UNICEF gets 'Meena' to protect girl child

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With an alarming increase in child abuse cases in the state, mostly girls for domestic and commercial sexual exploitation, the UNICEF is set to launch 'Meena' a unique animated communication initiative for girl child protection in Kerala, in coordination with the state government."UNICEF has found this initiative exceedingly successful in other states and now plans to take it forward in KeralaWe have written to the state government about the strategy to protect the children through awareness creation and on strengthening the rescue efforts," UNICEF programme officer on child protection told TNN here on Friday. "Over the next two months, this unique initiative will be implemented in Kerala, she said. This communication campaign focusing on key issues relating to the protection of the girl child through animated stories from an image of an empowered girl child Meena.
It is a good way to create awareness on the ticklish issues among children", she says. Through story books and DVDs the campaign will be launched across the state to create awareness by holding discussions among children in a lighter vein rather than making it scary, the official said. Meena based story books are also available in Malayalam and that will be made available in the state.A Jayakumar, social development activities in the state mission said this UNICEF communication initiative Meena, based on the consultations with the state government, will be launched through cultural and personality development programmes like interactive sessions, puppetry shows, screening animation films and reading story books for children through Balasabhas across the state. Childline Trivandrum coordinator Fr Phillip Parakkat says, the awareness campaign to protect children should be supported by strong government and social interventions to prevent the abuse and rescue of the affected children. Sexual abuse of children in Kerala is rampant both at the commercial level through trafficking of girls and at home by the protectors themselves who include their parents, siblings, friends and neighbours, he says."Despite being a highly literate state, Kerala is loosing its value systems with its transition from a joint family setting to a nuclear consumerist family orientation. Now family relationships are getting strained in a fast paced competitive environment, resulting in lack of quality time for the family," he says.The unrestrained use of mobile phones, online and visual media with all kinds of pornographic materials also adds to the erosion of values. The emotional support system in the family is missing and children who are vulnerable easily fall prey, he said. Many economically poor families force the children for child labour and begging who end up as victims of all forms of abuse and torture.While reminding of one harrowing call received from among the thousands of calls received by Childline at its toll free number 1098 from children in distress, Phillip Parakkat says, "It's painful to see a 16-year old girl who had pleaded for rescue from forced begging on streets by her parents, later changed her mind to go by her relatives wish only to find herself as a victim of sexual abuse. It was shocking to see that now the same girl who has a child wanted to sell her little one on the streets." Of the over 1000 children rescued and shifted to the various stay homes across the state, around 300 children are victims of sexual abuse. According to the statistics available with the Kerala Police, 173 child rape cases were reported from among the 698 child abuse cases reported in the state till June this year. Last year, about 208 child rape cases were reported among a total 596 child abuse cases.
"These reports are indicative of the alarming trend of child sexual abuse in Kerala, but the truth is still harsh for many go unreported," says Kerala Mahila Samakhya Society (KMSS) director Dr Seema Bhaskar.
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