Terming teenage romance “something that must be discouraged to ensure women safety,” the Education Department has endorsed a recommendation of the Palakkad district administration to launch an awareness drive for girl students in high schools about love’s pitfalls. The project is proposed to be launched next academic year. Trained counsellors would be deputed to make girls aware of “immature love relationships” and “dangers lurking behind them.” It is in response to a proposal from District Collector P. Marykutty that the department has directed Palakkad District Educational Officer to initiate the campaign, the first of its kind in the State. The project also involves creation and circulation of short films detailing the dangers of teenage romance. It will give advice on how to resist sexual advances of strangers. Apart from girl students, their parents and teachers would be sensitised to ‘love traps.’
The District Collector said the proposal was submitted to the Education Department in view of increasing instances of wooing of teenage girls by antisocial elements. She said it would be an awareness drive based on scientific approach. No fixed time schedule had been given for the launch of the initiative.
Meanwhile, the move became a subject of debate with many terming it discriminatory and targeting girl students. “It is a visible intrusion of government agencies into women rights. If they are really serious about gender sensitivity, there must be initiatives to sensitise both girls and boys to the need to respect the rights of others,” said rights activist Preetha G.P.
“I welcome an open discussion on such topics, but both boys and girls should be involved. The content of the initiative is another question. It must be resisted if it creates another bunch of restrictions in place of open discussions,” said writer and activist J. Devika.
