Childhood is mostly about fun, and what better way to talk about children’s issues than through humour.
At a recent event in the city, gender disparity, body shaming, unsolicited pictures of male genitals and lack of awareness of rights when it comes to sexual harassment of children were discussed with performances using humour. The event was organised by Child Rights and You (CRY), which works for the welfare of children belonging to marginalised communities.
Preeti Das, a former television journalist-turned-stand-up comedian, spoke about child rights, education and health through pieces about her own childhood. Ms. Das is the co-founder of Mahila Manch, an all-woman stand-up comedy group in Ahmedabad.
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“I wish we were judged by our haemoglobin and vitamin levels, which makes us happy mothers, rather than the colour of our skin or the shape of our bodies,” she said. One in every 22 women suffers from third stage breast cancer in India, she said. “There is a significant gap in communication and lack of information when it comes to the sexual rights of children.”
Ms. Das also said many children are influenced by movies because talking about sex is considered a taboo. “I was denied access to information on understanding my sexual rights, and so many things when I was 16 or 17,” she said. Ms. Das cited a study which revealed that four out of 10 millennial women receive unsolicited pictures of male genitals, and 25% of them are school children. Nursery rhymes too promote gender inequality, she said. “We need to change the discourse of nursery rhymes.”
The event was a part of CRY’s 40th anniversary celebrations. Stand-up comedians Rohan Joshi and Ashish Shakya too participated in the event, part of CRY’s pan-India campaign, ‘Yellow Fellow’, which was kicked off last year. The campaign runs on social media through the hashtag #YellowFellow, where participants are encouraged to show their support for child rights by holding up a yellow sock. “Yellow, because it is the colour of joy and sock because it symbolises children,” said Alankrita Khera, general manager communications, CRY.
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