To sensitize parents about child sexual abuse and to understand what parents know or should know to help their kids be safe, Podar Institute of Education conducted a survey with 6,300 parents?.? PIE conducted ?the ?survey? ?across Mumbai (2500 parents), Ahmedabad (1800 parents) and Bangalore (2000 parents) and it was based on the following questions- What is child sexual abuse? Mumbai - 1800 out of the 2500 parents?said ?child sexual abuse? meant rape?. 500 parents did not think ?'?sexual?'? should be a term associated with children. According to them, it is not rape, but maybe ?a wrong touch. 200 parents were not aware of the term. In Ahmedabad - 1700 out of 1800 parents felt that child sexual abuse? meant rape?. The rest felt that it is common for children to be touched in all ?their ?body parts. In Bangalore - 1900 parents out of 2000 answered that any kind of touch in ‘private parts’ is child sexual abuse. Most of them felt that touching other body parts ?of children is not child sexual abuse. Do you think child sexual abuse happens to girls or boys? 78% of parents in all 3 cities felt that boys are not sexually abused, only girls are, and they related it more to penetration. At what age should you worry about child sexual abuse and make your child aware about it? Common results in all three cities were observed. 80% felt after age 4, 10% after age 6 and 10% felt that as soon as they start school or daycare, any age. (?Statistics show that children below the age of 5 years have a high incidence of child sexual abuse thus). Do you know about teaching good touch?/?bad touch to your child? Again the same results in all three cities - 58% ?said ?N?o, the school ?teaches this?, or No, we have never felt the need to t?alk about it?. 32% ?said ?yes, I try and ?teach my kids at least once a month. 10%? said they knew about it but didn't? know ?how to tell their children about it. Who do you think you need to be alert about and keep your child safe from? Options given here were - neighbors, servants and other support staff, family, strangers. The results were worrisome- 78% said only from strangers, 5% said all of them, and 17% said servants and other support staff. If something like this were to happen to your child, whom would you go to for help/reporting? Again worrisome results- 55% will not report; will discuss and handle it in the family, 20% will go to the media, 20% will talk to police or concerned authority, 5% don’t know, have not thought about it. Why would you not report? 72% because of social stigma to the family and child, 20% responded, ‘How will it help? People are undeterred and crimes are still happening’, 8% would rather handle it by going and hitting the person etc. Are you aware of the law in this country against child sexual abuse- 70% said no. 16% said yes, but I have not read it, 14% said yes and I have kept a copy. (Sadly parents were not aware of the POCSO act and thought only schools can use it). Between a choice of family, teacher, doctor, friend and police, whom would you first confide in or report any doubt that you have that your child has been abused. 76%- said to friends, 20% said to doctor, 2% said to teachers if it has happened in school and 2% said to police or media. Would you report or file an FIR if your child is sexually abused? 55% parents said no they will think twice. On asking why they would not report 40% parents were afraid that ?the ?child?'s? name ?would ?be reported in ?the ?media and 39% did not want to report because their family will not allow or because they were afraid of repercussions from the culprit. Swati Popat Vats, President of PIE, said, “Parents should train children about good touch and bad touch and god forbid if their child becomes a victim of CSA then they should not hesitate to file an FIR as not filing one makes the culprits strong and also makes more children the victim of CSA. Parents must become aware of the POCSO act.” Looking at the above results PIE have made ?a ?11?-?point handout to create awareness among parents and have circulated it on social media so that parents can be made aware and alert?ed? about the same.

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