• ‘Loku Lamainta Witharai’ author Dr. Nuwan Thotawaththa on the importance of comprehensive sex education

Children and young adults in Sri Lanka rarely learn about sex, reproductive health, sexuality, and related topics from their parents, and teachers take a more technical approach to these topics. While many in Sri Lanka consider the topics as inappropriate for children – thus resulting in ignorant children and even adults – comprehensive sex education is vital in the safety and protection of children.

Dr. Nuwan Thotawaththa is an individual who has not only recognised the need for sex education, but is also using his knowledge and skills to present information to children and young adults in an age-appropriate and interesting manner. While he has authored children’s books like My Body is Mine and Babala Enne Kohe Indanda? (Where do babies come from?), Dr. Thotawaththa, a medical professional, has also written on topics like Covid-19, body functions, and nature.

Among his latest work is Loku Lamainta Witharai (Strictly for teens), which is considered an essential handbook for the young adult as it provides information on a range of topics. In conversation with The Daily Morning, he went into detail about the importance of this book for both children and adults, as well as the role education and knowledge play in the protection of children.

Following are excerpts from the interview:

What is the importance of books like ‘Loku Lamainta Witharai’?

What children get from the education system is often limited, especially when it comes to additional subjects. Globally, children’s literature has developed a method of presenting formal, scientific knowledge to children through stories and fiction. While this is quite developed globally, it is not so in Sri Lanka. My efforts are to give children this knowledge.

Whether it is a problem, danger, or illness, prevention is based on knowledge. This must be highlighted: safety is based on knowledge. We can’t offer protection or expect development if we hide knowledge or facts.

A child’s knowledge of abuse plays a role in that child being subjected to abuse. A child’s knowledge of food can decide if the child is diabetic when they are in their 20s. The occurrence of a teen pregnancy depends on a child’s knowledge of reproductive health.

There are limitations in the interest of parents and teachers in giving children this knowledge. There are also limitations in the knowledge adults themselves possess. We have to fill this gap through people who have studied these specific subjects and also have the ability to write, whether they are doctors, engineers, or lawyers. If such professionals present material that gives children this knowledge, they will be protected, and it is their safety and protection that will determine how they fare in life. It is this knowledge that books like Loku Lamainta Witharai share.

Sex education isn’t something children receive properly in school, so how can a book like this be taken to the children? Have schools shown interest in including this book in their libraries?

More than schools, it is us who deal with any issues children face regarding reproductive health. When we talk to children who have undergone various problems, what we mainly see is that they were subjected to these due to a lack of knowledge. There is no basic knowledge and we don’t have a proper mechanism to provide this knowledge through schools.

Teachers and parents share similar views, and the shortage of knowledge is clear. We see how many children could have been protected if only they possessed certain knowledge. These missing pieces have been put together and presented in this book.

Parents and teachers tell me it is a good book to give children, and we are looking at getting approval for Loku Lamainta Witharai as a school library or additional reading book.

Given your work as a medical professional, what are the main myths or misinformation on reproductive health that you see in society?

If you take a topic like reproductive health, more than misinformation, there is a complete lack of information and knowledge. At a very basic level, a child who attains age doesn’t know what it means to reach puberty and what changes are happening within their bodies. There are many myths as well, taught by parents and grandparents. As an example, children are told it’s not good to bathe or eat meat while menstruating, but there is no truth to this.

While this book sheds light on certain myths, it is where there is some knowledge that there are myths. However, the bigger concern is the lack of knowledge.

In Sri Lanka, the age of consent is 16. This is because it is believed that at the age of 16, a child has received the knowledge needed to make an informed decision about sex. This age boundary cannot be valid if they do not possess the necessary knowledge, but the other party can get away in a legal context as long as the minimum age requirement is met. At the age of six or eight, a child doesn’t know about abuse, and instead thinks it is normal and that the abuse they are subjected to is how children are shown love.

The lack of knowledge is thus a bigger issue than misinformation.

Do you see a need for this knowledge to be shared not just among children but adults as well?

I believe Loku Lamainta Witharai contains all basic scientific knowledge an individual should possess. It also includes certain components from a social sciences point of view on topics related to reproductive health. For instance, a child’s behaviour online can be relevant to their reproductive health. How they respond to messages they receive, what kind of posts they publish, and how they behave online can be useful in preventing a teenage pregnancy.

When talking with parents, I see different reactions. One group is of the thinking that we shouldn’t teach children about reproductive health, as it will spoil or corrupt them and make them want to partake in sexual activities. However, more than that, I meet parents who believe that their children should possess this knowledge, but that they themselves can’t talk to their children about these topics.

There are two factors here: One is positive as the parents have understood that knowledge about reproductive health is something that children should be taught, even if it isn’t by them. However, the issue is parents saying they can’t talk about it with their children. That gap is something we need to fill, because parents – who are closest to the child – should be able to talk to their children about these topics. A daughter should be able to talk to her mother, for instance, but this isn’t allowed within our cultural framework, and so we need to nurture this anew.

