Pledging his complete support to spreading awareness on child abuse, Rajya Sabha MP and Essel Group Chairman Dr Subhash Chandra on Monday said there was a need to sensitise the entire country and society to this problem.
“I felt this is an issue throughout the country. The society is not sensitive to it. If something happens to a child at home or outside, the parents try to hide it instead of discussing it. Abusers should be ashamed, not those who are abused. There is a need to sensitise the entire country and society in this regard,” Dr Chandra said.
He was addressing a gathering before flagging off the Bharat Yatra — a nationwide march against sexual abuse and trafficking of children — along with Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar.
“Whenever I go to any college or among the students, I start discussing this issue. I have seen so many things. If this incident happens with anyone in his or her childhood, it haunts them forever,” he said.
Congratulating Satyarthi on the initiative, Dr Chandra thanked Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti for taking out time to attend this programme. “We at Zee are partners in this drive. We will try to spread this awareness wherever we can,” he said.
Talking to the media after flagging off the yatra, Dr Chandra said child abuse is a problem in the entire world. “In India, it is a bit more because our society does not talk about it. Through this Bharat Yatra, which starts from here and culminates in New Delhi on October 16, a message on being aware of this problem will be conveyed to the people,” he said.
Dr Chandra also praised the Kashmiri youth, saying they were second to none in talent. “I feel the government of India and Jammu and Kashmir government should take steps for the Kashmiri youth. They (youth) do not want turmoil. You have to show them what the way forward is. You should extend your hand to them. They are ready to walk shoulder to shoulder with you,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti requested parents to talk to their children and give them the confidence to come forward and reveal the abuse.
“When our children talk of abuse, parents ask them to shut up because it is a matter of shame. As a result the child suffocates and he is abused again and again. I request the parents to at least talk to their kids once in a month to see if they are facing any abuse at school or at other places. Unless parents give them the confidence, the child will never talk about it,” Mehbooba said.
She also requested children to inform their parents, teachers or friends if they face any abuse. “It should not be concealed. Unless you reveal it, you will continue to suffer again and again,” she said.
Referring to injuries suffered by young persons in pellet firing by security forces, the Chief Minister said children in Kashmir are being used for politics.
“Adults remain at the back and put children in the frontline. When the forces retaliate, children become victims. I have met children who have suffered pellet injuries in their eyes. They are misused because they are innocent,” she said.
In his address, Satyarthi promised to do whatever he can to save the children of Kashmir and to help them fly high and achieve their dreams.
“I request you (people), don’t use children to perpetrate violence. Whatever you do, please spare the children. They are your children, too. Please give them the chance to go ahead in life. If the youth and children pledge to free themselves from the clutches of fear and focus on studies, I will come again and do whatever I can to make you safe. I will knock at the doors of the government in Delhi and the government in J&K to allow my children to study so that they can fly and make their parents proud,” he said.
Satyarthi said violence perpetuates violence and the cycle is unending. “If even one child of Kashmir is injured and if even one child is handed guns instead of books and toys, it impacts entire humanity,” he said.
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 "Dr Subhash Chandra")
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