A child should ‘yell, run and talk’ when he or she encounters any incident or attempt of sexual, physical or emotional abuse, was the clear message given by almost all the speakers in a workshop organised on the subject of ‘precautionary measures needed to prevent child abuse’, by Gurgaon Police. The unique initiative, titled ‘Are our children safe?’ saw the participation of over 250 school principals, parents, NGOs and members of civil society, as well as the police and civil administration. Delivering his keynote address, Commissioner of Police Alok Mittal said that since the children devote more than 50 percent of their time at educational institutions, the schools and parents need to be sensitised on child abuse. He said that he got a cue from Aamir Khan’s ‘Satyamev Jayate’ and DCP (East) Nazneen Bhasin took on the responsibility to set up the workshop. Mittal said that the incidents of child abuse across the country are so high that one can get scared only thinking of it. He said that the guidelines for schools, for helping curb incidents of child abuse in their premises or while children are on the way to the school, will soon be uploaded on the website of Gurgaon Police. Thereafter suggestions would be invited from the general public (including on the Gurgaon Police website), before finalising and implementing the policy by September 15 in district Gurgaon. Violators will face legal action. Mittal added that this serious issue required a combined effort from the District Administration, NGOs, Civil Society Groups, teachers and parents, in order to make a real difference. “Gurgaon can set an example of being a ‘child abuse free city’ in the country,” he said. DCP (East) Nazneen Bhasin, who is driving this initiative, said, “This has become a citizens’ movement, because safety of our children is everyone’s concern. The guiding principle is that ‘parents should be empowered, schools should be sensitised’. Through this initiative we hope to make every school in Gurgaon a completely safe zone for children”. During the programme a presentation also showed the measures that school authorities should take to make every school a safe place for children. A panel discussion of five eminent experts from various fields was also held, in which the speakers suggested ways to prevent child abuse. CJM Suruchi Atreja Singh said that any person who fails to give information about any criminal incident is liable for punishment under the law. She said that the Supreme Court has pronounced many decisions regarding safety measures to be adopted in schools, and they should abide by those rulings.
Salient features of Gurgaon Police Guidelines for the Safety of Children in Schools:
1. Every school must have an SSC – School Safety Committee, comprising school staff and parent representatives. Parent representatives will be chosen by the parent body (not by the school management) and will ensure that safety concerns are met.
2. Every school must have a Vigilance Officer, whose role is clearly spelt out. He/she will take care to ensure that dangers and risks to children are minimized, working on a detailed checklist of measures indicated in the Guidelines.
3. Verification of staff, particularly support staff, must be done in all cases - including police verification where specified.
4. Premises must be secured and access to entry/exit points controlled.
5. CCTV should be set up at crucial points on the premises; their installation may be implemented in a phased manner, in view of the costs involved.
6. Every school must appoint a qualified Counsellor, who will play a key role in educating children, staff and parents on various aspects that can help make the environment safer for the children. He/she would deal with any problem cases.
7. All schools must hold awareness and training sessions, whereby age-appropriate inputs should be given to children to make them aware of the various dangers - and ways to deal with them (the Guidelines give very detailed inputs).
8. Every child must be taught the simple response of ‘Yell, Run and Tell’ if they sense any danger or unsafe touch: ‘Yell’ achieves the dual objective of attracting the attention of others and making the person stop; ‘Run’ helps puts the maximum distance between the victim and the perpetrator; and ‘Tell’ ensures action can be taken.
9. Schools will be responsible for the safety of children not just during school hours but also for any scheduled early classes or ‘stay-back’ special classes, and school trips.
10. If the children travel by school bus or go outside town on a school trip, the school is responsible for their safety during such travel. The school cannot abdicate its responsibility by just getting the parents to sign a ‘declaration’ (saying that the school is not responsible).
11. Every school will set up a ‘Helpline’, which will permit any child to report any perceived or real threat - anonymously. There should be no need for the child to identify himself/herself.
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