A well thought-out move against child sexual abuse
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In an initiative that will go down well with the parents and children alike, some pre-schools in Mumbai have launched an awareness campaign to educate parents and children on how to detect and deal with child sexual abuse.
I am sure, at a time when child abuse is alarming on the rise, especially in the metropolitan cities like Mumbai and Delhi, the initiative will prove to be a well thought out measure.
Launched as part of a national campaign ‘Chuppi Todo’, the initiative was kicked off by the alumni of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (Tiss) in Mumbai and Delhi . Now, pre-schools in Mumbai are holding seminars, film screenings, activities, panel discussions and counselling sessions with child psychologists to guide parents on the early detection of sexual abuse in their children.
It is sure that since child abuse can happen at any age, it is never too early to start learning about it. In fact, studies have revealed that the maximum number of child sexual abuse instances occur among children from two-and-a-half to six years of age and after puberty. Since communication is the first step in dealing with sexual abuse, schools are also conducting sessions on the use of aids like flash cards, which can be used by parents and teachers in communicating the issue to the children.
Experts say that some signs of abuse are withdrawal symptoms like shyness, or unwillingness to go somewhere, children mimicking adult-like sexual behaviour, wetting or soiling accidents unrelated to toilet training, new words for private body parts, resistance to the removal of clothes for appropriate times like bath, bed, or toilet.
The campaign is based on a qualitative study carried out in Mongolpuri, Delhi.
