‘Your body’s a temple or your mind, body and soul. So nourish it with happy thoughts, good health and positive energy’.

In today’s world where there is constant change being brought by media and where personal security is at stake, it becomes imperative to spread awareness on how to protect oneself from possible dangers. It becomes even more important for children to develop mechanisms whereby they can ward off any possible unsafe situations.

Keeping this in mind, The Mind Research Foundation, in collaboration with Rotary Chandigarh Mid-Town conducted multiple awareness sessions on the 23rd of November, 2017 on the topic “Good Touch and Bad Touch – Body’s a temple”. The talk was initiated so as to make children aware of different kinds of physical abuse. The main aim of the sessions was to make the children aware of different kinds of touches and what they can do to manage unsafe situations.

The participants in the first session were 100 girls and boys of class 7th from Government Model High School,Khuda Jassu, and participants in the second session were 100 girls and boys respectively of class 3rd and 4th from the same school.

The main areas that were covered in the sessions were:

 1. Your body is your temple – treat it with respect
 2. Be aware of your own body
3. Safe, Unsafe and Unwanted Touch
4. Boundaries and how to maintain them – magic bubble activity
5. Consent
6. Why should you be afraid?
7. Smart ways to keep yourself safe
8. Red flags and how to be aware of them – warning signs
9. What to do – Ways to Protect Oneself in case of Abuse
10 Choosing the right person
11. What to do if you know the victim?

The interactive sessions started off with a presentation that covered the above mentioned topics. It was followed by activities like creating boundaries and magic bubble. The sessions also explored the questions which the children raised like the what to do in certain situations, how to overcome fear etc.
The sessions received an encouraging feedback. It was evident through personal questions, sharing of personal stories, nods and the gratitude of the school authorities.
This is a small step taken by the Mind Research Foundation in the Chandigarh region where there is lack of awareness regarding physical and sexual abuse. We look forward to organizing similar events in the future with a hope to create constructive dialogue and a brighter future.