I am a big fan of Htar Htar and the Akhaya movement.

But let's think out of the box, past the traditional boundaries of 'sex education' and move into the realm of sexuality information and sexuality knowledge. If families don't talk about sex, schools don't talk about sex, and women don't talk about sex with one another, will women have to wait a generation or two for Akhaya to reach half the adult population?

If digital device coverage and saturation is expanding as quickly as some would have us believe, why is there as yet no way for women young and old to get sexuality information and sexuality knowledge in the Burmese language from their phones?  Why is no one creating Burmese language sexuality websites or camouflaged sexuality apps? Is there a market failure? Is sex considered so dirty that no one wants to 'touch it'? Is there no money in it?

C'mon, there is an opportunity here. Someone take up the cause.

Jamie

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‘Sex’ seems to be the hardest word for Myanmar’s women
Chit Su
Myanmar Times
Friday, 26 June 2015

With its scantily clad women and racy bedroom tips, Myanmar’s first sex-education magazine, Hyno, didn’t last very long after it was banned in 2013 shortly after the release of its first issue. But in a country where talking about sex remains a cultural taboo, where do women go for sex education?

Daw Htar Htar, director of the Akhaya Women’s Association, says a lack of sex education for women is one of the main reasons for gender inequality in Myanmar.

“We found through our sex-education forums that the root cause of gender inequality in Myanmar is that there’s no sex education,” she said.

“Myanmar women get sex education from nowhere. They don’t get it at school, or from family because of Myanmar culture. Men get sex education from each other, as they tend to discuss the topic with friends and elders – whether the information they are given is true or not. So every women in Myanmar is in need of sex education,” she said.

Daw Htar Htar started Akhaya in 2008 and started delivering weekly sex-education training sessions for women.

Before 2008, she worked for the Burnet Institute, an NGO offering HIV protection and treatment, where she advised about protection and gave training about safe sex. She believes it is Myanmar’s patriarchal culture that keeps women from speaking openly about their sexual lives.

“The traditional view in Myanmar is that women’s genitals are dirty, which leads to degrading views about women in general. When society degrades women, no one respects them. I think sex education is important in teaching women to value themselves,” she said.

Ei Pwint, 26, who works for an NGO, says she thinks sex education in schools needs to be improved. “When I was 13, I got some knowledge at school about sex education, such as using condoms, but it was very little,” she said.

“I think we need more sex education according to our age. We have to know about our body because our body and hormones are always changing,” she added.

In Myanmar, sex remains a taboo subject, and efforts to improve sex education are often met with concerns about protecting traditional religious or cultural values.

“It is seen as rude and shameful for girls to talk about and ask about sex, but it is not the same for boys,” said a 31-year-old woman who asked not to be named. “Teachers don’t talk about sex at school and most parents don’t explain or mention it at home. I first learned about sex from my childhood friend who went abroad and came back when we were 15. Before that I had no idea what sex was – I thought you could get pregnant from sleeping together side by side and kissing someone on the cheek,” she added.

“When we were young we dared not eat a banana in public because people would mock us, especially men. But I didn’t understand what they meant at that time – I only understood what oral sex was when I was 26 and I learned about it on the internet,” she said.

“When we ask participants in the training to draw naked bodies they always get embarrassed and start giggling nervously,” said Daw Htar Htar, “but by the end of the training, they are not embarrassed.”

“The women who attend our sex-education forums leave feeling more confident about themselves. They know what sexual harassment is and they know they can report it, and they understand how women get pregnant, so they can play an active role in protecting themselves,” she said.

The organisation has provided sex education to almost 2000 women through since 2011. The weekly training sessions are attended by women of a diverse range of ages and religions.

“We believe it has been a success,” Daw Htar Htar said. “When women are more confident and have more knowledge about sex, they in turn can start sharing the information so we can educate even more women.”

http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/lifestyle/15240-sex-seems-to-be-the-hardest-word-for-myanmar-s-women.html