Our Voix Against Child Sexual Abuse

Schools are the second immediate environment where children spend most of the time of their day. It is important for teachers to understand the signs that can help identify if a child's safety is in danger.Let us understand how one can do that.Checkout our child safety courses: https://courses.ourvoix.com/

Consent is important regardless of somebody's age or gender. Let us hear how we can understand consent around children.Checkout our safety course: https://courses.ourvoix.com/

Child marriage is described as a girl or boy marrying before the age of eighteen, and includes both legal and informal relationships in which children under the age of eighteen live with a spouse as if married. Both girls and boys are affected by child marriage, although girls are disproportionately affected, particularly in South Asia.Checkout our safety courses: https://courses.ourvoix.com/

If a child is hit by a teacher or anyone, they should not feel scared and should understand that it is not their fault. They should raise their voice.

It is essential for parents and guardians to help children express themselves. Let us learn a new activity through which they can do so.

Respect is due to children. Respected youngsters get success in life. When a child is shown respect, he or she understands what it means and how important it is. It's nearly impossible for youngsters to succeed if they don't respect their classmates, authorities, or themselves.

Gender inequality, social norms, girls' perceived low status, poverty, lack of education, safety concerns for girl children, and sexuality control are all thought to be factors in the high occurrence of child marriages. Girls in rural regions are more affected than their peers in cities.

Childhood is over when a child marries. It has a harmful impact on children's rights to education, health, and safety. These implications affect not only the girl but her family and community as well. A girl who is married while she is young is more likely to drop out of school, not work, and not contribute to her community.Let us understand how we can end child marriage.

Bystanders can play a very important role in stopping bullying by interfering in a right manner. Let's hear how bystander children can help other children who are the victims of bullying.

When it comes to social relationships, learning to be more empathic can be a major help for kids, but it's also crucial to teach your child to learn to advocate for himself and his limits when other kids are being pushy, aggressive, or just plain stupid.Helping your child come up with a strategy for what to do if someone doesn't respect his feelings or limits will allow him to experience asserting himself.

There are some strengths that are important to be taught to children. Let us hear what all are these.

As April is observed as Child Abuse awareness month, Our Voix invited different stakeholders of child sexual abuse prevention to discuss various preventive measures that can be taken.In this podcast, we have Ms Shilpa Amogh Masur, a mom blogger and an influencer. She talks about how sexual abuse is still a taboo in our country and its ill effects.

The parent-child relationship fosters the child's physical, emotional, and social growth. It's a one-of-a-kind link that every child and parent can appreciate and develop. The child's personality, life choices, and overall behaviour are all shaped by this bond.

As April is observed as Child Abuse awareness month, Our Voix invited different stakeholders of child sexual abuse prevention to discuss various preventive measures that can be taken. In this podcast, we have Ms Swati Jagdish, a sex educator. She talks about how awareness of this topic is gradually increasing over the years but there is still a long way to go.

Today let's learn about a very crucial topic that every child must be educated, to save them from child sexual abuse or any kind of violence against children. Grooming! Grooming is the act of giving any kind of greed like chocolates or treats, that would fascinate the child, or, making false promises of taking the child to a nearby park, places the child would love to be, or even showing pets like dogs, that the child would love to be with and luring the child to untoward acts and making them believe that they would have fun doing the activity with the groomer, at the expense of their trust towards the groomer. The person who practices this is the groomer and the child is the victim. The groomer, at times also grooms the child by threatening them and saying that they would hurt their parents or loved ones, if they report the abuse to the elders they trust. The child must be beware and be confident that the elders at home, such as, parents, grandparents and elder siblings who can understand and convey the issue to the adult, must be trusted and no one can harm the child’s parents. The child must understand that any act by even a trusted individual that makes the child uncomfortable, must be reported to their parents, teachers or any person, the child trusts.

