It was while working with a non-government organisation that dealt with children in conflict with the law that Muhammed Shahid felt he had to do something to raise awareness of the state of the juveniles he met at correction homes and institutions across the city.
After interviewing about 150 juveniles, 138 of them, he says, admitted that they had been a victim of sexual abuse and harassment by officials and other inmates.
Combining his love for cycling and the cause, the 20-year-old BA (Honours) Geography student at Jamia Millia Islamia University is embarking on a solo journey from Kanyakumari to Srinagar to raise awareness about child sexual abuse.
The Kozhikode resident plans to cover 100 km a day in a journey that will take him through towns and cities in Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and finally Jammu & Kashmir.
At every halt, he plans to distribute pamphlets, visit schools, and perform street plays to convince children not to keep quiet if they are being abused. He even plans to educate those who do not know or realise that they are being abused and harassed.
The journey begins in Kanyakumari on June 3 and will take the cyclist with a cause approximately 43 days to complete it.
The tedious journey that Shahid is attempting to complete requires high levels of fitness, especially with the hot sun beating down on him. However, Shahid says he has been practising for a while as he cycles from Jamia to Jawaharlal Nehru University every day. In fact, he has even peddled his way to Ambala a couple of times over weekends.
Travelling solo with only a backpack, Shahid is upbeat about his upcoming journey and hopes that his endeavour will make a difference in some way to the lives of children silently enduring abuse and give them a voice to speak up.
The journey will begin on June 3
from Kanyakumari and end in Srinagar in about 43 days
