Coimbatore: An Avinashi-based NGO has released a short film titled ‘Thodathey’ to teach children how to protect themselves from sexual abuse.The six-minute film in Tamil teaches children what is sexual abuse, ways to say a firm ‘no’ to the perpetrator and who in their social circle they can turn to for help. It will be screened in primary and middle schools.The animated film ‘No Touch’ was made by a playschool in Bengaluru. “Since we found the video apt, we decided to dub it in Tamil and made a few modifications before releasing it,” said director of NGO Centre for Social Education and Development (CSED) C Nambi. CSED runs the Childline in Tirupur, the Railway Childline and Child Helpdesk at the Coimbatore Railway Junction.“The video mainly targets three to 10-year-old, because even the smallest children get abused,” Nambi told TOI. “The film teaches children who they can approach in their social circle to report abuse, like their parents and teachers.”Speaking about the importance of such films to create awareness and confidence in children, the NGO said in 2016, as many as 30,891 chargesheets were filed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. During the same period, 1,11,569 children were reported missing. But only 50% of them were found.Principal of PSGR Krishnammal College for Women S Nirmala launched the film at the Coimbatore Press Club.

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