How to respond to a bully and the actions that can be taken: Responding or showing emotions of fear and vulnerability encourages the bully to hurt the victim more. Hence, one has to be cautious of how one responds to a bully.Checkout our child safety courses, course on bullying to understand more: https://courses.ourvoix.com/

Child Sexual Abuse awareness and raising our voice against it is the need of the hour. Children, as we have known them, are the purest form of beings existing and we, have the responsibility for their safety, as it was our choice to bring them to this world. At the same time, gaining their trust is the biggest achievement any parent can do, because the children learn how to talk and respond to situations, by observing us. Child sexual abuse is the most inhuman crime and memory that children must bear for the rest of their lives. Our responsibility doesn’t end with teaching them the safe and unsafe touch. More than the children themselves, the parents must keep looking out for any signs, that the children are showing. Also, when the adults observe that the child is trying to start a conversation, do not snap at the child or make hasty decisions about what the child is expressing. A listening ear is what they need the most now. Calm the child down and tell them, that they have no guilt to be carried as it’s not their fault at all. In fact, the offender is the one who would have to undergo the shame and agony for the rest of their lives. Talk to the child and assure that the child is trusted and that the offender will be punished soon, and they will cause no harm to the child or the parent, thereafter. Thank the child for having trusted you and saying that they are brave enough that they opened up about the offender and the agony they were going through.Checkout our child safety courses: https://courses.ourvoix.com/

It is said that "home is where the heart is." However, it is also where youngsters are first socialised into gender conventions, attitudes, and stereotypes.Without a doubt, the home setting has the greatest impact on gender role development, with parents modelling and passing on their own gender ideas to their children.Checkout our child safety courses: https://courses.ourvoix.com/

Let us listen to some frequently asked questions related to child sexual abuse and understand their answers.Checkout our courses on Child safety: https://courses.ourvoix.com/

Many of the same feelings that adults experience are experienced by young toddlers. Children become enraged, sad, disappointed, nervous, happy, or ashamed, yet they frequently lack the language to adequately communicate their emotions. Instead, they may communicate their emotions through acts that aren't always suitable.Proper activities can help establish and understand personal boundaries.Checkout our courses on Child safety: https://courses.ourvoix.com/

Every child is different, each child is distinctive, and each child is lovely. Don't compare your child to others, just as the sun and moon have never been compared. It is the responsibility of parents to persuade and encourage their children. There will be no two people with the same talent. Do not compare them to other members of your family or friends. They have radically diverse learning styles and paces from birth, and they are not only capable of learning but also collectively capable of succeeding.Parenting is the process of encouraging and nurturing a child's physical, emotional, social, and cognitive growth from birth to adulthood. Except for the biological link, parenting refers to all elements of raising a child. A person's general method of behaviour for boosting his or her children. If they aren't aware of a youngster, they shouldn't be expected to do anything. With little to no engagement, provide the kid with what he or she needs to survive. Every child has his or her own work of art and a beautiful heart, and as parents, we must respect their time and talent. Don't try to force them to participate in the race if you don't know where they're supposed to be.Checkout our courses on Child safety: https://courses.ourvoix.com/

In India, a child has the right to be safeguarded at home and elsewhere from neglect, exploitation, and abuse. Abuse, exploitation, violence, neglect, commercial sexual exploitation, trafficking, child labour, and harmful traditional practices, to name a few, are all things that children have the right to be protected from.Fundamental Rights for Children are enlisted below:1. The Right to and Identity(Article 7 AND 8)2. The Right to Health (Article 23 AND 24)3. The Right to Education (Article 28)4. The Right to a Family Life (Articles 8, 9, 10, 16, 20, 22 and 40)5. The Right to be protected from violence (Articles 19 and 34)6. The Right to an opinion (Article 12 and 13)7. The Right to be protected from armed conflict (Articles 38 and 39)8. The Right to be protected from exploitation (Articles 19, 32, 34, 36 and 39)Checkout our courses on Child safety: https://courses.ourvoix.com/

The most common type of violence against children is corporal punishment. It is any punishment that involves the use of physical force with the intent of causing pain or discomfort. Respect for human dignity and bodily integrity is a violation of children's rights.Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) stipulates that any kind of corporal punishment is unacceptably harsh. It establishes that children have the right to be safeguarded from physical and mental harm and mistreatment. Governments should ensure that children are appropriately cared for and protected from violence, abuse, and neglect by their parents or other caregivers. "Take all relevant measures to ensure that school punishment is administered in a manner consistent with the child's human dignity and in conformity with the present Agreement," states Article 28(2) of the same convention.Checkout our courses on Child safety: https://courses.ourvoix.com/

