When I was a kid, I remember my mom worrying about a lot of things related to me – my eating habits, studies, growth pattern, safety, cultivating healthy habits, friend circle i.e. my overall well being. I wonder if she ever had to worry about prowling predators on the hunt for little girls. In the wake of recent events in Kathua and Unnao, things have become nightmarish for all of us. The young parent brigade needs to gear itself up to contain the mayhem in whatever way possible. What with the authorities’ apathy and the hackneyed attitude towards the alarming state of affairs, it’s time for us to take charge of the situation. Somewhere down the line, we too are responsible for this anarchy. So, here are some pointers which I think can lay the foundation for a safer and secure atmosphere for all of us :
1. Right Upbringing
Let’s see to it that children are not treated differently in any aspect based on gender. It’s our major responsibility to condition these impressionable minds in the right direction, by not adhering to age-old gender stereotypes and patriarchal gender roles.
2. Talk It Out
It’s high time we break the prism of authoritative parents and build an enabling environment instead. Our kids should not even for once, think twice before approaching us. There must be an open communication window between the parents and the children.
3. Educate Them
As parents, we need to introduce our children to their bodies, it’s functioning and things to protect their body from any harm (good touch and bad touch). Social taboos like sex education are especially important in current times, or they might turn to wrong sources for awareness.
4. Self Defense
Physical training including self-defence techniques is a must for all the youngsters out there. They must know how to protect themselves if they are ever attacked.
5. Encouraging Attitude
It’s utmost important that we encourage our children to learn to confront any form of harassment rather than sweeping it under the rug. Just don’t teach them to ‘avoid’ stalking, stray and intended sexual puns, rather ‘fight’ it out.
6. Speak and Act
Lastly, we as adults need to give up our laid-back attitude when it comes to social issues. Shun your ‘Chalta hai’ approach to everything in life. When it comes to our right to live a dignified life without being worried about getting stalked, harassed, molested, raped, assaulted, then nothing should come in our way of ensuring it. We owe this to all the innocent victims of recent happenings whose lives were brutally cut short by our collective apathy.
Time to wake up from our deep slumber, our children need us more than ever.