Shillong (Meghalaya ), Sep 4 : Reckitt, the global leader in consumer-healthcare led The Birds and Bees Talk programme, celebrated World Sexual Health Day in the six states of North-East India – Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur and Mizoram.
The initiative, supported by Reckitt and Plan India, organized a webinar to increase outreach amongst community, students and teachers through experts, influencers and other talent to raise awareness around sexual well-being.
The webinar was in tandem with this year’s theme “Turn It On: Sexual Health in a Digital World” to ignite awareness of sexual health and sexual rights and enforce them, as there are also many violations and abuses of sexual rights in the digital space.
The webinar was chaired by esteemed guest speakers: Elcy Sharma Shamurailatpam, a Biology Lecturer at Inspire Science Academy who has a massive following among the youth of Manipur. She has championed the need for sex education and scientific knowledge about one’s own body, especially in the area of women’s health. Dr. Nounenuo Terhase, is a renowned gynecologist & obstetrician in Imphal’s Central Agriculture University. She has been serving to offer end-to-end gynecological treatments to women. Ms. Imlibenla Mongro, a clinical psychologist from Nagaland who recently won the Young Achievers Award at National Health Conclave (NHC). She holds a double master degree in clinical psychology and her area of interest lies in research and statistics, Neuropsychology, cognitive rehabilitation and psychotherapy.
The webinar also included performances from: Rahul Rajkhowa, an actor, activist, singer and songwriter based out of Assam. He has featured in Rolling Stones Magazine &Vh1. He is also a rapper, renowned for writing songs that address various social issues, he has covered various intriguing genres such as Reggae, Funk, Hip-Hop, Neo-Soul and Pop. The webinar was also joined by The Whoop, a known music band that produced whooping music to entertain the participants.
Ravi Bhatnagar, Director External Affairs and Partnerships SOA, Reckitt said, “The use of a smartphones in people’s lives has not only increased the penetration of technology in daily life, but also help bridging opportunity gaps to educate themselves. The trend towards the integration of new technologies AI and Chat Botts, has increased, being adopted by the youngest part of the population. Therefore, Safe and Child Friendly digital pace has become not only a reference point for the search of information, but also for the emission of messages, with certainty of expansion. Through this webinar, we aim to address the gaps between the correct usage of the internet and myths breaking around sexual health.”
Mohammed Asif, Executive Director, Plan India stated, “Plan India has been working for more than two decades to emphasise the importance of sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing of the children, adolescent and young women and men as they form the tomorrow of this country. On World Sexual Health Day, we aim to inform adolescents and community members with knowledge on how the information sourced from the digital space can influence the ways of receiving and transmitting information and of creating relationships between people in the social and personal circles. We believe that adolescents and young people must be enabled, equipped and empowered to participate in their own development and therefore raising their awareness on hepatitis related illnesses is an important public health intervention.”
