Campaign against Child Sexual Abuse

One of the strengths of the programme was in its collaborative approach that involved the District Administration along with the Education Department. In addition, the choice of topics along with the manner in which they were delivered (The distribution of publicity material, discussion both among the students and speakers) to craft a safe and sensitive environment, that would enable the students to express their thoughts and opinions on selected issues.

Outcome, Benefits & Impact

Aside from sensitizing a total of 44,539 students (both girls and boys), the biggest impact of the programme was that it provided a platform to the young students to not only raise their voice against child sexual abuse, but also share their personal stories of being the victims. This also included a lot of male victims that surprised the teachers present at the programme.

Challenges and Future Prospects

The organization of this programme led to the realization that there was an urgent need to educate girls and boys on these kinds of issues, which are not discussed in the public domain due to their sensitive nature. The mindsets of the parents, teachers and students involved would have an important bearing on the way in which these topics are perceived and discussed. For this reason, the biggest challenge lies in changing the society’s perception of these issues. One way of achieving this could be the organizing similar awareness programmes for parents of students. At the same time, to expand the reach of this activity, the District Administration has planned to organise them in the private schools in the future as well.

Source: Innovations under Beti Bachao Beti Padhao