To create awareness about child sexual abuse and to make people become a powerful force in making the world a safer place for kids, Dr A V Baliga Trust in association with Plan India, a child-centred community development organisation, launched the campaign ‘Chuppi Todo’ on Saturday at an event organised in Delhi. The campaign will run under the guidance of Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR).

Elaborating on the idea behind the campaign, Sanjay Singh from Plan India said, “While there is widespread acknowledgement that child sexual abuse is rampant in our society, and chances are that we already know a boy or a girl who has been sexually abused, we choose to sweep the issue under the carpet rather than talk about it. We know many women and men who went through the trauma of abuse in their childhood but nobody had opposed it at the time when it was happening.”

“We have to tell our daughters that they should not be silent in case they encounter such a thing. They should tell their elders about it immediately. That is the concept behind the campaign ‘Chuppi Todo’ (Don’t keep mum, tell your mom). The only way to fight this menace is to teach our children the fundamentals of touch which will prepare them to handle the worst case scenario,” said Singh who has written and directed the documentary that was released at the event. The documentary intends to help both parents and children to deal with any possibilities of sexual abuse.

Releasing the documentary, Shashank Shekhar, member-DCPCR, said, “When the idea of creating awareness through a film came to me, I was apprehensive. But once I watched the documentary I was convinced that it would spread the correct message. The film is child-friendly and parents can sit with their children comfortably and watch the film.” Shekhar claimed that many schools in Delhi are already running this film-based campaign and it has been received well by both teachers and students.

Ranjana Ray, Member-Secretary of Dr A V Baliga Trust presented some concrete facts. The first ever national study on child abuse conducted by the Ministry for Women and Child Development (2007) shows that 53.22 percent children reported one or other forms of sexual abuse where children on street, work and institutional care reported the highest incidence of sexual assault. In 50 percent of abuse cases, the person was known to the child or in a position of trust and responsibility. Most children did not report the matter to anybody. The study also reveals that children of all socio-economic groups were found to be equally vulnerable; while 48 percent boys reported having been abused, the prevalence rate among girls was 39 percent. The National Crime Records Bureau too has reported an increase of 7.6 percent in crime against children in 2009 as compared to the previous year.

“No matter what the reason for the abuse, the effects on children may be severe and may last a lifetime. That is why we all need to ensure that this campaign runs successfully across the country,” Ray insisted.