Child sexual abuse: Videos are filling in for what many parents are unable to tell their children
Malayalam actor Nivin Pauly, among others, shows how adults can start the conversation.
Teaching children about sexual abuse can be tricky. The short film No Go Tell tries to explain things with the analogy of road accidents. “What do we do to avoid it (accidents while riding bikes and cars)?” asks Malayalam actor Nivin Pauly to a group of children in a park.
After encouraging children to respond about various kinds of safety measures for dangerous situations they are familiar with, Pauly begins to list safety measures against child sexual abuse without actually using the words.
Instead, he teaches them to say, “No, go, tell” if anyone touches them inappropriately. He further distinguishes between “good touch” and “bad touch” for the young ones to realise that they have the right to say “no” to those who try to abuse their authority as adults.
In a friendly and casual tone, Pauly asks the children to make a list of five adults they can trust, who can be like their “bodyguards”. They are ones to “go” to and “tell” about the what they experienced.
The video, released by Bodhini – an organisation that offers support in cases of violence and abuse – ends on an important note: “It’s not your fault in any way.”
Children often blame themselves for bad things that happen in their lives even if it isn’t their fault. The video for the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights encourages children to not fear punishment for reporting abuse. Instead it lets them know that they’ve done the right thing.
In 2012, Aamir Khan had also devoted part of this Satyamev Jayate episode on child abuse to teaching children about bad touch and good touch (video below).
