Sexual harassment is a heinous act of cowardness. From being assaulted on live TV to being flashed in the metro, there are several incidents that reveal the dangers of such atrocities. After all, it is really difficult for victims to open up about these horrific crimes, especially children.
So, in order to make kids feel safe, the schools in Bihar will now have a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO)cell. This special cell will help students to freely talk about any form of sexual harassment that they might have faced. The Bihar Education Project Council, a wing of the state education department, decided to form the cells in all government-run schools from this academic session, reports Times of India.
The cell will hear complaints regarding any kind of sexual harassment and exploitation from students as well as the women staff of schools. In fact, schools will also have to mention the child helpline number (1098) on their notice boards. The POSCO cell in each school will be headed by the principal.
“A male teacher, a woman teacher, a non-teaching staff (clerk)and two students, including a girl, will be the members of the cell. The cell will initially be formed in secondary and higher secondary schools. The primary schools will be covered gradually,” Kiran Kumari, state programme officer of BEPC was quoted saying.
The schools will also have to set up a complaint box on their premises. On receiving any complaint, they will have to inform the local police station about the sexual offence, reports Indian Express. Additionally, the cell will conduct awareness campaigns about safe and unsafe touch, sexual harassment and cybersecurity.
Well, kudos to the department for their initiative to help and protect students from such criminal activities. And, we hope other schools in India also follow suit.