nude pictures, videos where and when needed. Psychologists also opined that there is no relationship between sexual crimes and nude viewing. Children of this generation are more enthusiastic, active than the present old generation. We cannot treat them with the same yardstick we are using for determining what is moral and immoral.
Its for kids not unusual to touch their genetial parts and feeling pleasure. If they don’t have the knowledge of sexual biology, impact of hormones on the body -they cannot understand the feelings touching their mind. Then only they can understand the reason why such a such felling coming to their mind. Otherwise, they cannot understand the reasons for fantasies- sexual or otherwise. Fatima Rehana as a social activist may have started an experiment with an intention to impart some understanding of female sexuality to her children. She may have the intention of revealing her experiment to the public-just to raise a discussion. It may be a loud thinking of her on the imparting of sex education to kids.
The Supreme Court also dismissed Rehana Fatima’s plea seeking anticipatory bail in cases against her. The Supreme bench comprising of Justice Arun Mishra, Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice Krishna Murari said’ this kind of thing was unthinkable and would leave the society in a bad taste.’ Shankaranarayanan counsel for Fatima Rehana argued that, if a man stands half nude there is nothing obscene but if a woman does so, then there are troubles. He said the court as search and seizure has been done in the case and the statement has been recorded, then what is the need for custodial interrogation in the case. He also brought to the notice of the court that children are clothed, even then how can the sections of the pornography be added.
Of course expect some progressive judges -legal system judge such new experiments only through legal lenses. That is laws that prevailed today. We have changed so many laws and so many obsolate colonial laws hanging on our head even today.The Supreme Courtalso dismissed Rehana Fathima’s plea seeking anticipatory bail in cases against her. The Supreme bench comprising of Arun Mishra, B.R. Gavai and Krishna Murari said’ this kind of thing is unthinkable and would leave the society in a bad taste.’ Shankaranarayanan counsel for Fathiba Rehana argued that , if a man stands half nude there is nothing obscene but if a woman does so, then there are troubles. He said the court as search and seizure has been done in the case and the statement has been recorded, then what is the need for custodial interogation in the case. He also brought to the notice of the court that children are clothed , even then how can the sections of the pornography be added.
Fatiba Rehana’s experiment raised some more questions to govt,. NGO’s , policy makers who are seriously indulged in the making of sex education syllabus. Now Policy makers, NGO’s, Educators should think of, need for laboratories, or such things as Biological modelling invented by Fatima Rehana. Then ultimate moral questions arises – Is such Biological modelling violates our laws, culture and moral values.
