A Test Of Virtue?

In a bid to “protect children from prostitution and free sex” the Indonesian education chief Muhammad Rasyid, a few weeks ago, proposed a mandatory virginity test for girls looking to graduate from school.

A public outcry later, although the move was scrapped, the discussion over virginity, virtue and education took the centre-stage all over the world.Young Hans quizzed the youth of Hyderabad and here is what they have to say.

This is a violation of human rights. According to the authorities (municipal government), the test was supposed to be compulsory and girls could have been denied their rightful diplomas on the basis of a virginity test. They consider it a suitable measure to keep girls from having sex outside wedlock. This has not only been proposed for school students but the virginity test is already a criterion for recruitment of female police and army personnel.

It is absolutely heinous and a ridiculous proposal. There should be no correlation between virginity and graduation. Even so, there is no reason why the virginity test should be conducted only for women and not for men. Are women simply possessions of men even in the twenty first century? The traditional virginity test proves nothing.

A 'virginity test' is an inspection of female's hymen based on the assumption that it can be torn only by sexual intercourse. But it has already been proven that the hymen can get damaged by physical activities like cycling, horse riding, athletics, etc. Women are subjected to molestation and mental harassment on the basis of this assumption.

What is worse ishow the test is carried out. One can clearly see how insensitive the tests are. Why do the authorities or practitioners fail to understand this? Also, why does anyone have to be a virgin to be able to get a diploma or qualify for a job? It is a sexist practice as it allows men to have sexual intercourse outside of marriage with no questions asked but makes a woman's sexual life public.