Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi on Tuesday stressed on the importance of communication between parents and children about “intimate” health issues.
In a statement, he said, “Only 29 percent girls and 41 percent boys have access to correct information about puberty and hygiene in Pakistan. Furthermore, most Pakistani parents are uneasy discussing sensitive but vital health issues with their children. This communication gap makes children vulnerable to exploitation, abuse and life threatening diseases.”
“It has become more important with the passage of time that families should guide their children in a friendly manner about the matters and problems related to adulthood,” Ahsrafi said.
The Journal of Pakistan Medical Association (JMPA) published findings of a survey titled Understanding of Puberty and Related Health Problems Among Female Adolescents in Karachi, Pakistan. Data was collected from 150 females between the ages of 10 and 19. The survey revealed that majority of participants had limited knowledge about puberty and sexual health. At least 72 percent of the participants believed that they should be given proper information about puberty and changes of adolescence so they could deal with them better.
“Instead of opting for sanity, people guide the children in a wrong direction, which could lead to many other serious problems,” Hafiz Ashrafi added.
Absence of right information from right quarters on puberty and related issues misleads the adolescents and exposes them to wrong, illegitimate, immoral, exploiting and abusive sources of information and misconduct, he said.
Experts advise that boys and girls of reproductive age should be taught about HIV/AIDS as well as other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI’s) with focus on high risk behaviors as well as available preventive and precautionary measures to safeguard against the pandemic, the statement said.
“Here comes the major responsibility of parents that while following certain limitations, a father shall guide his son and mother shall guide her daughter about these issues in such a manner that the child doesn’t feel a need to ask anyone else about it,” Hafiz Ashrafi added.
The Quran and Sunnah discuss human life at length, he said. Society should be open in educating adolescent boys and girls about puberty in the light of religious teachings which provide essential guidance on matters related to puberty to the youngsters as well as their parents.
“This is our Islamic, moral and legal duty to bring up our kids in a manner that could lead them to a bright future,” Hafiz Ashrafi said.