“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” – Nelson Mandela.

Child sexual abuse laws in India have been enacted as part of the child protection policies of India. The Parliament of India passed the ‘Protection Of Children Against Sexual Offences Bill (POCSO), 2011‘ regarding child sexual abuse on 22 May 2012, making it an Act.

A POCSO workshop was organized by Project CACA (Children Against Child Abuse) and it was held for the teachers of Adamas World School on 24th June 2023. The presentation was followed by an impactful and highly significant discussion on the subject matter that helped the teachers to get a broader understanding of what POCSO stands for and what role a teacher can play to ensure the safety of our precious school children.

The speaker, Chandana Bose, gave an eye-opening introduction followed by a detailed explanation about what POCSO stands for and what Project CACA has been doing to facilitate and implement the policies of POCSO in various schools of India.

Awareness and being alert is essential when it comes to dealing with problems faced by children, including those of abuse. They depend on adults for protection and comfort. We must do our bit so that children feel confident enough to approach us and confide in us if they have experienced any sort of abuse especially those that are sexual in nature.

Important to note: a child may call this toll free number 1098 if they want to report any abuse.

Children are also citizens. They, too, have rights like other citizens. They also have special rights called child rights. An empowered child changes everything! Project CACA

We should all strive to remember these words and ensure that the rights of each child are protected and that each child is heard.