Jan 2nd, 2010

Times of India

Delhi sheds rape capital tag in 09

From 466 Sexual Assault Cases In 08, Last Yr Saw 452

New Delhi: Women have a reason to cheer. Even as Delhi struggles hard to shed its rape capital tag, last year it actually recorded lesser number of rape and molestation cases.
Rape cases recorded a marginal decrease from 466 in 2008 to 452 in 2009. And in 97.35% of the cases, the accused were known to the victims. While 35 of the accused were relatives, 64 were friends, 212 neighbours and 129 other known persons. Around 83% of the accused were either illiterate or school dropouts, 67% were below 25 years of age and 68% belonged to economically weaker section . The police said that in 94.25% of the cases, the accused were arrested.
At least 35 of the 150 police stations did not get any reports of rape at all. Police stations in outer Delhis Bhalsawa Dairy recorded 11 cases, the highest among all police stations . When compared to other mega cities, Delhi recorded less number of rapes than Bhopal, Ludhiana and Indore.
The number of molestation cases also came down from 597 in 2008 to 532 in 2009. And like rape cases, most of the accused47 %were neighbours. Only 5% were strangers while 4% were friends and 6% were relatives.

Eve-teasers too had to think twice before making lewd gestures , for the women felt empowered by the anti-obscene helpline of the Delhi police. It received 12,108 calls out of which 11,625 call actions were taken. Special police arrangements were made around women colleges and hostels in coordination with university authorities.

The women helpline maintained by crime against women (CAW) cell also received 7,354 calls out of which 1,894 calls were related to domestic violence while 3916 calls were about missing girls, 402 were about sexual harassment .

The CAW cell also started a new police station which received nearly 8400 complaints of marital disputes out of which 3579 were settled with mediation and guidance.

Jan 2nd, 2010

Times of India

Sexual offence victims face social stigma -


Data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) shows a sharp rise in crimes against women. It might be pertinent here to cite a recent study by the UK government of rape cases in the country, which shows that a majority of convictions in rapes are from admission of guilt and not because of successful trial as the delays in investigation and the social stigma related with sexual offences often force the victims to withdraw the case.

If that's true in the UK, we can imagine how much worse the social pressures in India would be and hence how crucial it is to minimise delays in prosecuting such cases.

Perhaps the Sexual Offences (Special Courts) Bill, 2010 seeking a maximum six months trial period for sexual offences might reduce the influence of the accused on the course of justice and hence provide a fairer trail for the victims of sexual offences.

Jan 2nd, 2010
DNA

One out of every three girls in Mumbai is molested:

It is a commendable fact that Ruchika’s family did not give up even after so many years,” said Pooja Taparia, founder and CEO of Arpan, an NGO working on the issue of child sexual abuse.

“Unfortunately, many such cases go unreported.”

“We find very few complaints being lodged, and hardly any action being taken against the perpetrators,” said Taparia, attributing this to the fact that there are “no specific and stringent laws” to tackle the issue of child sexual abuse or even molestation.

“On one end of the spectrum is section 509, which deals with outraging a woman’s modesty and on the other is section 376, which defines punishment for rape. However, there are several other issues ‘in-between’ which neither addresses,” said Taparia.

Pushpa Venkatraman, who has counselled several adult survivors of sexual abuse, agreed. “Issues like touching, non-contact offences like lewd glances, talking furtively, as well as sending obscene MMS clippings, which are happening more and more often now, are not addressed,” said Venkatraman.

“As far as molestation cases are concerned, people either get away on bail, or it takes years for the hearing to come up, or a person can do an out of court settlement very easily,” said Taparia. “Speedy justice, speedy trials, friendly environment for the victim are the need of the hour,” she said.

However, at the bottom of all this, said social activists, is the patriarchal Indian society.

“Many a times, the abuse is done by a known person. In such cases, protecting family honour becomes more important,” said therapist Rita D’Souza.

Urging mental health professionals to understand the subtler nuances of child sexual abuse cases….

When I say victims, I mean all players in the case related to the victim also. The parent, the family, in cases of incest- the non offending parent and their psyche all deserve equal mention and emphasis to be tackled in a therapy setting.

They need and deserve to gather their wits around them and reconstruct their violated boundaries, gather confidence and their self sense of self worth before tackling the reins of normal life. The family and caretakers require equal help on how to talk and behave with the survivors so that there is every chance he/she gets a chance to thrive and get on with their lives. Or else the gains of a therapy session are lost once the child is home.

