As part of Faith Foundation’s ongoing efforts to promote the safety and rights of children in the state the foundation will launch its campaign on the theme “Your voice matters” with a call to action “Now more than ever” coinciding with National Child Abuse Prevention month.
The “My Safe Space Campaign” on April 3 which will be held at Don Bosco Youth Centre, Laitumkhrah seeks to raise awareness and advocate for child safety through various initiatives, to highlight the importance of protecting the children.
On the occasion, Faith Foundation’s Mascots ‘Moi and Tiew’ will be launched.
The month of April is nationally observed as the Child Abuse Prevention month.
According to Faith Foundation, Meghalaya has the third highest rate of POCSO cases in the country with 27.8 per cent of the crimes committed against children falling in this category.
A report by the Meghalaya State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights of 2023 states, that there are 2556 POCSO cases in the State out of which 1984 cases are pending till date.
The report also states that the state saw a rapid increase in child sexual abuse cases during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The statistics from the Meghalaya Police also show that POCSO cases are increasing rapidly every year with 371 cases reported in 2022. But these reported cases are just the tip of the iceberg; many other cases continue to be brushed under the carpet,” Faith Foundation stated.
With a vision to amplify awareness on the issue of child sexual abuse and highlighting the importance of children’s safety and protection, in the year 2023, Faith Foundation launched its first ever one month campaign called the ‘My Safe Space Campaign’ which aims at creating mass awareness and sensitization on the issue of child sexual abuse.
Faith Foundation is the only child rights organisation in Meghalaya to work specifically on the prevention of child sexual abuse for the past 10 years now.
The foundation has been instrumental in bringing a model of child sexual abuse prevention and life skills curriculum in the schools to encourage children and institutions to talk about personal safety education.
According to Faith Foundation child sexual abuse is a highly sensitive issue.
The foundation stated that there is denial and reluctance on the side of the society to accept that such an issue exists.
“Our journey in this field has made us realise that silence triumphs over justice, parents would rather forget and let it go than to report, communities would rather compromise than report. Our battle is geared towards breaking this silence. Child sexual abuse is a human rights violation; it strips the child of its dignity and takes away their right to live a life free of harm and violence,” Faith Foundation stated.
