When Vidya Balan portrayed a survivor of child sexual abuse in Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh (2016), the team of Arpan, India’s largest NGO fighting the issue, roped her in as the goodwill ambassador. Over the years, the actor has used her voice to shed light on the issue. This year, to mark Child Safety Week between November 14 and 20, Balan and the NGO teamed up for a powerful campaign that is aimed directly at offenders. In the 57-second video, the actor emphasises that child sexual abuse is a punishable offense and can lead offenders to serve a prison sentence from three years to a lifetime.

Pooja Taparia