Keeping our children safe

Rotary Club of Agra, RID 3110, has initiated a programme to raise awareness on safe and unsafe touch among schoolchildren. “Recognising this as an essential part of education, our club is working to teach children about their right to personal safety and protection, and the need to integrate this knowledge into the school curriculum. Helping children recognise inappropriate behaviour empowers them at a very early stage in their lives to protect themselves. This is crucial education,” says club president Namrata Panicker.

Namrata Mishra, an advocate and a specialist in the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, recently led an awareness programme organised by the club at the Queen Victoria Girls’ Inter College, Hariparvat, Agra. “India has a significant number of child abuse cases, with studies indicating that a large percentage of children experience some form of abuse. Discussions about personal boundaries are often avoided in many communities, leaving children vulnerable. Children in rural and underprivileged areas are particularly at risk, making sensitisation efforts necessary,” she says.

Advocate Namrata Mishra teaching a
student about good and bad touch.

Through storytelling she taught the students to distinguish between safe and unsafe touch, and guided them on how to respond to uncomfortable or harmful situations, and report inappropriate behaviour. Cultural norms discourage children from speaking up against abuse, says Namrata Mishra. “Children have the right to refuse action that make them uncomfortable, even if these come from elders or authoritative figures. Open communication between children and trusted adults is the key to curb child abuse.”

The session also highlighted the risks associated with social media. “With increasing access to smartphones and the Internet, children face new forms of exploitation. They must avoid sharing personal information online and be cautious about digital interactions. Predators often exploit the innocence of young minds to commit online sexual abuse.”
Posters explaining safe and unsafe touch, along with helpline numbers, were released during the session. Club members Shailendra Nath Sharma, Vinod Gupta, Jitendra Jain, Richa Agarwal and Manoj Kumar helped in organising the event.

School principal Joyce Sylas thanked the club for addressing this issue and said, “Workshops like these help students make informed decisions about their safety and reduce underreporting of abuse by creating awareness and providing tools for children to seek help.”

The club aims to organise workshops and awareness camps in schools to shield children from the threat of sexual abuse.

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