26 Sept 2015

‘KOMAL’ shines at 62nd National Film Awards as Best Educational Film 2014!



CHILDLINEs animation film on Child Sexual Abuse -'KOMAL' wins in the 62nd National Film Awards 2014 for Best Educational Film.

CHILDLINE India Foundation (CIF) with Climb Media received the winner’s trophy under the Best Educational Film category at the 62nd National Film Awards for developing India’s foremost film on Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) titled ‘Komal’.



‘Komal’ is India's first film that explains how child sexual abuse happens and what needs to be done if such a situation occurs. Targeted at children between 6 to 12 years and their parents/teachers, every element of the film was researched and also vetted by a child psychologist. Using a story in animation format the film depicts the process of targeting, grooming of the child by the adult offender, the abuse, the feelings of guilt and confusion in the minds of the child victim and the dilemma in the minds of parents. The latter half of the film covers training on Safe and Unsafe touch and Personal Safety Rules for the child.

CHILDLINE receives the country’s largest reporting of Child Sexual Abuse cases. CHILDLINE intervenes to help victims and ensure offenders are punished. In 2014, CHILDLINE handled over 2500 child sexual abuse cases. Unfortunately not many adults are open to talk about the difference between Safe Touch and Unsafe Touch with their children. A common but rarely talked-about scourge of society the sexual abuse of children is often neglected and ignored by most adults. Additionally many fail to realize that children are abused often by those they place their trust upon. To prevent such an incident, CHILDLINE developed ‘Komal’. The film is now being shown in various schools and children’s groups so as to sensitize children in a calm and composed approach. ‘Komal’ aims to spread awareness among parents, teachers and other care givers as well as to engage the community to empower children to differentiate between a good touch and a bad touch.

The film is about Komal a bright, sensitive and happy 7 year old girl. Her new neighbour - Mr. Bakshi, who moved in with his wife, is her father’s old friend. Komal bonds with the affable Mr. Bakshi with whom she has a whale of a time. Until, Komal discovers Mr. Bakshi’s bitter reality. In the movie, CHILDLINE Didi explains to children the concept of Safe and Unsafe touch, so that they can be better equipped to protect themselves and take help from trusted adults if ever caught in a similar situation.


 
Komal has been featured on various news channels and on across social media in many countries. It is widely used for screenings at housing societies and theatre groups in many cities in India. Over time, 'Komal' has been recognized at various platforms nationally and internationally. The film was awarded the Best Animation Awards under International category at the 8th Filmsaaz 2015 Awards, 2nd Prize at the Flying Elephant Festival Animation and Short films competition 2015 under Best PSA category and FICCI Best Animated Frames (BAF) Award in 2014 under the Animated Short Film - Professional (International) category. It was also recognized as the official selection for the 8th edition of Psarokokalo International Short Film Festival in Greece and the Animarte Festival, 2014 in Brazil.
Read More on our little start KOMAL here:
 

Volunteer now for CIFs Child Sexual Abuse Awareness Programme (CSAAP) in Bengaluru



Have you always wanted to devote sometime for a good cause, but didn’t know where to start? This is your chance to sign up as a volunteer for CHILDLINEs Child Sexual Abuse Awareness Program (CAAAP) in Bengaluru ! 

Since January 2011, CIF has been running the Child Sexual Abuse Awareness Programme (CSAAP) in schools across Mumbai for children from 2nd-6th standard that is designed to take to the classroom basic concepts of Safe Touch, Unsafe Touch and Personal Safety Rules. This program is now initiated in Bengaluru and aims to reach out to 1 million children in the next 3 years.
 


CSAAP addresses Child Sexual abuse issue through the medium of storytelling, using simple graphics comprehensible by children to break the communication barrier about the issue between parents and children and encourages children to break the silence about a 'touching problem' and openly communicate on the subject with a trusted adult.



CSAAP is the preventive approach taken by CIF. The aim is to reach out to those children who are at the receiving end of such abuse, who remain unaware of what is happening to them and don’t know where to seek help. It enables children with the necessary tools to prevent abuse and resources to report abuse hence creating a more informed and active generation of students. We have reached out to over 4 lakh children through over 1000 schools in Mumbai and now aim to do the same in Bengaluru.

Signup now to volunteer for CSAAP: http://bit.ly/1iKABs5