While child sexual abuse is a definite scourge of human race, and it is ARPAN dream to make the world a safe place from sexual abuse for children, the alarming rate of reporting in the media today talks of a diametrically opposite reality that is staring at us in the face.
Like creepy nightmares you shudder when you read everyday of “yet another case of incest…” in our “culturally rich and diverse” INDIA….
But ask therapists who have worked in closed clinics how many cases come to them and always have since years ago where adult survivors talk of violated childhoods.

This is not new and happened even in the old joint family setups where more efforts were made at hushing up the matter rather than dealing with it; and helping to reassure that child that it was not his/her fault but the fault of the adult. And then the child who still has to get on with life and while s/he limps back to normalcy with a scar on their soul because they think they have done something wrong!! A paradox where the victim gets re victimised!

The intervention from an understanding professional would take the child victim far and help them thrive instead of living their life in the shadows for no fault of theirs. The intervention needs to be clear yet subtle in a climate of understanding and empathy for the child where efforts are made to win the trust of the child and build a firm rapport so the child feels safe. This can happen only when the intervention is consistent and supportive. When adults who are survivors of childhood sexual abuse are in psychotherapy, they realize the quality of life they have compromised on for no fault of their own. There is rage then and appropriate anger which is dealt with, through specific techniques. The therapeutic environment needs to become a firm ground which the child/adult can rely upon to help them elevate to a state where they can thrive and reclaim their selves..

Vision vs reality: Having said all this, the stark reality also is to keep up with this long procedure against the odds of time. There are enough issues that need mental health intervention in today’s life and this causes a dearth of professionals who feel capable to deal with such cases which needs huge chunks of time especially when there are investigative procedures to deal with, if it is under litigation.

Arpan is an Ngo which works on the issue of child sexual abuse by spreading awareness through programs for stakeholders in a child’s life and healing services too. A pioneer effort has been made to develop training sessions for social workers and counselors to understand the theory of trauma and get equipped to deal with cases when they arise.

Treating offenders, if they are open and receptive to getting counseling is another aspect of prevention of sexual abuse. To acknowledge that the offender also needs counseling help besides punitive procedures is still a novel concept and takes courage and thorough knowledge of its nuances to accept it, but we at ARPAN, believe it is an important step that holds the key to checking many cases of abuse although admittedly it is a monumental task and re offending is not ruled out. However attempts have to be made to understand their psyche better which ARPAN aims to do as another key area of work.

Understanding it in totality with all its nuances and working at it, is an uphill task a small handful of us are still valiantly trying against many odds to make the world a safer place for children….. we know we will make a dent, albeit through small steps.

Pushpa Venkatraman
For: ARPAN

2nd March 2009

Hindustan Times
Will kids in the state ever get sex ed?
The CURRENT SCENARIO
March 2007 - State government bans sex education
Arpil 2008 – Education minister at that time, Vasant Purke, does an about turn, announces compulsory sex education in Class 9 and Class 11. Next day there is a furore in the assembly and it is decided to set up a committee to look into the matter
November 17, 2008 - Government resolution names 21 Vidhan Sabha and Vidhan Parishad members, including Purke and assembly opposition leader Ramdas Kadam as members of the committee. It also names 15 ‘experts’ which includes educationists and social workers from across the state.
Feb 10, 2009 – The only meeting so far of the committee is held in Pune, of the ‘experts’ group. Only 8 members turn up. The committee has sexologist, Dr Vithal Prabhu, paediatrician Dr.Sandhya Khadse, Professor Chhaya Bakare of Ruia College and several ‘sex educators’ attached to NGOs in Kolhpaur, Vardha, Latur and other places.

6th March, 2009

Hindustan Times
Crime against women on the rise in the city
The year that started with the molestation of two NRI women outside a five-star hotel in Juhu went on to witness a steep rise in crime against women. Annual crime statistics of the Mumbai police, obtained by HT, shows that more incidents of rape, especially involving minors, and molestation were registered in the city in 2008 as compared to previous years.

Police Commissioner Hasan Gafoor, however, said that the rise in figures has more to do with women reporting crimes rather than a rise in crime rate.
CRIME 2007 2008
Rape (minors) 124 147
Rape (adults) 48 69
Molestation 356 427
Raids on brothels 134 158
Girls rescued 293 295

13.3.09

Hindustan Times
Sex sells at India’s popular pilgrim sites
India’s popular pilgrimage sites like Puri in Orissa and Tirupati in AP are major attractions for sex tourism, especially involving young boys A year long study conducted in three major pilgrim sites – Puri, Tirupati and Guruvayoor in Kerala has found that young boys from poor families are being trafficked to these religious places for sexual gratification of visitors. Lured by money, victims find it difficult to leave the profession. 13 boys in Puri revealed that they preferred foreigners to domestic ones, since they got chocolate, toys, good clothes, besides being paid from Rs.50 – Rs.200 per day.

