Camp residents sensitised on ills of child sexual abuse
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, October 23 2023:
A training and sensitisation programme on child sexual abuse for stakeholders along with counselling for inmates of relief camps was organised by the Psychiatry Department of JNIMS under Ministry of Law and Justice, at the relief camp opened in Khuman Lampak here on Monday.
Speaking on the occasion, JNIMS Psychiatry Department head K Shantibala informed that the programme organised as part of the two-year project under POCSO Act will cover all 16 districts and include total of 37 training and sensitisation programmes to help 2500 stakeholders understand how to prevent child sexual abuse and what action to takein such cases.
The programme on Monday was the 37th organised, she added.
Shantibala continued that the number of child sexual abuse cases in the state is quite high, but many do not report it due to shame and fear of social stigma.
She then said that the inmates of relief camp are one of the targeted groups and special population.
The children staying in the relief camps need more protection, considering the fact that around 47 per cent of girls and 53 per cent of boys are victims of crimes against children.
The programme was also attended by NIMHANS Child & Adolescent Psychiatry professor Dr Sekhar Seshadri as resource person.