In A Bid To End Body Shaming, Kerala Government To Create Awareness Among School Students

In recent years, several cases of suicide and attempt at self-killing have been reported due to body shaming. Taking note of the same, the Kerala government has taken a step forward to create awareness among school students against inappropriate or negative comments about one's body size or shape. The government will also consider making it part of the education curriculum.

The State General Education Minister, V Sivankutty, mentioned that body shaming is a heinous act, and many have lost their sanity as victims. He took to Facebook and shared some of his own experiences with body shaming.

Minister's Own Experiences

The idea to take such initiative came after Minister Sivankutty saw a comment on his Facebook post asking him to reduce his tummy. He said, "I had replied that body shaming is a heinous act. No matter what the explanation is, body shaming phrases are the worst. It is said as though in a loving manner."

The minister added, "This happens in our society on many levels. Many among us have lost our sanity, being victims of body shaming." He shared another experience of one of his friend's brothers, a school student.

Sivankutty's friend's brothers faced discrimination in the school by the students due to his skin colour. He complained to the teachers about the things happening to him, after which other students turned against him. The minister mentioned that the boy had to change schools and suffered trauma and depression.

The State General Education Minister said we should say no and end body shaming and appealed to be modern people. Presently, the government is finding ways to include lessons against body shaming in the education curriculum. The teachers in the state will also be taught how to deal with such situations in their training programmes.

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