20th March, 2009

Times of India
Rural Thane sees rise in incest cases
Mumbai: Cases of incest have been increasingly reported from rural Thane over the past few years. Officials attribute this to more women coming out to lodge complaints against family members.

In August 2006, the Nala Sopara police arrested Satish Chaurasia (35) for sexually abusing his daughter and subsequently getting her pregnant.
The same year, the Tarapur police arrested Nitin Raul (46) for raping his foster daughter. The 13-yearold victim became pregnant but the abuse continued.
“Incest exists even among educated and well-to-do families. Alcoholism and borderline personality disorder can lead to incest,’’ said psychiatrist Harish Shetty. “There are instances where women do not support their daughters (victims) and stand by their husbands (accused) instead. A rise in such offences is caused by alienation and loneliness.’’
In August 2008, the Virar police arrested Rajendra Yadav (29) for molesting his 12-year-old niece during a game of “hideand-seek”. The girl had been living with Yadav after her father died in the 7/11 blasts.

29th March, 2009
Times of India
Rural sisterhood forms rings of steel for victims of rape
No institution assures them justice, no organization fights for their rights and no counsellor helps them pick up the pieces of their lives. But the initial findings of a nationwide study reveal that rural victims of sexual abuse are beginning to fight back in their own way. Call it the sisterhood of India Invisible. Mobilizing village communities, picketing police stations and ridiculing attackers are some of the ways rural women are using to take on their assailants, says an 11-state study conducted from October 2007 to December 2008 by a Delhi-based NGO Swanchetan. It used data collected by state police forces and NGOs working with rural victims of sexual violence.
Some say the change is a reflection of the growing awareness of rural women, especially Dalits. “In Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharshtra, women say that they will not tolerate (injustice). They have their constitutional rights and will protest,” says Ruth Manorama, who campaigns for Dalit women in Bangalore.
Mitra says that women are empowered when they form a collective.

JAN 2009
7th Jan, 2009 - Times of India

More rapes registered, but conviction rate dismal
Mumbai: While a higher number of rape cases were registered in Mumbai in 2008, and a large number of those cases were solved, the conviction rate in court continues to be a dismal 20%. The number of rapes against women registered in Greater Mumbai rose from 45 in 2007 to 68 in 2008. A whopping 61 of the 2008 cases were solved, but police sources said this was little reason for cheer. The biggest reason is that the victims don’t want to go through the trauma of a court hearing.
“While some feel guilty about being raped and prefer to isolate themselves from public view, others don’t want to face the embarassing queries of the defence counsel during the cross-questioning. For some, it’s a combination of both,’’ a Mumbai police officer said. “Also, some of the victims get married at a later stage and do not want to pursue the case.’’

The total number of rapes registered—including rapes of minors— was 212. Startlingly, rapes of minors rose from 125 in 2007 to 144 in 2008.
“Cases of rape, dowry harassment and molestation are accorded priority,’’ said an officer from the crime branch. In fact, there are counsellors working with the Mumbai police .When all options fail, they assist the victim legally and most of this is free of cost.

8th Jan, 2009 - Hindustan Times

Paedophilia case: State to crack down on unregistered homes
The state government is planning a crackdown on unregistered children’s shelters after a warden was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing children at an unauthorised hostel he had been running in Aurangabad. The arrest of Jaisingh Michael (45) for sexual offences, including rape of children at the missionary-run hostel, has sparked outrage.
Vijay Satbir Singh, secretary to the Ministry of Women and Child Development in Maharashtra, said it was the second-highest-profile case of sexual abuse being alleged at an unauthorised institution in the state. The first, he said, was the Anchorage shelters in Mumbai set up by Briton Duncan Grant (64) to rehabilitate street children in 1995.
“My officers have told me it was never registered with us,” said Singh. “The Aurangabad shelter was not registered either. Both were running for some time before they came to our notice, so there could well be other similar cases out there.” The campaign to root out unathorised shelters will start this month, using local police intelligence and help from the public, he said.
About 108 homeless, poor or orphaned children had been staying at the Aurangabad hostel. “There were four complaints of rape, one of molestation against girls and three complaints of sexual harassment of boys,” said Singh. The home has now been shut and 16 of the children handed back to their parents. The other 44 girls and 48 boys have been rehabilitated in other shelters and offered counselling, Singh added.

