It is said that “the scars you can’t see are the hardest to heal”.

Child Sexual Abuse is a rampant problem in our country that often goes unreported. It is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for any kind of sexual stimulation. This includes not only sexual assault but also non-touch forms of abuse like uttering words, sounds, gestures, or showing objects with sexual intent to the child, stalking the child etc.

Both boys and girls around the world face child sexual abuse, often at the hands of a person who is known to them. It has cast its shadow over 39 million survivors.

The effects of childhood sexual abuse are long lasting and devastating. We believe that children everywhere deserve a positive future, the chance to grow and learn in safety – free from threat of any kind of abuse.

There are various steps we can take to keep children as safe as possible. This means making sure the places where they spend time are safe, giving adults the knowledge and understanding to take action against abuse and helping children speak out about it.

Creating awareness is the way forward. Sensitising people, especially adults, about the different forms of child sexual abuse is a must.

Please sign the petition and add your voice to those of us calling for action to safeguard the future of our generations and eradicate child sexual abuse. We call upon the Ministry of Women and Child Development to be proactive in organising and supporting awareness and sensitisation programmes about child sexual abuse and the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act of 2012.

This petition is part of the BACHPAN VIKASATI project (now renamed as Dawn) by Sahayam Charitable Trust. Find out more at http://www.sahayam.org/bachpan-vikasati/

Sahayam Charitable Trusts' project, Dawn, focuses on sensitizing adults on the non-touch forms of child sexual abuse (CSA). We have made it our mission to educate adults about all kinds of sexual abuse, even the non-touch forms of sexual abuse towards children.

www.sahayam.org