Bullying was largely done in person before the Internet. Bullying occurred at the bus stop, during recess, and during school dismissal. When a child returned home, though, the bullying stopped. With the advancement of technology, online bullying, also known as cyberbullying, can now occur anywhere at any time.It's terrifying to think that your child could be constantly threatened, picked on, and intimidated. Bullies, on the other hand, can use social media to harm other children at any time of day or night.

In theory, women have equal rights to men, regardless of gender. There are also a number of government regulations and programmes aimed at promoting gender equality. Gender inequality can also be evident in the sectors of education, work, social conventions, and general public opinion. In Indian society, being born a woman means facing gender discrimination on all levels. In India, the preference for sons and aversion to daughters is a well-known phenomenon. Sons are regarded as assets in terms of economics, social status, and ritual, but daughters are regarded as liabilities. The boy child is given a formal greeting, but the girl child is not. To get rid of this undesirable presence, they use sex determination tests, female foeticide, and abortions.

An offender in a child sexual abuse case is somebody who has offended or caused harm/made the child uncomfortable/put the child’s modesty at stake ,made the child to listen to/watch inappropriate audios and videos, made inappropriate comments to the child, and even made untoward advances, that has caused mental trauma to the child, is an OFFENDER. The Offender can be any person. It can be a male, a female, a person of any age, a stranger, distant friend, a familiar face that you pass by every day or even a relative. Usually, the offenders are people from a very well known circle of people, because they find it easy to convince the child and win the confidence of the parents.

An offender in a child sexual abuse case is somebody who has offended or caused harm/made the child uncomfortable/put the child’s modesty at stake ,made the child to listen to/watch inappropriate audios and videos, made inappropriate comments to the child, and even made untoward advances, that has caused mental trauma to the child, is an OFFENDER. The Offender can be any person. It can be a male, a female, a person of any age, a stranger, distant friend, a familiar face that you pass by every day or even a relative. Usually, the offenders are people from a very well known circle of people, because they find it easy to convince the child and win the confidence of the parents.

Today lets learn about a very crucial topic that every child must be educated, to save them from child sexual abuse or any kind of violence against children. Grooming! Grooming is the act of giving any kind of greed like chocolates or treats, that would fascinate the child, or, making false promises of taking the child to a nearby park, places the child would love to be, or even showing pets like dogs, that the child would love to be with and luring the child to untoward acts and making them believe that they would have fun doing the activity with the groomer, at the expense of their trust towards the groomer. The person who practices this is the groomer and the child is the victim. The groomer, at times also grooms the child by threatening them and saying that they would hurt their parents or loved ones, if they report the abuse to the elders they trust. The child must be beware and be confident that the elders at home, such as, parents, grandparents and elder siblings who can understand and convey the issue to the adult, must be trusted and no one can harm the child’s parents. The child must understand that any act by even a trusted individual that makes the child uncomfortable, must be reported to their parents, teachers or any person, the child trusts.

The Fifth and foremost power is that the child should be empowered with is the power of “VOICE”. Once the child stops fearing and starts raising their voice against those who try to abuse the child, awareness would be raised and many will spread the word, bringing an end to the inhuman act. Any parent should not stop or hide such incidents, worrying about the family’s pride or the child’s future. In many cases, this turns favourable to the offender and the lives of many children are put at stake. Hence the family of the victim and also the society must take legal actions against the offenders. As per the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 19, and our constitution says that Children have a right to safety and all the offenders who have caused any kind of sexual abuse to the minors have been punished under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences under(POCSO), according to which, any person who is known to the child and causes sexual abuse to the child is punished very severely. In cases, where the child is not heard by the adults at home or school, the child can report the same to the Child Helpline number 1098 or lodge an E complaint on the E- POCSO box. The authorities will take responsibility from thereon. Given the technology and the awareness we are now privileged with, we must all join hands to save the little lives from such acts any further.