Thursday, 15th Jan, 2009

Times of India - Students may get sex abuse cover / NCW Prods Centre As Research Scholars & Teachers Flood It With Complaints
DNA – Lewd remarks on campus will be crime
New Delhi: Faced with sexual harassment complaints from research scholars and university teachers, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has proposed that educational institutions be recognised as ‘workplace’ and brought under the ambit of the Sexual Harassment at Workplace Bill.
The bill is currently with the women and child development ministry. The proposed legislation is expected to provide redressal for women plagued by sexual harassment not just in government and organised private sector companies but industries that have so far managed to stay out of the loop like hospitality industry including catering services, restaurants, professions like NGOs, health services and coaching centres, domestic helps, women working in tailoring, or beauty parlours.
The penalty, if harassment is proved, will be levied keeping in view the victim’s mental suffering and trauma, income and financial status of the woman, medical expenses incurred by the victim and loss in career opportunity because of the incident. The bill also prohibits publication or making contents of the inquiry or the aggrieved woman’s details available.

DNA
Adopted, Assaulted and Deported (Global trade in babies)
Nearly 20 years after she was adopted by an American national, 27 year old Jennifer Haynes is back in Mumbai, seeking action against the Americans for International Aid and Adoption (AIAA), the agency that had processed her adoption papers. She has said in her petition that under the guise of adoption, various voluntary agencies and social organizations are trafficking children to western countries and most end up being sexually abused at the foster homes.

Times of India dt.19th Dec, 2008
Law changes to aid rape victims
RS Nod to CrPC Bill Amendments To Ease Sexually Abused Victims’ Agony

New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday approved much awaited amendments in the Code of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), providing for a number of path-breaking measures in the existing law to lessen the agony of rape victims.

Completion of trial of rape cases within a period of two months from the date of commencement of the examination of witnesses, hearing of the cases by woman judges (as far as practicable) and questioning of rape victims in the presence of her parents or a social worker of the locality are some of the provisions of the CrPC (Amendment) Bill.

The Bill was passed by voice vote along with certain minor amendments pressed by CPM member Brinda Karat.

It also has povisions of commuting of capital punishment of a pregnant convict to life imprisonment, victim’s rights to appeal against acquittal, beginning of a “victim compensation scheme” (to compensate the victim or his dependents who have suffered loss or injury as a result of crime in any part of the country), audio-video recording of statement of witnesses and trial of cases through video-conferencing. Winding up the discussion before the Bill was passed, home minister P Chidambaram said: “The effort is to make the Bill more humane to law-abiding citizens and more difficult for those who try to violate the law.” The Bill was introduced in Rajya Sabha in August 2006 and subsequently referred to the Standing Committee of the Parliament. Chidambaram said that the Bill was brought to the House after giving due consideration to the recommendations of the Standing Committee.

As far as bringing changes in the law concerning rape victims is concerned, the Bill also provides for investigation of a case at the residence of the victim and as far as practicable by a woman police officer. These provisions will spare the victim of the agony of visiting the police station and answering inconvenient questions in front of unidentified persons. Certain changes have also been approved for the speedy disposal of such cases without leaving scope for postponement or adjournment of proceedings. The amendment provides that the trial, as far as possible, will be completed “within a period of two months” from the date of commencement of the examination of witnesses. Once the Bill is passed by the Lok Sabha, the new legislation will provide for asking all the states to initiate a “victim compensation package” in coordination with the central government with a corpus of a fixed amount. The amendment also has provision of right to appeal for victims. Currently, the right to appeal lies with the state which directly fights the case with the accused. Under the proposed change, the victim can independently hire a lawyer and go in for an appeal in addition to what the state does.

DNA / Hindustan Times
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Every hour, 2 women raped in India : Report
CHILLING STATISTICS
Rape cases reported last year / 20,737
Cases registered in M.P alone, making it the rape capital / 3010
Cases in W.B / 2106
Cases in U.P / 1648
Cases in Bihar / 1555
Cases in Rajasthan / 1238
Cases in Delhi / 598
Sexual harassment cases registered in A.P, the highest for a state / 3316
Cases in which family members were involved / 405


DNA
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Grant, Waters are back with new Anchorage
British nationals ,Duncan Grant and Allan Waters, who were acquitted in a paedophilia case in July, are now running a hostel for “young working men” in Cuffe Parade. And like the shelter the duo previously used to run for street children, this too is called Anchorage.

