Hope for abused kids

A new campaign by an NGO aims to counter the menace and also educate children about safe and unsafe sex

Hope for abused kids

A new campaign by an NGO aims to counter the menace and also educate children about safe and unsafe sex

"Don't keep mum, speak to your mom", is the tagline of a new campaign called Chuppi Todo. The programme which fights against child sexual abuse, also aims to educate children about safe and unsafe sex.u00a0 A study on Child Abuse in India was conducted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development in 2007 revealed that 53.22% children reported having faced one or more forms of sexual abuse and 21.90% child respondents reported facing severe forms of sexual abuse. Taking a pitch from the study, this campaign has been initiated by Plan India, a nationally registered child centred community development organisation.

Representative pic

"While there is widespread acknowledgement that child sexual abuse is rampant, we choose to sweep it under the carpet instead of talking about it. In order to generate awareness on the issue and how to eliminate it from our society, we have initiated a campaign against child sexual Abuse; "Chuppi Todo". Our aim is to create awareness amongst children, parents, duty bearers and wider masses on the issue and promoting a protective environment for children," said Sanjay K Singh, Campaign Coordinator, Chuppi Todo.

The campaign is in the form of a movie which will be showcased in two parts. The movie will cater to the children of age groups of 9 to 18 years.u00a0u00a0"In the first movie, a mother explains with the help of a doll about the safe and unsafe sex. The first movie is basically for the children below till nine years. The second movie is slightly more on survivors. In the movie, a girl was raped by the servant at the age of nine and she did not discuss about it with any other-. So, we are urging them to speak up and be more confident about these issues," added Singh.

Silence isn't sound
The figures disclosed by Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) are too shocking.
"This is the biggest study done ever the result was quite shocking as every second child in the country is sexually abused. In the study, we found that more than 53% children report facing one or more forms of sexual abuse," said Amod Kanth, Chairman, DCPCR and team leader the first ever national study on Child Abuse in 2007 by Ministry of Women and Child Development. "It could be a neighbour, it could be a school teacher. So don't keep suspecting everyone. Keep watching your child. The least you can do is to look at the behavioural changes; you should have the courage to protect your child," said Shantha Sinha, Chairperson, NCPCR.