12 LifePositive | FEBRUARY 2018^It wouldn’t be a hyperbole to say that today’s
youth and digital media are no less than
conjoined twins. Hence, what can be better than
an online platform to talk about youth-related
topics like sexual and reproductive health and
rights (SRHR)? Delhi-based human rights activist
Vithika Yadav certainly seemed to think so. And
that is how Love Matters, her labour of love and
a digital platform that disseminates information
regarding SRHR in a shy society like ours,
successfully entered its seventh year.
Vithika, who works for Radio Netherlands
Worldwide (RNW), came up with Love Matters
in the year 2011 as RNW Media was looking
to expand its SRHR portfolio. “That gave me an
opportunity to undertake needs assessment
in India on young people and their sexual and
reproductive health and rights. The findings
indicated that young people rely on pornography
and conversations with peers to get the crucial
SRHR information,” she says. According to
Vithika, millions of young Indians aged 18 to 30
have no access to SRHR information that is of
utmost significance to them for making informed
decisions about their sexual health and
well-being.
“There is no comprehensive sexual health
education in Indian schools. Schools and parents
fear it would give young people the message
that it is okay for them to have sex, and the topic
remains a taboo. Young people end up relying on
inaccurate sources such as friends, television,
or porn for information on sexuality. But they
need to be informed so as to make the right
choices,” she says.
According to Vithika, by harnessing the power
of technology, popular culture, and storytelling,Let’s talk
about sex
Love Matters seeks to bridge the gap between
young people, SRHR organisations, and the
experts in this field. In India, Love Matters is a
bilingual digital platform.“On a daily basis, we receive about 300
questions from young people on key and
intimate SRHR related issues in their
lives. Over two million people visit our
website every month, taking our overall
reach to over 24 million people a year,”she says. Love Matters is currently available in
five languages—English, Hindi, Arabic, Mandarin
and Spanish—across many countries.
As Vithika argues, the time has come to open
up conversations and do away with repressing
sexuality. After all, sexual rights are human
rights! http://www.lovematters.inFor Vithika Yadav, sexual rights are human rights