Located in a slum opposite the Badhwar Park Railway Colony, the hostel comprises a small room (about 800 sq ft) with a mezzanine floor. There are 24 inmates, all aged between 18 and 25.
“Most of these youths had once lived in the Anchorage Shelter Home, Colaba, which has now shut down completely. The Cuffe Parade shelter was started in 1997. We have refurbished it after being acquitted in the case. This hostel has always housed older boys, while the younger ones stayed in the Colaba shelter,” Grant, 65, told DNA.

The appeal challenging the acquittal of both Grant and Waters by Bombay High Court is pending in the Supreme Court. The HC acquitted the duo on July 23, disbelieving the same set of evidence, which, in 2006, had led a sessions court to convict the Britons of sexually abusing young boys at the Colaba shelter.Grant has already sold the Colaba Anchorage for Rs50 lakh.

When asked where they got the funds from, Grant said that UK-based charitable institutions, like Rotary International and Siroptimists, had donated for the cause

Hindustan Times / DNA
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
India registers third most rape cases in the world
Ahead of India (with 18359 rape cases during the first quarter of this year , are the US and South Africa with 93394 and 54926 cases respectively. Least were in countries like Jordan, Latvia, Bulgaria and Finland.Germany, Thailand, Sweden and Argentina too registered a high humber of rape cases.

Hindustan Times
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Faith silences abuse victims
Strong religious beliefs make sex victims a helpless pawn in the hands of their abuser. eg. a child, sodomised by her father, felt she had to forgive him or burn in hell. The common thread is that religion is an important resilience factor in abused children. Jean - Guy Nadon, professor of theology and religious sciences at the Universite de Montreal, says, " A child's God can be kidnapped and exploited by an adult, often by the very adult who taught the child about God in the first place."

Arpan's office opening

Arpan office! : ' )

Pujya Bhaishri being greeted by Pushpa Venkatraman (Arpan's Trainer - Counselor) and Anita Kumar (Arpan's Admin. Asst.)

The samai is lighted by Pujya Bhaishri, Pooja Taparia's (Arpan's Founder - CEO) relatives, parents and Pushpa and Anita.

Pooja showing Pujya Bhaishri photos of Arpan's activities.

Pujya Bhaishri perfoming the puja

Pujya Bhaishri giving his blessings

Pujya Bhaishri seeing our articles published in the media

Pujya Bhaishri with Arpan Team - left to right (Pooja, Pujya Bhaishri, Harshal (Arpan volunteer), Anita, Pushpa and Natasha Agrawal (Arpan's Executive Asst.)

Pooja addressing all

Pujya Bhaishri addressing all of us

Pujya Bhaishri giving out prasad to all, Arpan team members, Famycare Ltd. staff, etc.



Pujya Bhaishri blessing Pushpa, Anita and myself

Saturday, 18th Oct, 2008
Times of India
Terrorists use child porn to stay in touch
Embed coded messages in sex abuse images
London: Paedophilia and terrorism seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum. But a string of police raids across Britain and Europe has established the unlikely link between terror plots and hardcore child pornography.
§ Messages may be concealed within digital images and audio, video or other files, via a method called steganography, or ‘covered writing’.
§ The first link between child sex abuse and jihadists emerged in London in 2006 when antiterrorism police found images of hardcore child porn in two investigations.
§ Scotland Yard’s antiterrorism branch found over 40000 child porn images in one case and fewer than a dozen in another.
§ Experts say that the advancement in encryption technology is outpacing the authorities’ abilities to monitor suspected terrorists and paedophiles.

Monday, 11th Aug, 2008
Hindustan Times
A helpline to the rescue of abused children

Ten-year-old Mariam called NGO Childline’s Shillong branch and lodged a complaint saying her 35-year-old neighbour had sexually abused her. The neighbour had threatened he would kill her father if she told him. Mariam told her friends who asked her to call the helpline.

At the Childline Foundation-Mumbai, in 2006-7, there were 1,337 calls for help to 1098 — India’s first 24X7 distress outreach service that also caters to marginalised sections – with 571 calls for missing children, 434 for shelter, 535 for emotional support and 277 for protection from abuse.

The maximum calls were for physical abuse (86 per cent), as compared to sexual abuse cases (6 per cent), and an equal number of financial abuse cases (5 per cent) between 2005-6 and 2006-7. The NGO received more than 7.5 lakh silent calls – calls where the caller chose not to speak. The data also indicate 30 per cent of calls were made by children either for themselves or to refer a friend.

