*Nicolette D’souza
One of the many issues that
CHILDLINE India Foundation (CIF) focuses on is the Prevention of Sexual Abuse
among children. CIF has initiated the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse School
Awareness Program, where they send trained volunteers to schools to sensitize children
about Safe Touch, Unsafe Touch and Personal Safety Rules. Keeping in mind the
maturity level of the children (aged 7 - 12 years); the message is given in the
form of stories. The main objective of these sessions is to teach children
safety rules in order to prevent such things from happening, or to talk or
report to someone in case something like this has already happened.
Recently, in a school in Mumbai
during the session, a young girl happened to start crying. According to
protocol, after the session the concerned volunteer spoke to the child
privately. Through sobs and sniffs, the child narrated a story that clearly
indicated sexual abuse. The act involved one of her maternal uncles.
Like any other young schoolgirl
in her situation, she told us her parents didn’t know about the incident as
yet. With her permission and the permission of the relevant seniors at CIF, the
matter is now taken to the parents as well as the required and appropriate
authorities. Also, with consecutive follow ups by CIF with regard to the
condition of the girl, we are happy to report that there is a major difference in
the girl’s behavior. Before she opened up to the CHILDLINE didi,
the girl was very quiet, rarely spoke to the other girls and almost never
interacted with anyone including her teacher. However, after talking about the
incident, she felt better. Sharing what she’d been through made her realize
that there are in fact people who listen and help. She now knows that what
happened to her was not her fault and found hope in her new-found friends at
CIF. In other words, she became a child again.
Moving on, the way the volunteer handles the situation through
the whole process, depends on where the outcome lies. Little did the volunteer know
that reality would occur so soon or that it would happen at all!
Other than the obvious feeling
of shock and anger and pity and sympathy one cannot help but notice the
tingling feeling at the back of the head. The feeling of accomplishment or
triumph that a volunteer, a mere citizen of the country actually helped a
child! Knowing that the child won’t be as emotionally and psychologically
damaged with high chances of leading a normal life in the future, makes one
want to continue with the same zeal and dedication hoping to reach out to more
children in the future.
Thank you CHILDLINE!
* Nicolette D'souza was an intern with CHILDLINE India Foundation.
