Delhi schools to hold ‘Good Touch, Bad Touch’ sessions under POCSO awareness drive: CM Rekha Gupta
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced that all schools in the national capital will conduct 'good touch and bad touch' awareness sessions as part of the government's month-long POCSO Awareness Month campaign aimed at strengthening child safety.
The chief minister said the initiative goes beyond awareness and seeks to make child protection an integral part of the education system.
"Every school in Delhi will conduct good touch and bad touch awareness sessions, implement mandatory child safety protocols, and submit compliance reports within 15 days," Gupta said in a statement.
She added that the campaign will be supported by parents, teachers, Delhi Police, district magistrates and anganwadi workers, making it a city-wide effort to ensure children's safety.
As part of the drive, Child Protection Committees will be established in all 5,633 schools across Delhi by the end of July. Teachers and school staff will also receive training on the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
According to an official statement, a comprehensive student safety checklist has been introduced in line with the guidelines of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) and the POCSO Act.
The checklist will be implemented across 1,077 Delhi government schools, 198 government-aided schools, 2,612 schools run by the MCD, NDMC and Delhi Cantonment Board, and 1,746 private schools.
To strengthen monitoring, Delhi Police has appointed an Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police-rank officer as the nodal officer in every district to oversee child safety cases and coordinate with the Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC).
Educational and Vocational Guidance Counsellors (EVGCs) will conduct sessions on safe and unsafe touch, gender sensitisation and personal boundaries. Students will also receive self-defence training as part of the programme.
Additionally, the Women and Child Development Department will organise POCSO awareness campaigns at anganwadi-cum-palna centres, child care institutions and other facilities through videos, mobile awareness vans and information materials.