Many parents who talk to me – and I met a lot at the Colombo International Book Fair – see sex education as a necessity and that it should be presented to children in a way that is easy to understand.

We should give children age-appropriate information at the right age and not later. It must also be presented in attractive language. Children don’t like to read facts or instructions. A child is likely to reject information if they feel like they are getting instructions. This is why Loku Lamainta Witharai is presented as a young adult novel.

What do we need to keep in mind when presenting such information to children?

When writing a book on reproductive health for a 12-year-old child in another country, that book can contain only the information that needs to be given to that specific age group as they have already received the appropriate information until the age of 11. In Sri Lanka, when writing for a 12-year-old or a 14-year-old, we need to write for a child who still believes, for instance, that babies are brought by gods or fairies.

We need to start with the most basic knowledge – like talking about dogs having a litter or birds laying eggs – before we can move on to topics like pregnancy, birth control, menstruation, sexual orientation, transgender persons, or online behaviour. This was the biggest challenge when writing Loku Lamainta Witharai and it is why the book has quite a lot of content.

Material on reproductive health that is available online isn’t written specifically for the Sri Lankan child. How important is it that children now have access to material written by a Sri Lankan?

The main barrier to bringing down material published abroad is that overseas, children are often taught topics when age-appropriate. Thus, a 15-year-old child living overseas is different to a 15-year-old in Sri Lanka, and the Sri Lankan child may not be at the level targeted by overseas material for their age. As someone who works with children a lot, I wrote Loku Lamainta Witharai for children of this country, taking into account the level they are at.

Secondly is the cultural exchange. The attitude towards reproductive health, by children or parents, differs from culture to culture, so while sharing scientific knowledge, it must be written in a way that is suitable for the reader’s culture, taking into consideration religious and cultural backgrounds. This book is custom made for the Sri Lankan child, and it is easy for children to draw knowledge from a book like this in comparison to a foreign publication or its translation.

Do you plan on translating the book to Tamil and English?

We need to translate Loku Lamainta Witharai. My Body is Mine, which is on child abuse, was published in all three languages because it’s a skill or tool that is provided to kids. Knowledge and skill cannot be limited to one ethnicity. That’s not ethical, so we do need to have a way of sharing this knowledge with all children, especially those who speak Tamil. But there are several practical issues in doing this.

Firstly, there is the cost of books and resources, so a publisher will always look at how well the book will sell, leading to questions on how it can be taken to Tamil-speaking communities.

Secondly, if we do a Tamil translation, as the author, I have to depend entirely on the translator because I can’t understand the content. Given the sensitive topic, we will need a large team working on it and ensuring that the content stays the same.

As an example, I use the sentence: “This information is important to you because some of the girls here may become mothers in future.” This sentence written simply would be: “This information is important because girls will become mothers someday.” This raises a question: Do girls necessarily have to become mothers someday? This can be an issue to some. A girl child isn’t brought up solely to be a mother. They are brought up to be a good citizen. And if they want to, they have the right to be a mother. In such an instance, the translations need to be accurate.

This is rather challenging, and is the biggest issue with a Tamil translation. But I firmly believe that this knowledge should go to children in the plantation sector in particular, as well as all other Tamil-speaking children. However, someone needs to extend this support and take the responsibility as it isn’t sufficient to merely hire a translator.

To whom is this book essential?

The book contains information a child should know when they reach puberty, and it should thus reach all children of this development level. In order to reach these children, the book should be in libraries, school libraries, and even purchased privately. If a class has just one copy but all the children can access it, then I am achieving what I want. My main objective is that more children read it as opposed to the number of copies sold.

In addition to children, I believe this book is useful to women in the trade/industrial and garment sectors, and it would be good if we have a mechanism to take this book to these groups. These sectors face massive issues in Sri Lanka due to a lack of knowledge about reproductive health. And when the workers face such issues, there is an impact on the manufacturing process.

The third community is parents, as it is parents who talk to the children about these topics. This book is thus important for anyone over the age of 10.

Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?

A special thank you must be extended to my publisher, Samayawardhana who joined me in taking a risk with this book within our cultural framework. I couldn’t have released this book without them. Considering current costs and the difficulties parents face when spending on books, the publisher and I were able to price the book reasonably.

However, once published and released to the market, my work is done, as the knowledge I want to share is contained in the book. Whether this knowledge reaches children and whether it helps in their protection is at the hands of society, media, and parents as it is they who decide if the child reads this book.

Parents and teachers must recognise the importance of such a book for children and make it accessible to them. Politicians should know to open the right doors so children can access it, for instance by approving it as an additional reading or library book. Readers should share the positives about it with others and point out any mistakes so they can be corrected. Thus – unlike a novel, short story, or poem – society plays a huge role in this book.