The month of May is upon us, and so are summer holidays for children. After a slowdown over the last few years owing to the pandemic, summer camps are back in full force across the city, to engage with children across a range of their interests including in science, sports, music, dance and theatre.
Even as parents enthusiastically sign up their children for a bevy of camps or classes, it is important for them to be aware of where they are sending their children, the volunteers or instructors at the camp, and what the camp has to offer, say experts.
“In June, after most summer camps have ended, we see a spike in child sexual abuse complaints, as children are going back to school. The basic responsibility here lies with parents, as carrying out due diligence of the camps they send their children to, is the biggest preventive measure they can take. Before sending their children to camps, parents should physically verify the place , meet the persons who will be engaging with the children, and ask if they can drop in and observe sessions,” said Vidya Reddy, from Tulir: Centre for Prevention and Healing of Child Sexual Abuse.
Ms. Reddy further said that parents need to ask the summer camp if they have a code of conduct, as well as protection standards in place that they will adhere to. “As an additional step, it can be made mandatory for summer camps to register with the police, so that they are aware of the camps functioning under their jurisdiction. Camps for children cannot be started by just about anybody, and if there is a registration mechanism, there will be some sort of accountability in place.”
The onus is on parents to not just be aware of how these camps function, but to also regularly check in with them about what they are doing there on a day-to-day basis. “It is important for parents to conversationally engage with their child. It is rare that children disclose abuse to their parents. However parents can definitely ask them about their day, what they learnt, and if there was anything that made them uncomfortable or was confusing,” said Sannuthi Suresh, a city-based psychologist.
Speaking about the child protection mechanisms in place for not just their summer camp, but for the work they do through the year with children, Dushyant Gunashekar, founder of Creaplay, a theatre and education company said that child protection is an integral part of their training every three months, with experts coming in. “For children who have signed up with us for a summer programme as well as their parents, we give them an email ID as well as a phone number for them to share any grievances they might have. These channels will only be accessed by the members of our Internal Complaints Committee (ICC),” he said.
There are several things that parents need to keep in mind when they enroll children into camps or classes over the summer. Tasneem Aferoz, a parent from the city said that she usually chooses to go with recommendations from other parents, and if it was a new place, she would personally go and check out the facilities. “I also look at how well the staff is trained to handle children, especially in large groups and also observe how they discipline children. It is also important for parents to see how the child is behaving at these camps and afterwards; if they are comfortable and are happy to go every day. If there are any behavioural changes, or if the child has something to say, parents should take it seriously,” she said. She further added that it was necessary for parents to teach children about ‘good touch- bad touch’ in simple language.
