Initiative to prevent sexual abuse of children at RU: The independent.
Date : 14 February 2020
“Primary school sex education will make our kids aware about molestation. Awareness may prevent this type of abuse and ensure secure childhood”___ Jahidul Islam, RU.
To create awareness about sexual harassment and abuse of children from an early age, The 6th Sense, a voluntary organisation of Rajshahi University (RU), is working in different schools.
With the slogan ‘Create sound breaking silence, ensure safety of children’, the organisation hold awareness sessions every Saturday with guardians and teachers.
The 6th Sense provides sex education to children aged five to 10 years through workshops. In its 'Seeking Safe Childhood' project, the organisation teaches the children to differentiate between 'good and bad touch'. It tells children to inform their guardians if anyone touches their private parts.
It also conducts surveys on abuse and provides free counselling to traumatised kids. It also helps people to take legal steps against the offenders.
This organisation urges children to protest against sexual abuse by breaking silence to ensure safety. It believes that such protests will scare away abusers and paedophiles.
With the aim of building a Bangladesh where girls would not have to face sexual harassment and abuse, The 6th Sense launched its campaign on February 14 last year at a press conference held at RU's central cafeteria. It has already set up two branches at the Noakhali Science and Technology University and Mawlana Vasani Science and Technology University in Tangail.
“With the voluntary service, we have trained up around 6,000 students in 22 schools of Rajshahi district. Our kids will be secure and get a safe childhood. After running the project for five years, we plan to launch a movement for 'compulsory sex education' in Bangladesh,” said the organisation's general secretary Md Momen.
“We have done workshops in 22 primary schools with more than 6,000 children. We found 30–40 per cent of among them had already been abused," he noted. “We have planned to open branches of The 6th Sense in all public, private and national universities. This will help us spread our message to children and prevent their abuse," he added.
Nowrin Pallaybi, president of the organisation, said: “Sexual abuse of children is a grave problem in Bangladesh. Statistics show that several thousand children are being abused every year. It is an under-reported offence that has reached epidemic proportions. The effects are depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, complex post-traumatic stress disorder, further victimisation in adulthood, and physical injury to the child."
“Sexual abuse by a family member is a form of incest and can result in a more serious and long-term psychological trauma, especially in the case of parental incest.
Primary school sex education will make our kids aware about molestation. Awareness may prevent this type of abuse and ensure secure childhood,” she added.
RU student advisor Prof. Laila Arjuman Banu, an advisor to the organisation, said: “Sexual abuse is a crime. Most students face this problem from relatives, family members, and friends. Time has come to create awareness by going from door to door.”
“Bangabandhu Shiekh Mujibur Rahman wanted a Bangladesh where children would play without fear. Our organisation is working to fulfil the dream of Bangabandhu,” she added.
Source : The Independent News
Date : 14 February 2020
“Primary school sex education will make our kids aware about molestation. Awareness may prevent this type of abuse and ensure secure childhood”___ Jahidul Islam, RU.
To create awareness about sexual harassment and abuse of children from an early age, The 6th Sense, a voluntary organisation of Rajshahi University (RU), is working in different schools.
With the slogan ‘Create sound breaking silence, ensure safety of children’, the organisation hold awareness sessions every Saturday with guardians and teachers.
The 6th Sense provides sex education to children aged five to 10 years through workshops. In its 'Seeking Safe Childhood' project, the organisation teaches the children to differentiate between 'good and bad touch'. It tells children to inform their guardians if anyone touches their private parts.
It also conducts surveys on abuse and provides free counselling to traumatised kids. It also helps people to take legal steps against the offenders.
This organisation urges children to protest against sexual abuse by breaking silence to ensure safety. It believes that such protests will scare away abusers and paedophiles.
With the aim of building a Bangladesh where girls would not have to face sexual harassment and abuse, The 6th Sense launched its campaign on February 14 last year at a press conference held at RU's central cafeteria. It has already set up two branches at the Noakhali Science and Technology University and Mawlana Vasani Science and Technology University in Tangail.
“With the voluntary service, we have trained up around 6,000 students in 22 schools of Rajshahi district. Our kids will be secure and get a safe childhood. After running the project for five years, we plan to launch a movement for 'compulsory sex education' in Bangladesh,” said the organisation's general secretary Md Momen.
“We have done workshops in 22 primary schools with more than 6,000 children. We found 30–40 per cent of among them had already been abused," he noted. “We have planned to open branches of The 6th Sense in all public, private and national universities. This will help us spread our message to children and prevent their abuse," he added.
Nowrin Pallaybi, president of the organisation, said: “Sexual abuse of children is a grave problem in Bangladesh. Statistics show that several thousand children are being abused every year. It is an under-reported offence that has reached epidemic proportions. The effects are depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, complex post-traumatic stress disorder, further victimisation in adulthood, and physical injury to the child."
“Sexual abuse by a family member is a form of incest and can result in a more serious and long-term psychological trauma, especially in the case of parental incest.
Primary school sex education will make our kids aware about molestation. Awareness may prevent this type of abuse and ensure secure childhood,” she added.
RU student advisor Prof. Laila Arjuman Banu, an advisor to the organisation, said: “Sexual abuse is a crime. Most students face this problem from relatives, family members, and friends. Time has come to create awareness by going from door to door.”
“Bangabandhu Shiekh Mujibur Rahman wanted a Bangladesh where children would play without fear. Our organisation is working to fulfil the dream of Bangabandhu,” she added.
Source : The Independent News