The Fourth power is the power of TRUST. The child should be given the belief that if the abuse is reported to an adult, it is nothing to be scared about and that the adults are here to help. Such should be the rapport of a trustworthy person with the child. The people that the child can trust are, Mother, Father, Teacher, Grandmother, Grandfather etc.; but it needs to be a person above the age of 18 years. The child must be taught to never give up and keep reporting this, until some adult hears them out and takes appropriate action. Also, the child must be taught not to keep any secrets to themselves and if the offender tells the child to keep the abuse a “Secret” or threatens to hurt their parents or says that the parents won’t believe even if the child reports the crime, the child must be well informed that neither of what the offender says is untrue and nor can the offender cause any harm to the parents. Also, the child need not be obliged to or have any guilt for any favors or treats that the offender had been giving the child in return for the abuse. Even if the offender is elder to the child and touches the child inappropriately, it should be considered an abuse. The child should be raised to believe that, now and never in future, are unfavorable situations or being a victim makes the child anyway guilty and that they should be alert always.

The Third power is the power to say “NO!”. When the child realizes that the offender is trying to cause any harm or is touching them inappropriately, the child must shout ‘NO’ loudly, shout out for help and start running to escape from the offender. This usually panics the offender and before the offender can realize the situation, the child must try to reach someplace safe, and inform it first hand to someone trustworthy.

The Second Power is the power to differentiate between a Safe Touch and an Unsafe Touch. Safe touch is the one that makes us comfortable. Like, the mother’s loving hug, A hi-five with a friend, a Pat by the teacher or a handshake. Because these are safe and right.On the other hand, an unsafe touch is something, which makes the child feel like crying, the child feels scared and unsafe and makes the child sad, because of the person’s touch. Not only physical touch even making gestures, showing inappropriate pictures or videos, following the child and making unnecessary comments and using bad words can be categorized as unsafe. Unsafe touch can happen to anyone and not to one gender in specific. Touching the child’s private parts, kissing/cuddling without the child’s permission, showing the private parts of the offender to the child and clicking inappropriate pictures of the child, can be some instances of unsafe touch.

Any offender’s biggest power is the child’s innocence and belief that the child wouldn’t be aware of what is happening to him/her and hence the offender can get away from the crime easily. This must change. Its high time that we raise children about the powers they are blessed with but aren’t aware. It is every parent, teacher, friend and society’s responsibility to be educated about these, so that, we can empower the children too and bring an end to child sexual abuse. Every child should be educated about:1) The children have “The Right over their body and their private parts.” The private parts are the parts of the body, which are either covered by underwear or a swimsuit. The parts that we can define as private are, our LIPS,CHEST,HIPS, BUTTOCKS, and THE AREA BETWEEN TWO LEGS. By private we mean that, these parts of the body have access to, only by the child’s parents, the doctor, The guardian( for children who don’t have parents). The doctor too can access the child’s body only in the parents’ presence.

Why did you respond to them at the first place?  Haven’t I told you not to accept treats from strangers?   See what your greed has led you to. Don’t try to sound like an adult, you are just a kid. Remember that.  That’s why I shouldn’t have let you watch those songs on TV.   Stop imagining and making up stories. He is our relative and they have helped us a lot financially. So keep your mouth shut.  Well, you just listened to some instances of victim-blaming happening. Now, What is Victim Blaming? Victim blaming is a devaluing act that occurs when the victim(s) of a crime or an accident is held responsible — in whole or in part — for the crimes that have been committed against them. This blame can appear in the form of negative social responses from immediate family members, legal, medical, and mostly from the media and other acquaintances. This misunderstanding may lead them to believe that the child suffered it because the child left it neglected, didn’t teach them how to respond in adverse situations or even worse, weren’t strict with the child’s upbringing. As a result, it can be very difficult for victims to cope when they are blamed for what has happened to them. Questions, such as “why didn’t she just leave?” Violent acts are always choices that individuals make. Yet, it is the people who are harmed by violent acts that often receive negative responses from their loved ones. Why is it that some victims and survivors of violent crime get blamed for what has happened to them through no fault of their own? Crime victims are often scrutinized as to who they were with, what they were wearing, or what they might have done to cause the violence committed against them. The scrutiny should befall violence itself — we must speak out against those who choose to use violence as a mean. Blaming the victim makes it more difficult for the child to come forward and report the assault. On a societal level, it means fewer crimes get reported and fewer predators get prosecuted. Victim blaming also reinforces predator-like attitudes. It allows perpetrators to avoid being held accountable for their actions.Victim blaming can lead to increased and unnecessary suffering for the child. They may experience ridicule—while at the same time watching their predators avoid punishment instead of getting the justice they deserve. This may increase unhelpful emotions like shame and guilt as it delays their healing. It may also add to their toxic self-blame and remain as a scar for the rest of their lives.

