CHENNAI : Ashort film featuring young men and women sharing their traumatic experiences of sexual abuse in their childhood was screened recently. The audience carefully paid attention to the type of incidents, the people involved and the impact it leaves in the mind of kids even after they grow up. As part of the World Child Safety Week, the Madras Literary Society screened documentary films. Three volunteers from AWARE were present to facilitate discussions.
The documentary addressed issues through personal stories. The common reactions from parents after listening to their child’s revelation are — blaming the kids, asking them to keep it a secret or ignoring it completely. The perpetrators are mostly known people. However, these experiences tend to impact later in life with psychological disturbances. The purpose behind the session was for both parents and children to help each other understand better so that parents can protect their children and children can come out of their fear.
“We had a screening on this topic even in 2016. MLS has zero tolerance for child sexual abuse. The staff members are also trained in self-defense. Our motive is to offer a children-friendly space,” says Thirupurasundari Sevvel, secretary of MLS. They recently launched a children’s corner with around 560 books.
“Mohan Raman, who was the honorary secretary from 2000, re-emphasised on having a kids and Tamil literature section. We have focussed on law, social justice, inclusiveness and history. There are all kinds of books including tactile, braille and audio books,” she says adding gender-neutral books help shape up the thought patterns of children. The library has planned for more children-related events. A toy-making workshop is expected to be held next month.