Kids to get books on ‘good touch, bad touch’

In an effort to educate schoolgoing children on “good touch and bad touch”, a workbook entitled “Idu nanna deha! Nanna icche!” will be distributed to kids between six and 12 in government schools.

Part of a campaign to create awareness on child sexual abuse, training will also be given to government teachers, anganwadi workers and volunteers on educating the children. The workbooks have space where the children, after going through the contents, would write down what they understood and how they could protect themselves.

Government school children near Mysuru Road, KR Market, Peenya, Yeshwantpur, Jai Bhuvaneshwarinagar and Lakshmidevinagar will be receiving the workbooks.

The campaign -“End Child Sexual Abuse by 2021 in Karnataka”- was launched on Tuesday by Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, World Vision India and Christ university.

KSCPCR chairperson Kripa Alva said more child sex abuse cases would come to light if children came out in the open to talk. It is not just the girl children who are exploited, but boys suffer abuse as well.

“The laws have become stringent with no granting of bail to the perpetrator and the time to file charge sheet has been reduced to 60 days,” she said.

Students of Christ university and Kristhu Jayanthi College will be trained on child sex abuse and will be sent across the city to spread awareness through plays, songs and Information-Communication-Technology tools.

Of the 1,827 cases registered in 2017 under POCSO Act, 297 were registered in Bengaluru alone.