India (Commonwealth Union)_V. Sivankutty, the state’s general education minister, announced that the government of Kerala will raise awareness against body shaming among school students and will explore ways to include it into the current education curriculum. According to the minister, body shaming is a horrible act and that many victims have lost their sanity as a result.
Sivankutty took to Facebook and shared a statement that someone had remarked on his photo requesting him to reduce his stomach. In response to the post, Sivankutty said: “I had replied saying that body shaming is a heinous act. No matter what the explanation is, body shaming comments are the worst. It is said as though in a loving manner. This happens in our society at all levels. There are many of us who have lost our sanity, being victims of body shaming.”
Regarding body shaming, he shared one of his encounters. He stated that one of his friend’s brothers, who is a school student, faced racial prejudice at school. Later, the child made a complaint to the teachers, prompting the other pupils to turn against him. According to the minister, following such incidents, the child was emotionally broken and he had to switch schools and endured significant trauma. The minister stressed: “I repeat, we must put an end to body shaming. Let us be modern people.”
Sivankutty stated that he is considering ways to add these awareness concepts into the current education curriculum and make children more confident in handling such biases. He also added that teachers will also be trained on how to handle these circumstances during their teacher training programs. In his Facebook post, the minister stated that he will personally speak to the victim of body shaming and ask his family to support him emotionally as well as motivate him to be more confident. According to the minister, it is not one’s race or riches that matters, but rather morals such as mercy and good spirit.
