Tulir-Centre for the Prevention and Healing of Child Sexual Abuse has installed boards in all 281 schools managed by the Chennai Corporation, displaying simple rules of personal safety.
According to a release, the installation of the boards is part of a collaborative effort to ensure the well-being and safety of children studying in Corporation schools. This year the theme is ‘bullying’.
Changing lifestyles and varied opportunities requires children and young people to be more inter-personally engaged with others outside their immediate circle, the release said.
It is therefore imperative that they are able to discern harassing and exploitative interactions and be equipped to address them. It is also essential that they recognise and seek assistance if they spot perpetrators.
Child Sexual Abuse is rampant, as indicated by various studies and the growing reportage of incidence. According to the National Study on Child Abuse, released by the Government of India in April 2007, 53.22% of children were reported as being sexually victimised.
Schools are in the frontline of child protection, with a large part of the child’s waking hours being spent in them. They have the potential to teach protective behaviour effectively to a greater number of children than any other system, including parental instructions, the release issued said.
