Rehearsal in Progress

Steps Forward - The Brochure

Partners' Meet

A collaborative meeting - “Partners’ Meet on Enabling a Child Protective Environment for Children” - was organised with the agencies involved in child development and protection under the aegis of the Social Work Department and World Vision India, Kottayam-Allepey ADP on 11 June, 2008 at B.C.M. College. The aim was to orient representatives from different partnering agencies on child protection and enable the formulation of a child protection policy for their organization, with child participation.

70 representatives, including 26 children, participated. Four child representatives from different institutions inaugurated the programme. Project Director, SOS Children’s Village, Aluva, Titus Poovakulam gave the key note address and acted as the facilitator for the programme.

The Superintendent of Children’s Home at Thiruvanchoor James Peter felicitated the programme, sharing the history of the home and the major problems the children there faced.

Dr. Ipe Verghese presented a situational analysis on the neglect and abuse of children. Jolly K. James facilitated the session where the representatives introduced themselves and their agencies.

Rashmi Nair’s session looked at child rights and the neglect and abuse of children. She explained the types of abuse and its impact on the child. She also emphasised the need for an awareness of the legal systems with regards to child protection. The students of the department enacted a skit on the problems of insensitive parenting and the dangers of neglecting child rights. Jasmine Mathew’s talk followed on the child’s need for a protective environment. She highlighted the adult’s role in ensuring safe surroundings.

Titus Poovakulam handled the session on “Child Protective Policies and Minimum Safety Standards for Child Protection,” focussing on preventive measures of child abuse. He explained the need for empowering the child to respond to problems and harmful situations and oriented the participants towards preparing a child protection policy, providing the necessary guidelines.

The afternoon session happened at two parallel venues. The child participants, under the guidance of Rashmi Nair, discussed their understanding of the previous sessions and expressed their view points on child rights and protection. Adult participants were oriented on JJ Act 2000 by Binoy, Probationary Officer, Department of Social Welfare. He explained the services of juvenile homes and the importance and role of Child Welfare Committees (CWC).

Following these sessions, child participants presented reports of their group discussions before the adult participants with the help of charts they had prepared. Titus Poovakulam was the facilitator for this session where the children were actively involved and raised varied questions.

Pre and post-evaluation forms were distributed to help recognise attitudinal changes. All participants signed the flex placed near the venue, expressing their solidarity with child protection.

Two Day Workshop on Child Sexual Abuse: Pictures of Day 2

Jasmine Mathew explains various facets.

Students interact

Two Day Workshop on Child Sexual Abuse: Pictures of Day 1

Rashmi Nair explains concepts

Dr. Mahajan P. Mani inaugurates the workshop

PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION IN CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

The Field Action Project is a self funded endeavour wherein two teaching faculty of the department are primarily responsible to plan, execute & co-ordinate the activities and programmes.

The project seeks to address the sensitive yet crucial issue of educating target groups about various aspects related to child's sexual health & safety. Child's sexual safety is a very crucial & intricate phenomenon with multi-dimensional facets namely contributory & causal factors from the family & cultural, interceptive & preventive. Parents, teachers & children are the key target population. Though the primary settings are schools in Kottayam municipality, outreach has widened to collaborate with partner agencies so as to reach out to target groups within communities associated with such agencies.
A core group of select motivated students of social work, besides the aforementioned faculty in charge, comprise the nucleus of the endeavor.
The Project is also the recipient of the Inaugural Article 34 Award (Organization Category) instituted By Tulir- Centre for Prevention & Healing in Child Sexual Abuse, Chennai.
AIM:
To keep children safe by preventing sexual abuse & facilitate healing to those subject to such abuse.
TARGET AREA:
Kottayam District, special focus to Kottayam Municipality, Kerala, India
TARGET GROUPS:
Setting: School Teachers, Parents, Principals & Management of Schools, Students of varied age groups.
Setting: CommunityRepresentatives of Partner Agencies, Parents, Children, Representatives Local Self Government Institutions & significant members who are associated with the community's & child's development.
MAIN OBJECTIVE:
To ensure the sexual safety of the child through Protection, Prevention & Participation.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:
To establish a self-sustainable system through a core team of relevant & trained personnel within schools & community to ensure Prevention & Healing in CSA.
To create a network of allied systems that strengthen the existing core teams in the community in preventing & healing CSA.
To create a pool of trained Social Workers across the state in working towards Prevention & Intervention in CSA.
To constitute a team of professionals, stakeholders (including children) & other significant members in working as a pressure group to advocate systemic level changes as also in ensuring adequate implementation of existing provisions.
ACTIVITIES:
Partnership with Organizations; Government (Kudumbasree, juvenile homes), Non-Governmental (Childline, World Vision etc) & Corporate in establishing sustainable community programs in dealing with the issue of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA).
Partnership with key organizations like Tulir-CPHCSA, Chennai, for resources / expertise mobilization dealing with the issue of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA).
Orientation, Skill Development through training & participation of students of Social Work across the state in dealing with the issue of personal safety among children in various social settings.
Training of Trainers to establish a pool of trained personnel working with children (teachers, counselors, community workers) in building a self sustainable system in keeping institutions & communities safe for the child.
Awareness sessions for the teachers, parents & community towards the aforementioned objective.
Age appropriate personal safety education (against CSA) for school children in creative & non-threatening manner.
Dissemination of information through publications, paper presentations, trainings, workshops & other innovative methods.
Support to victims and survivors of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA).
Generation & Mobilization of innovative resource material in reaching out for the issue of Child Sexual Abuse.

