The Guidelines to protect yourself: STORY, the renowned bookstore invited participation in a unique workshop for children in Kolkata called ‘RIGHT TOUCH WRONG TOUCH’, keeping in mind the sensitive issue of child abuse. The workshop was designed to guide children to differentiate between right touch and wrong touch so that they can protect themselves against sexual abuse and harassment within home or outside. The event took place at STORY, Kolkata’s most loved bookstore on 11 January 2015 from 1:00 pm onwards and was open to both kids and parents.
Safety of kids has become a grave concern across the world including our country and a major issue with incidents as gang rape of schoolgirls, sexual assault by teachers and sexual abuse by family members making rounds in the newspaper relentlessly. While such criminal activities invoke violence and social hazards; however, we see little changes in the attitude of people responsible to protect children from such causalities. One of the major drawbacks is that parents or the elder members of our families are reluctant to talk to their children about sexual abuse. “It is a conservative society where talking about sexual issues is considered taboo. But look at what ignorance can bring upon the little ones. If children are taught about the basics of self protection at an early age, they become conscious citizens with correct morale” says Siddhartha Pansari, CEO Primarc Group. “What we are doing at STORY is guiding parents in the right direction of how they can come together to stop child abuse in the city and so far the response has been wonderful”.
According to statistics in India, almost 53% of children are abused every year by relatives or other members of the family. More shockingly, kids can’t even defend themselves or tell anyone as they are spitefully told that if they utter a word, the consequences will be fatal. This results in a long lasting torture, both mental and physical. Research has shown that lots of these children don’t even know what has happened to them. Considering this serious situation, STORY; which has been extending its role to socio-cultural domain through its various events, workshops, etc. came up a step forward to educate children about different touches.
The safety workshop for children, held at STORY, educated them about various defense mechanisms which they can implement in different situations when they come across a sexual predator. “Parents need to step in to play the major role as little children will love to share their issues with them first; the workshop focused on how both parties can share a confident and strong bond to deal with sexual abuse and harassment,” Sidharth Pansari told the press.
About Us: A book store sprawling across a wide area of 15,000 sq Ft at Elgin Rd. with a diverse and generous range of books collection, STORY sells various other items from gifts to stationeries to children’s toys and more.