Pune: The state’s Women and Child Development (WCD) department has decided to implement a comprehensive and age-appropriate curriculum covering topics like good touch and bad touch, sex education, child rights and duties, and addiction-related issues, online abuse etc. in schools across the state. During a meeting on Wednesday, the department unveiled a series of preventive measures under the Saksham Balak Abhiyan (SBA) to empower children and communities by educating them about their rights, providing clear avenues for help, and fostering a safer environment for children at school and home.
Unannounced school inspections by the Child Welfare Committee, district child protection cell, and task force will commence to safeguard children. The curriculum focuses on teaching children to identify inappropriate behaviour and know their rights from an early age. Initially aimed at students from Std I, the programme will now start in pre-primary classes with lessons on good touch and bad touch tailored to each age group.
It will also tackle social media addiction, online bullying, and pornography. “It is critical to make children aware of the dangers and how to seek help without fear,” Prashant Narnaware, state women and child development commissioner said. Narnaware said the department will coordinate with police and other stakeholders to ensure immediate action when abuse cases are reported.
“We want swift responses, and we are reinforcing preventive efforts across childcare institutions, hostels, and schools,” he added. The campaign will have in-person training, animated videos and other digital resources to help communicate sensitive topics in a child-friendly manner. These resources and the curriculum will be available on the WCD’s official website.
The state hopes that the programme will work. “We are working with education, social justice, tribal, and Bahujan Kalyan departments to implement this curriculum in all schools by next week. The goal is to create a safe and informed generation of children,” Narnaware said.
We also published the following articles recently Lessons on child safety, rights in schools by next week The state's Women and Child Development department launches a curriculum covering good touch and bad touch, sex education, and child rights, starting from pre-primary classes. The Saksham Balak Abhiyan aims to empower children and communities with preventive measures and unannounced school inspections to safeguard children and ensure their safety. Nursery kids sexually abused in Badlapur school: Tips for talking to students about good touch, bad touch Two young girls in kindergarten were victims of sexual abuse by a male attendant in the school's restroom.
The attacker, Akshay Shinde, has been arrested. This incident brings to attention the necessity of teaching children about the concept of good touch and bad touch, equipping them to identify and report inappropriate behavior early on. 2 nursery children sexually abused at school in Thane In Thane, two nursery children were sexually abused by a male school attendant.
The incident was reported when a 4-year-old girl informed her guardian, leading both families to lodge a police complaint. The police have registered a case and are actively searching for the accused..
