Jammu: Directorate of School Education Jammu through its Counseling Cell is organizing a mega event – Mother Centric Parent Teacher Meet (PTM) on November 26 as part of a month-long awareness campaign on POCSO ACT (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) to curb the menace of child sexual abuse.
In this regard, Director School Education Jammu, Anuradha Gupta, took a review meeting, attended by the members of the Psychological Task Force, District Nodal Officer, and District Counseling Coordinators amongst others to analyze the progress.
While addressing the participants, she exhorted everyone to put their best foot forward and make this mega event a success by reaching out (online/offline) to every parent and child, especially mothers and sensitize them about child sexual abuse and how the POCSO Act can prove handy in safeguarding the privacy, liberty and personal safety of the young ones.
Anuradha further added that society has a big role to play if such initiatives are to bear fruit. She said that it was imperative to make parents, especially mothers aware of the magnitude of this problem because children are many times reluctant to share such problems with their parents.
“This PTM is aimed at making the mothers aware of such issues, to help them observe signs of such offenses if any and to take timely appropriate action to protect their children from any possible offense” she added.
Head Counseling Cell DSEJ, Romesh Sharma, emphasized the need to bring taboo topics like child sexual abuse on public platforms to create awareness around the issue and to eliminate the menace. He pointed out that due to COVID-19 children have become more vulnerable to sexual abuse and remedial mechanisms need to be devised.
Dr. Surinder Sharma conducted the proceedings of the meeting whereas Ms. Preeti Sharma presented the formal vote of thanks.
It is pertinent to mention here that PTM is a regular feature introduced by DSEJ for the last two years which is held on the 26th of each month. The Counseling Cell of the DSEJ is organizing a special digital Parent Teacher Meet for Mothers on the 26th of November 2020 to create awareness about the POCSO Act.
