Sex Education to be an Integral Part of School Curriculum, Importance of Child Abuse, Consent and POCSO Act

The Centre will introduce Sex Education in Schools and Colleges across the country, as media reports and implement recommendations of an expert committee once it receives approval from the Supreme Court. 

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati stated that the Central government has accepted the committee's report and is prepared to introduce the curriculum nationwide after receiving approval from the apex court. 

The decision was made during the hearing of a suo motu case examining the ways to address the growing number of cases where consensual relationships between adolescents end up being prosecuted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. 

Consent and Sexual Abuse to be Included in Curriculum

A 26-member national expert committee headed by the Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Women and Child Development was constituted to examine the issues related to adolescents' right to privacy, consensual relationships, particularly in the context of the POCSO Act. 

The recommendations of the committee include introducing sex education as part of the core curriculum in schools and colleges. The curriculum will include modules on Child Sexual Abuse, Awareness, Protection, Consent and Age-appropriate Sexual Health Education. The modules will equip children and adolescents with accurate information and help them identify abuse.

The report was prepared by the expert committee as per an earlier direction from the court asking the Centre to explore measures to prevent increasing instances of minor pregnancies and consensual adolescent relationships being automatically criminalised under the POCSO Act. 

The SC raised the query as part of the discussion on whether the POCSO Act is being applied in cases involving consensual relationships between teenagers. Justice B V Nagarathna has repeatedly raised concerns on the issue in earlier hearings, where adolescence, particularly between the ages of 15 and 18, is often a period of emotional and social experimentation. The court questioned whether every such case should automatically be treated as an offence under the POCSO Act. 

The bench also noted that parents resort to criminal proceedings after teenage couples elope, using the law in situations that may not involve sexual exploitation. Justice Nagarathna urged law enforcement agencies to keep the reality of society in mind during a hearing in August 2025 and avoid invoking the POCSO Act mechanically in cases of genuine adolescent romance. She added that police should exercise discretion and assess each case on its own instead of treating all consensual teenage relationships as criminal offences.