How to talk to children about gender, sexuality and consent
CauseAChatter The popular saying goes: It takes a village to raise a child. With evolving technology, we have the whole world in our palm that is both a boon and a curse. Millennial parents have unique challenges raising kids in an era where child sexual abuse is prevalent in 30% of children below 18 years of age (source 1). Child sexual abuse is defined as a coercive act performed on a child who is unable to comprehend it or provide consent and results in long-term psychological and physical trauma. Most of us are clueless about where to begin primarily because we never had this talk from our parents. Let us begin by enlightening ourselves with some basic facts. Are gender and sex the same? We were having tea in the living room with guests when my 9-year-old nephew walked in and asked aloud, “Amma, what is Sex?” My cousin blushed and excused herself from the room only to discover he was filling out a form for his library. Children ask very simple questions. It is we a...