MADURAI
A total of 10,000 blank inland letters addressed to the Collector have been issued and distributed to students from Classes 9, 10, 11 and 12 in Madurai to provide a safe and anonymous pathway to reporting abuse.
The initiative headed by Collector T.G. Vinay was implemented to give students as many pathways to discussing abuse and violence taking place in their homes or their neighbourhood.
Mr. Vinay said that a number of young students, particularly girls, are hesitant about reaching out to the police in case of child marriage or abuse, because of the stigma attached to complaining.
“In an attempt to alleviate them from the discomfort of not reaching out, we have provided them letters addressed to me,” he said.
The letters will arrive at the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) as the Collector is the Chairman of the wing.
“Members of the DCPU, the Child Welfare Committee and the jurisdictional police officer will deal with the issue based on complaint,” he said.
In Othakadai Government Girls Higher Secondary School alone, the administration handed out 1,700 blank letters.
S. Venkatesan, a faculty member, said that problems both at home and at school can be written and sent to the Collector, providing students with a sense of power.
DCP Officer A. Ganesan said that students in all four educational districts — Madurai, Usilampatti, Melur and Tirumangalam — have received the cards and only one reply has been received. “Based on the response, we have suspended the employee,” he said.
“There are a high number of teenage pregnancies in rural areas in Madurai. Although this has not been documented, most young women, who begin menstruating, either drop out of school or get married the day they turn 18 years. Sometimes, the nuptials are completed even before they reach the legal marriageable age. We hope to popularise reaching out to Child Line or use such anonymous methods to speak about the issues,” said Dr. Vinay.
The Collector added that friends of vulnerable students must actively use their voice to complain against wrongdoings to help another in trouble. “We are also trying to popularise the use of 1098 as the Child Line number in cases of emergencies,” he said.
