Good Touch Bad Touch conference

"I wasn't sure if abuse was a normal thing that happened with everyone around or just me."

Sambhali Trust, in collaboration with Child Welfare Committee, organised a conference that directly addresses child sexual abuse. This is an incredibly taboo subject in India, and rarely reported for many reasons. Firstly, the victim and their family are highly stigmatised which means there are severe social repercussions of reporting such abuse. Secondly, the lack of education about these matters and the fact that it is never talked about means children do not know that what is happening to them is wrong. Worryingly, among children that are abused, 28% tell a trusted adult and only 3.4% of cases are reported to the police. The combination of these factors means that child sexual abuse in India is a unique and highly sensitive topic. Most importantly, the silence allows the abuse to continue. Which is where this conference comes in.

The Good Touch Bad Touch conference was a radical step not only in educating people (parents and children) but even by discussing the issue and mentioning the word 'sex'. The aim is to make it impossible to for people to remain ignorant, and instead confront this serious subject. The conference discussed the complex social issues that perpetuate the oblivion of Indian citizens to sexual abuse. Sarah, a Sambhali psychology intern from America, talked the audience through how parents should approach children and make them aware of sexual child abuse, showing how simple this conversation can be. This video, from Amir Khan's popular talk show, is highly accessible and shows how such a short and simple conversation with a child can have profound effects.

We had a panel discussion, where questions were put to professionals from different fields - doctors, headteachers, lawyers, psychologists and social workers. People from the audience asked questions related to their personal experiences of sexual abuse, the role of the parents, the role of the state and support available, such as Childline. It was a very animated discussion, and amazing to see so many people spanning across so many fields unite and share a common urge to tackle this taboo. This conference has laid the foundation for child sexual abuse to be considered as paramount in education, law, policing and policy.

We want No - Go - Tell to be made compulsory in schools throughout Rajasthan. We want children to understand that 'bad touches' are unacceptable, that they are innocent victims and that they should tell a trusted adult. We want parents to teach children this. And we want parents to trust their child and act when their child confides in them. We want parents to prioritise their child and report the incident so that no other child can be abused by this criminal. We want society to stigmatise the criminal and support the victim. And we want the law to be practiced, and victims to be punished.

 

 

Women's Rights Workshop

Last week, I ran a workshop for the women of Jodhpur Empowerment Centre about women's rights. It was inspired by a series of workshops the previous week by some local law students, who spoke about women's rights, human rights, child rights and how to report incidents to the police. We discussed the Indian Constitution:

• The right to equality
• The right  to freedom
• Equal pay for equal work
• The right to economic development
• The right to education
• The right to freedom of religion

This got me thinking about the reality of these rights - although every Indian citizen is theoretically entitled to these basic promises, to what extent are they enacted? From very basic demands that are largely dismissed yet still significant (the right to wear jeans) to more pressing issues, such as the right to chose your husband, or to chose not to have a husband at all.

 

I began by asking women to think about the things they are grateful for in their lives, that are available to them because they are women. Many responses were linked to Sambhali - they are happy to be able to read, to speak English, to sew, to do embroidery. Many women were also grateful for their families and children. We then thought about the things these women wish they were able to do, but is not possible at the moment. The responses were often economic - they would like a house, a car, some women even said they wanted a book. Some women wanted children, and something I found very significant was that some women said they wanted to not have children. Definitely a rebellion against the Indian status quo. We finished by discussing what these women want for their children and the future - a good husband, a good education, to be a lawyer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This workshop let these women dream - about things not currently possible, about what they can change to make possible for their children. But it is more than a dream - simple things they may deem insignificant can gradually change society's notion of what is and isn't acceptable, presenting a challenge both the caste and patriarchal systems that paralyse the social mobility of unprivileged citizens such as those of the Jodhpur Empowerment Centre.