An offender in a child sexual abuse case is somebody who has offended or caused harm/made the child uncomfortable/put the child’s modesty at stake, made the child listen to/watch inappropriate audios and videos, made inappropriate comments to the child, and even made untoward advances, that has caused mental trauma to the child, is an OFFENDER. The Offender can be any person. It can be a male, a female, a person of any age, a stranger, a distant friend, a familiar face that you pass by every day or even a relative. Usually, the offenders are people from a very well known circle of people, because they find it easy to convince the child and win the confidence of the parents.Checkout our courses: https://ourvoix7225.ongraphy.com/s/store

Today let's learn about a very crucial topic that every child must be educated, to save them from child sexual abuse or any kind of violence against children. Grooming! Grooming is the act of giving any kind of greed like chocolates or treats, that would fascinate the child, or, making false promises of taking the child to a nearby park, places the child would love to be, or even showing pets like dogs, that the child would love to be with and luring the child to untoward acts and making them believe that they would have fun doing the activity with the groomer, at the expense of their trust towards the groomer. The person who practices this is the groomer and the child is the victim. The groomer, at times also grooms the child by threatening them and saying that they would hurt their parents or loved ones if they report the abuse to the elders they trust. The child must be beware and be confident that the elders at home, such as parents, grandparents and elder siblings who can understand and convey the issue to the adult, must be trusted and no one can harm the child’s parents. The child must understand that any act by even a trusted individual that makes the child uncomfortable, must be reported to their parents, teachers or any person, the child trusts.Check out our courses: https://ourvoix7225.ongraphy.com/s/store

Child sexual abuse is everyday news. Multiple child abuse cases remain unheard and eventually forgotten. Join Megha Bhatia, the founder of Our Voix, a social enterprise that prevents child sexual abuse. In this podcast, she’s joined by Bharti Ali Ma'am, Co-Founder and Executive Director of HAQ: Centre for Child Rights. The journey through body safety and its essentiality, aiming to make childhood safe again.Bharti Ma'am emphasis the need to work with teachers. "We need to work with teachers as a community. Teachers don’t have the language or skills to deal with the magnitude of the problem of child sexual abuse.""We are okay to talk about injury in the eye but not about injury in the vagina."- Bharti Ma'amHAQ- HAQ is a human rights organisation that focuses on all rights for all children, recognising them as citizens of today and adults of tomorrow.You can connect with HAQ on their website and Instagram Share your feedback and recommendations on [email protected] and stay connected with us on Instagram @ourvoixTogether make childhood safe again.

In india every second child is sexually abused. There is a huge increase in the cases of child sexual abuse during covid time. 4 child victim every hour. Behind these statistics lies the real stories of children who are sexually abused. It's crucial that we speak up.Check our comic books and resources on Instagram @ourvoix#ourvoix #istandforbachpan #ourvoixcomic

Burst the Myths around child sexual abuse. The episode covers questions such as Boys are sexually abused? Can a female abuse a child? Is child sexual abuse preventable?Raise #ourvoix together and together make childhood safe again. Our Voix, is a youth led organisation working on child sexual abuse prevention. Reach out to us on Instagram @ourvoix

Child sexual abuse is a scary thing but talking about it should not be. You can also start the talk with children by using our animated movies on ourvoix youtube channel.Together make childhood safe again.