Supporting children during COVID times

Teams at Enfold Proactive Health Trust have been working with child survivors of sexual abuse, and with other vulnerable children, who need support and care in Bengaluru. The majority of these children are socio-economically disadvantaged. With the current COVID situation, some of the families are unable to make ends meet due to loss of livelihoods. Survivors of abuse are also in vulnerable situations and facing hardships. The children and their families desperately need assistance for essential items, medicines, ration, and educational expenses during these trying times. Weekly follow-ups are being done and requirements are re-evaluated. We need your support to ensure these children and their families have a life of dignity and can sustain during this challenging period and beyond. Your small contribution will make a big difference in their lives.

Prevention through Personal Safety Education

50% of abusers are persons known to the child or in a position of trust and responsibility.

The 2007 study on Child Abuse by the Ministry of Women and Child Development also found that 53.22% of children interviewed reported having faced some form of sexual abuse. Easy access to the internet has further opened new avenues of exploitation of children.

Sexual Abuse of Children can be prevented to a large extent through a Personal Safety Education
Enfold India has been working towards addressing and preventing child sexual abuse across multiple platforms through age-appropriate, value-based Gender Equity, Sexuality and Personal Safety Education programs that have been extensively researched and refined since 2002. Children learn to recognize, resist and report sexual abuse to parents and teachers who have been sensitized to be supportive.

Get involved. Recommend Personal Safety education in schools and colleges. Train with Enfold to teach little children Personal Safety.

Laksha Makkala Surakshe Project

Enfold’s Laksha Makkala Surakshe Project aims to provide Personal Safety Education free of cost to 100,000 underprivileged children.
It costs us ₹ 500 to provide personal safety education and awareness to the child and sensitize the adult caregivers and stakeholders who are responsible for children’s wellbeing and safety.

• ₹ 10,000 will help us reach 20 children.
• ₹ 5,000 will help us reach 10 children.
• ₹ 2,500 will help us reach 5 children

Suvidha Project

Children with intellectual disabilities are at slightly greater risk of sexual abuse than disabled children in general, who in turn were at 3.14 times greater risk of experiencing sexual abuse than neuro-normative children.

The Suvidha kit is one of its kind, interactive, easy to use teaching-learning tool for children with intellectual developmental delay, as well as visual or auditory impairments. Since 2016, over 1,886 parents, teachers and trainers in 21 schools across India, have learnt how to talk to children with disabilities about personal safety, sexuality etiquette and reproductive care.

Enfold manufactures and provides the Suvidha Kit to children with intellectual disabilities, auditory or visual impairments, as well as train their caregivers.

Please donate to support the creation of safe spaces for children with disabilities.

Rehabilitation and Reintegration

Enfold India’s Rehabilitation and Reintegration Service is extended to the child and family that reports sexual abuse. Our Registered Support Persons assist and support affected children and their families pro bono.

Your donation will enable us to continue to support the child and family through the long and complex process of:

• Interacting with the police to file a complaint and ensure a thorough investigation
• Accessing medical services as required
• Engaging with the Public Prosecutor before and during the trial
• Accessing care and protection from Child Welfare Committees
• Accessing compensation under different government schemes
• Providing extended psycho-social care for the child and family

Your donation will also enable the training and sensitization of stakeholders involved in One Stop Centers.

Restorative Practices

Restorative practices are a mechanism to build and strengthen community, impart social and emotional learning, address misbehaviour or harm, and repair relationships. Restorative processes can be used in different settings such as the school, educational institution, family, workplace, community, and the Juvenile Justice system.

Restorative Justice in education, for instance, views misbehaviour by children as a social and emotional learning opportunity for children and presents positive alternatives to the usual disciplinary measures to foster change. Restorative practices can be used to foster life skills, build the spirit of community and relatedness among students, staff and management and create a restorative culture within the school.

Within the justice system, Restorative Justice views offences as harms that reflect a breakdown of relationships which can be set right by involving persons harmed, the person causing harm, and the community.

Respect, participation, and accountability are at the heart of restorative processes. Through Restorative Circles, a safe space can be created which helps to focus on value-based, respectful dialogue to set things right and repair relationships.

Since 2016, staff and consultants with Enfold have been trained on restorative justice processes by international experts, in India and abroad.

To initiate this work in your school, community or organization please contact info@enfoldindia.org

Community Education Initiatives

The silence that shrouds Child Sexual Abuse can be broken by building a responsive community. Children report abuse confidently when they feel supported by their parents and teachers. Families come forward and seek redressal when they find the police force supportive, medical personnel empathetic and judicial processes efficient. The trial is quicker when there has been a thorough medico-legal examination of the targeted child.

Several measures have been taken to address the issue of Child Sexual Abuse at various levels- The Prevention of Child Sexual Offence Act 2013, the various State Child Protection Policies, the inclusion of Personal Safety and Gender Empowerment in textbooks for Government schools. A number of schools also include Personal Safety Education as part of the curriculum. Enfold has been actively involved in this process.

Much more needs to be done. The ongoing sensitisation and training programs for parents, teachers, police personnel, medical personnel, public prosecutors and other members of the judiciary, and Public Health Nurses need your support. You can train to be a Personal Safety Educator, or arrange sensitization and training sessions for any of these stakeholders along with Enfold.

Demystifying Sexuality

This course on Human Sexuality and Personal Safety offers a scientific perspective on the development of human sexuality, sexual diversity, child and teen psychology and child sexual abuse. It also provides insights into the evolution of gender bias, how it perpetuates and what you can do to create gender equality in your daily interactions with people.
With an understanding of the physiology of the reproductive system and gender psychology, the course is meant to provide clarity on issues related to sexuality and reproduction. It is geared towards helping you take informed decisions with regards to your health, emotional well being, and helping you get more comfortable with your sexuality and personal relationships.
Your interactions with children will also see a positive change and you will be able to have factual, value based and age appropriate conversations with them in a comfortable manner.