Campaign to prevent sexual exploitation of children: Soon, police didis and kakas across state
As part of the ‘police didi’ campaign, women police personnel were assigned to police stations in their areas. They were to inform the students how to differentiate between “good touch” and “bad touch”, how to react when someone tries to touch them inappropriately.
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he ‘police kaka’ initiative was started in Pune by then-commissioner Rashmi Shukla in 2017. (Express photo/Representational)
AFTER THE success of the ‘police didi’ and ‘police kaka’ campaigns to prevent sexual exploitation of children in Mumbai and Pune police commissionerates, the campaign is now being extended to the rest of the state. On Tuesday, the Thane (rural) police initiated the
campaign, which will be replicated across the state, said senior officers.
While the ‘police didi’ campaign began in Mumbai after a series of sexual harassment cases were reported from schools in 2016, the ‘police kaka’ initiative was started in Pune by then commissioner Rashmi Shukla in 2017. Krishna Prakash, Inspector General, Prevention of Atrocities against Women (PAW), said: “After the police didi and police kaka initiatives turned out to be effective, a decision has been taken to extend the same to the rest of the state.”
He added that they would take help from the local police to ensure that personnel from every police station is assigned to schools under their jurisdiction. While in urban areas, owing to the presence of a larger force, officers will be assigned to particular schools, in rural areas, one constable may be asked to look after a few schools, an officer said.
As part of the ‘police didi’ campaign, women police personnel were assigned to police stations in their areas. They were to inform the students how to differentiate between “good touch” and “bad touch”, how to react when someone tries to touch them inappropriately and provide their numbers to the children in cases of emergency.
An officer from the Mumbai Police, who conducts these programmes in the western suburbs, said: “We use different approaches for different age groups and visit them regularly. For students up to Class V, we teach them the difference between good touch and bad touch. We also tell them how they should be careful if someone tries to lure them with a chocolate. We show them a clip of the Satyamev Jayate programme hosted by Aamir Khan, which deals with good touch and bad touch.”
She added that for students between Classes V and VIII, they focus on the usage of cellphones and what should be avoided while those above Class VIII are told that creating a fake Facebook profile is a crime, how to keep the accounts safe and the ill effects of narcotics.
Speaking about the ‘police kaka’ initiative, Rashmi Shukla, the ADG (Highway Police), said: “After the ‘buddy cop’ system for women’s security received good response, school students approached me for something similar. For them, I started the concept of ‘police kaka’, whereby, a policeman had to go to schools under his jurisdiction and speak to students about issues they faced. Sometimes, children may be hesitant to inform their parents about something but they open up to someone else.
We had received tremendous response.”
Mumbai
In August 2017, a five-year-old girl was saved from a 22-year-old man who tried to molest her after she raised an alarm. The senior KG student was taken to a terrace by the accused, an employee of her father. The girl later told the police that she knew that it was ‘bad touch’ when the accused asked her to sit on his lap.
Pune
In September 2017, a Class IX girl informed her ‘police kaka’ about an autorickshaw driver in Yerwada who had behaved inappropriately with her while she was on her way to school. The ‘police kaka’ got an FIR registered against the driver, who was eventually arrested.
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