The following are the activities undertaken as part of the project:
· District Level Workshop & Focus Group Discussion on ‘Facets & Impact of Child Abuse’ for staff representatives from schools in Kottayam Municipality :– 7th July 2006

· Publication of an Article titled ‘Child Sexual Abuse- Its Facets & Impact’ in Educere- BCM Journal of Social Work: -July 2006

· Paper presentation by faculty on ‘Child Sexual Abuse- Its Facets & Impact’ at a National Conference on Child Welfare: Rights& Challenges at Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu. :–29th September 2006

· Poster Exhibition on Human Rights Violation , incorporating the aspect of Child Sexual Abuse:- 24th January 2007

· Session ( Class incorporating theatre)on Prevention & Responding to Child Sexual Abuse for the Final Year Degree students of the College :- 2nd February 2007

· Faculty in-charge participated in a Workshop on Prevention & Intervention in Child Sexual abuse at Tulir, Centre for Prevention & Treatment of Child Sexual Abuse, Chennai:-11th February 2007 - 17th February 2007

· 3 Day Workshop on Child Sexual Abuse- Prevention & Response for Final Year MSW students –30th May , 31stMay & 1st June 2007

· On-going training sessions on Prevention & Responding to Sexual Abuse of Children for Core Group comprising of seven students of social work:- initiated in June 2007

· Publication of a feature titled ‘Child Sexual Abuse- A guide for Parents’ in the College Magazine on Prevention & Responding to Sexual Abuse of Children :– June 2007

· Submission of Proposal to ‘Sahodaya’ the District CBSE Schools Association to provide safety education in schools through training a core group of teacher representatives from each school :– 15th June 2007 .

· Awareness classes on Prevention & Intervention in Child Sexual Abuse for teachers & parents at 4 schools in Kottayam Municipality.( 13th October 2006, 22nd &29th June 2007,3rd July 2007).

· Active involvement of Faculty & Students comprising the Core Group of the Project in various programmes related to prevention & intervention in sexual abuse of children.

· Liaison, referral& networking with agencies & professionals working in the field of child protection.

· Widening the outreach by collaborating with partner agencies to prevent & intervene in the sexual abuse of children.

· Mobilisation& preparation of relevant innovative resource material such as posters, radio drama , plays on the theme of prevention & intervention in sexual abuse of children

· Appropriate documentation relating to aspects of sexual abuse of children are maintained for further reference& programmes of the project.

'To Create a Safer World for Children'

The National study on child abuse reveals significant findings on one of the most developed states of India - Kerala which though ahead in socio development indices does not reflect the same advanced scenario in prevention of abuse & neglect of its children as also their sexual safety.
It becomes imperative therefore to take a proactive stand in protecting our children. Denial of the reality of an unsafe world for children has prevented adults from seeing what is happening to thousands of innocent victims. Despite the gravity of the problem, various facets of child protection and child sexual abuse in particular are never discussed within the child care system. This culture of secrecy must be broken; Silence does not mean all is fine with the child.
The same sentiment is echoed by the parents in Kottayam District of Kerala through a feedback mechanism of evaluation on the Field Action Project on Prevention & Intervention in Child Sexual Abuse. Over 96. 4% parents felt that child sexual abuse is very much prevalent in the society and over 93% wanted their child received age appropriate personal safety training for their children.
The world today is looking towards actualizing the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 and the child is the axis on which this new millennium revolves. The holistic survival, protection, welfare & development of the world's children would usher in a new order - Protecting children by ensuring enhanced preventive strategies, incorporated with their active participation will create a much safer, effective & sustainable child - centered system, This would promote the child's well - being, besides that of the family & community.

U n a v o i d a b l e Fa c t s

The Study on Child Abuse(2007) - the worlds largest in country study on the problem - undertaken by the Ministry of Women & Child Development(India), revealed beside other realities that 2 out of every 3 children were physically abused, 53 % of children reported sexual abuse and every 2nd child was emotionally abused.
Besides being abused, children are neglected, discriminated against, exposed to dangers in various vulnerable & emergency situations, and also commercially exploited in innumerable ways. The 440 million children of India apparently are unsafe at "home" and considering that this is 19% of the world's child population, - are the world's children any safer? Of all the instances where we deviate from our stated commitment to the protection & best interest of all citizens especially the most vulnerable, Article 34 of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, and Article 39(e) & (f) of the Constitution of India incorporates protection against a grave violation - sexual abuse & exploitation of children. Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) is perhaps by far the most gruesome violation of rights which pervades the whole gamut of abuses; physical, emotional apart from the sexual aspect itself.

The first footstep

"Coming Together for Child Protection - An Insight into their Sexual Safety" has origins in perspectives gained from the Field Action Project on Prevention and Intervention in Child Sexual Abuse initiated by the Department of Social Work - BCM College in July 2006. A Child's sexual safety is an intricate phenomenon with multi-dimensional facets. It encompasses the entire gamut of abuse - physical, emotional & sexual. This project revealed the reality of many children living in unsafe spaces and brought to the forefront: the dire need for child protection. This concerted effort to create safe spaces for children was instrumental in earning the project the Inaugural Article 34 Award, instituted by 'Tulir - Centre for Prevention & Healing Child Sexual Abuse', Chennai.

SOME FACTS

India is home to the world's largest child population - where every 5th child in the world lives in this country. Our children of today would ideally own tomorrow as they comprise more than 1/3rd of the country's population. But will many of them be around then, if today we do not come together to protect them? 40% of the country's child population are in need of care and protection