A vital message for our times
“What do I do if my tuition master secretly wants to have an affair with me?” was a question written on a little piece of paper. The paper was from a pile containing the questions schoolchildren had after following a workshop on abuse. “We, For Women” is the International Inner Wheel Club theme for 2013 and the Inner Wheel Club of Colombo West has taken it to heart. Their goal for the year is to reach 10,000 students in the most troubled parts of the country and teach them about child abuse- what it is and what they can do to safeguard themselves. So far eight workshops have been held.
Police officers handing out material at the workshop in Kathankudy
“Enlightening the children and their parents is something we must do,” stresses Project Coordinator and International Services Chairperson Jessie Mueller. “Children both boys and girls in Sri Lanka don’t know exactly how powerful they actually are and that there are laws to protect them.”
Working closely with The Police, Education Department and the National Child Protection Agency, the Inner Wheel Club of Colombo West, funded by the Flamingo Group of Companies targeted the areas in which most cases of abuse are made known to the Polices such as Angoda, the Free Trade Zone in Katunayake, even Kathankudy, a pre- dominantly Muslim settlement in Batticaloa, and Kalawanchikudy also in Batticaloa.
“This was the first programme of this nature to be held in Kathankudy and we were encouraged by the fact that both parents and teachers recognised the importance of our work and the need for it.”
Senior police personnel, speakers and lecturers provided by the National Child Protection Agency spoke to the children in a language they could understand. The logistical arrangements were made by the police of the particular area in which the workshops took place. “The police have been working with us very well. We are very encouraged by their enthusiasm and are very grateful to them,” Ms Mueller said.
“Abuse need not only be physical or sexual. It could happen in many forms, to many people.” This is one reason why students attending the workshop are taught about their rights according to the law and the various types of abuse, including verbal abuse and bullying in schools. Teaching children how to handle situations, be it abuse by a relative, friend or even a peer and upholding their self respect is the underlying purpose behind these workshops.
Children attending these workshops are given refreshments, and are specifically asked to provide feedback to the organisers by filling out a questionnaire. Ensuring the message gets through to the kids, they get to ask questions at a specific question time and receive a certificate of participation.
Breaking away from the traditional mindset where abuse is never spoken of “we encourage people to report any kind of abuse and not just suffer in silence,” Ms. Mueller said. That is Inner Wheel’s message.