Awareness on Child Sexual Abuse

2023

Overview Project Name: Nirbhaya – Awareness on Child Sexual Abuse Team: Nirbhaya Project Goal: To assess and improve child sexual abuse awareness and education among students through classroom sessions. Duration: 2 months Project Objectives: Design Legal Literacy Course: Develop a simple legal literacy course for young students, serving as a foundation for designing comprehensive child-friendly courses on various social matters. Prepare Short Video: Create a short video addressing ways to report child sexual abuse in collaboration with different stakeholder parties. Project Area: Madan Bhandari College, Kathmandu Kathmandu Model College, Kathmandu Orchid School, Chitwan Gyandarsan School, Chitwan Holy Vision School, Chitwan Narayani Mabi School, Chitwan Target Group: School and college students below 18 years. Activities: Awareness Programs: Conducted awareness programs for students within and outside the Kathmandu Valley. Video Content Creation: Created short video content about child sexual abuse, its mental impact, and ways to report it by collaborating with organizations like CWIN, ChildSafeNet, and Better Help. Social Media Campaign: Posted videos on various social media platforms to raise awareness among the digital audience. Legal Provisions Discussion: Discussed legal provisions available for survivors in case of any form of abuse, whether in the past or present. Interactive Sessions: Conducted interactive sessions for enthusiastic participation from the students. Experience Sharing Sessions: Moderated sessions where students shared their experiences, creating a supportive environment. Knowledge Assessment: Studied students’ knowledge about consent, sex education, and abuse by encouraging them to fill up the questionnaire file. Outcomes: Legal Awareness: Students became aware of the legal provisions available for them to be safe from abuse. Differentiation of Touch: Participants learned about the difference between good and bad touch, recognizing that even close relatives might sometimes be perpetrators. Empathetic Environment: Created an empathetic condition by showing survivors that they are not alone, and it was not their fault for having to go through abuse. Open Dialogue: Participants gradually became comfortable talking about abuse and sharing their experiences without judgment. Social Media Impact: Through the use of social media, our video content reached more than 10,000 people. Opportunities Throughout this project, we forged collaborations, established connections, and built rapport with prominent stakeholders. Coordination with government officials and children’s networks enabled the preparation of videos to report and minimize child sexual abuse. Our self-prepared presentations and facilitated sessions equipped us with skills in research, counseling, and negotiation. Constant feedback from the ALIN team and fellows refined our implementation. In addition, we identified opportunities to address child sexual abuse effectively: Standardized Education Programs: Implement standardized child sexual abuse education programs in schools for consistent and comprehensive knowledge. Community Engagement: Engage local leaders and communities to raise awareness and support for child sexual abuse prevention. Advocacy and Legal Reforms: Advocate for legal reforms and public awareness campaigns to strengthen legal provisions related to child sexual abuse. Collaboration with NGOs: Collaborate with NGOs and government agencies to promote and expand support systems and resources for victims. Targeted Educational Initiatives: Develop targeted educational initiatives to bridge knowledge gaps and empower youth to protect themselves and their peers. Multifaceted Approach: Create a safer, informed, and supportive society through a multifaceted approach to address child sexual abuse in Nepal. Conclusion The NIRBHAYA project has illuminated a pressing issue in Chitwan and Kathmandu, Nepal—lack of awareness among students about laws related to Child Sexual Abuse. Collaborating with the Bharatpur Mahanagar Municipality Child Club created a network for support and advocacy. This collaboration emphasizes the immediate need to incorporate discussions about Child Sexual Abuse into the school curriculum and community dialogue. Child Sexual Abuse has far-reaching implications, contributing to issues like suicide, depression, and other crimes. Comprehensive education on this topic is crucial. There is much work to be done to ensure students in Chitwan and Kathmandu are equipped with the knowledge and resources to protect themselves. Raising awareness is a vital step toward creating a safer and more informed society. Collaborative efforts with the Bharatpur Mahanagar Municipality Child Club pave the way for a brighter future, where children can grow up in a safe and nurturing environment.

Digital Literacy Initiative: “Digital साक्षरता”

2023

• Security
• Education
• Awareness