Why are these children not speaking about their problems to their families?
The answer to that may be that ‘family’ is itself a luxury for the marginalised. For them, it’s not a reliable support base. Kajol Menon, executive director, Childline India Foundation, says: “The Childline calls tell us that child protection needs to be backed by on-the-ground infrastructure covering healthcare support systems, shelters, child-friendly police stations and judicial procedures. Helplines find it easier to draw children out as the anonymity helps them speak freely”.

Monday, 11th Aug, 2008
Times of India
NEW DELHI: STATISTICS
 Over 12% victims of sexual assault did not share their trauma with anybody for 10 yearsor more, reveals a Delhi NGO study from 2000 to 2008.
 Almost 65% women had different symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder even 6 months after the assault
 The same percentage said they had suicidal thoughts intermittently for two years
 NCRB statistics show that between 1953 and 2006, incidents of rape grew by 678%. Every 27 mins a woman is raped making it the fastest growing crime in India.

Horrifying child abuse statistics

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

http://www.rotarynm.org/PROJREW0708.php
News paper coverage in New Bombay Plus (Times of India)

Times of India - Navi Mumbai Plus

20th September, 2007
Learn to say no
Workshop conducted on how to empower children and parents to deal with sexual abuse
J V R Gopal

The Rotary Club of Navi Mumbai (RCNM) recently conducted a workshop on Personal Safety of the Child at Rotary Centre, Vashi. A number of school teachers and parents from Navi Mumbai attended the event. Recently, the ministry of Women and Child Development released its first-ever National Study on Child Abuse in April, which revealed the stark reality that every second boy or girl faces sexual abuse in one or more forms at some point in his/her lives.

“It is a very scary scenario that every child is vulnerable to abuse, be it physical, verbal, emotional or sexual. Hence, we thought it appropriate to organise a workshop by NGO Arpan. The main focus of Arpan, which was founded by Pooja Taparia, is on spreading awareness on Child Sexual Abuse (CSA). Arpan also provides professional help in dealing with all stages of support for victims of child abuse,” explained Surekha Mhatre, president, RCNM, in her welcome address.

Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) is defined as any sexual act directed at a minor.

“It could be a sexual touch or fondle, sexually explicit talk or hint, exposure to sexual activity or pornography and finally rape or attempted rape,” said Pushpa Venkatraman, counsellor, Arpan, who conducted the workshop. In fact, according to the national study, 50 percent of sexual offenders were known to the victim or were in positions of trust, such as a family member, close relative, friend or neighbour.

“The study revealed that children in the age group of five to 12 years faced higher levels of abuse. What’s more, boys were equally at risk as girls. Sadly, most children suffer quietly. They don’t talk about the abuse. But we need to talk about it so that we can prevent and cure it,” explained Venkatraman.

CSA affects the child negatively, thereby causing many ill effects. “They include shame guilt and anger; fear shock and confusion; constant illnesses; future exploitative relationships; social with drawl and finally inappropriate sexualised behaviour,” added the counsellor.

The thrust of the workshop therefore was to create awareness about such behavioral changes in children among their parents.

“It is only then that CSA can be prevented. Recognising such an abusive situation is a skill that both parents and children must master. It can help them stay away from such situations. Understanding the concept of Safe Touch (ST) and Unsafe Touch (UT) is the first building block in overcome the menace”, explained Pushpa.

So just like a parent teaches the child traffic safety rules, they should similarly teach children about ST and UT, as well as the methods to take care of them.

“The child should be thus empowered to say ‘no’ to any action or touch that causes discomfort or unease to him or her. Parents, who are aware, can help a sexually abused child much better,” advocated Venkatraman. “It is of utmost importance to remember and remind the child that sexual abuse is not his/ her fault. Children will talk about sexual abuse only in an understanding and comfortable environment.”

Arpan’s road map for parents to help victims of abuse is by first recognising that child has been sexually abused.

“Then the child should be helped to talk about this experience. Finally, professional support should be sought help to heal the child”, advised Pushpa.

The victim should be helped to move on and live beyond the shadow of the trauma of sexual abuse with dignity.

“The child has the right to do so. If the intervention is not undertaken within two years of abuse, the suppressed memory is bound to play havoc in the latter parts of life,” she concluded.

One of the delegates, Kavita Nair Bhatia, said, “I am associated with an NGO. I attended the seminar in order to understand the identification part, as well as the right time for intervention”.