CHENNAI: Summer spells happy holidays but not for Mumbai-based eight-year-old Yug Ladhwa and his parents. A month back, Yug’s parents had enrolled him for swimming classes, but little did they know that his first day of training would be the last day of his life. Yug drowned and died in the pool while training. This horrific news has raised serious questions about the safety of summer camps.
“When enrolling your child for a swimming class, it is important for parents to ensure that the coach is a trained expert,” said Nisha Millet, Olympian and founder of the Nisha Millet’s Swimming Academy in Bengaluru, when she was in Chennai for an event. “It is equally important to make sure that there aren’t too many children under one coach. We try and maintain a coach-student ratio of 1:8, beyond that it gets hard for coaches to keep track. I also urge parents to not hesitate to pay a little extra if the coach and facility are good because safety comes first.”
Most summer camps are designed to have a combination of fun and learning and are meant to instil confidence and independence. But unfortunately, many parents hesitate to ask questions about safety.
Get the right gear
Sports like skateboarding or skating, for instance, require appropriate gear to protect from potentially fatal injuries. “As with other sports, skateboarding, too, has its fair share of risks because it involves falling a lot, especially while learning,” said Saikrishna Tej Reddy, Proprietor of Madras Wheelers Skatepark. “Wearing safety gear is essential. And enrolling at a place that has a trained coach is always beneficial because they will teach children how they can fall without hurting themselves. Many tutorials are available online, but it is better to enrol in a centre as it is safer to learn from an expert. Parents should also look at enrolling their children in camps where there is a proper indoor facility for skating and skateboarding because children can learn in controlled environments, and the chances of getting hurt badly outdoors, is higher.”
Yug’s tragic death is a wake-up call for parents. Counsellors and coaches emphasise the need to send children to reputed sports academies or clubs. “Parents should send their children to a club that is recognised by the national body of that particular sport,” said a member of the Royal Madras Yacht Club, which is among the clubs in the city that conducts sailing camps. “The RMYC, for instance, is recognised by the Yachting Association of India (YAI) and all the coaches are certified from the YAI. Going to such clubs only means that proper equipment and safety measures will be in place.”
Talk to your child
Safety is important in more ways than one and an oft-overlooked aspect is keeping children safe from abuse at camps.
Vidya Reddy, founder of Tulir - Centre for the Prevention and Healing of Child Sexual Abuse (CPHCSA) insists that parents should teach their children the distinction between ‘safe touch’ and ‘unsafe touch.’ “Make sure you know the whereabouts of your children as well as the antecedents of the people they will be with so you can pre-verify who will be there and what protective measures will be in place. For instance, no matter where your children are playing, interactions with adults and other youth should be both observable and interruptible,” she said.
Highlighting the importance of planning, Vidya said, “If you’re going to a busy place with many kids, consider hiring or designating a verified person to help monitor kids. Parents must teach children boundaries through role play which will help them stop unwanted touch, teasing or affection.”
She added that parents should teach their children to distinguish between ‘keep secrets’ and ‘speak secrets’. For instance, a surprise party would be a ‘keep secret’, but if someone tells them not to tell their parents about inappropriate touch, that’s a ‘speak secret.’
Mind it
● Understanding the facts about child sexual abuse can help you protect the children in your life.
● More than 80% of sexual abuse cases occur in isolated, one-on-one situations.
● Children often keep abuse a secret, but talking openly about our bodies, sex, and boundaries can encourage children to share.
● Don’t expect obvious signs when a child is being sexually abused. Signs are often there. You just have to know what to look for.
● Disclosure, discovery, and suspicions of sexual abuse provide opportunities to intervene on behalf of a child.
Source: Darkness to Light organisation