Combating child sexual abuse in India
When Khushi (not her real name) was three years old, she was brutally raped by a man known to her family. The abuse was so severe that Khushi had to undergo two major surgeries, which took more than a year to recover from physically.
Khushi is just one of the 53 per cent of children in India who have suffered one form of sexual abuse[1]. It is a hugely challenging issue in the country where social stigma around rape and child abuse can be a barrier to survivors getting the support they really need. In Khushi’s case, even after she had recovered physically, the child was frequently subjected to verbal, physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her family, who blamed the rape on Khushi’s ‘bad karma’.
The British Asian Trust is working to tackle this complex and sensitive issue through a holistic approach which aims to improve the resilience of vulnerable children by supporting prevention in local communities, as well as providing rehabilitation for survivors. There are only four NGOs in the entire country who are working on this issue and one of them is our partner organisation Arpan.
Arpan focuses on preventing child sexual abuse by empowering children, teachers, parents, NGO professionals and others involved in the welfare of a child to keep them safe from harm. Arpan’s model puts the child at the centre of interventions, with focus on prevention and post-harm healing.
The Trust is working closely with Arpan to develop high quality digital materials so that their successful prevention model can be scaled up. We are supporting the developments of sixteen e-books to train 30,000 stakeholders on preventing incidences of child sexual abuse, as well as reaching out to over 13,000 children who will learn about personal safety through these digital materials.
[1] New Delhi: Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India; 2007. [Last accessed on 2012 Jan 28]. Study on Child Abuse: India 2007.