Hire people after getting their background checked by police and fire employees found guilty of abusing a child, says an advisory for schools issued by associations of pre-primary and primary schools.
The advisory comes in the wake of conviction of two teachers of physical education at a city school in a case of sexual assault on a four-year-old. The convicts have been sentenced to rigorous life imprisonment.
“The shocking case of gang rape of a four-year-old by two teachers in a Kolkata school once again brings to the fore what schools and parents can do to keep their children safe from such predators. Early Childhood Association (ECA) and Association of Primary Education and Research (Aper) have released... advisory and guidelines for schools and parents and urgedthem to follow these to ensure children’s safety from all forms of abuse,” the advisory says.
It says that schools should ensure that all employees sign a “zero tolerance policy”, which says that the school is against any form of abuse — physical, mental, emotional or sexual — and any employee found guilty of abusing achild in any way will be sacked.
The advisory says all employees need to be aware of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and sign an undertaking that they will abide by all the provisions in the act.
“If any parent or child complains about sexual abuse, please take it seriously and file an FIR after speaking to the parents, immediately suspend the staff in question,” the advisory says.
There are 80-odd schools in the Bengal territory of ECA and Aper, which includes some institutions in Jharkhand and Odisha as well. Both bodies are headed by Swati Popat Vats.
In and around Calcutta, there are around 60 schools that are members of both or one of the associations.
“This incident (the conviction of the two teachers) was shocking and as a body we feel we have some responsibility to guide schools,” said Suman Sood, national core committee member of ECA andmentor for the Bengal territory.
“We should make schools safe and happy places. Parents trust schools and we cannot afford to lose that faith,” said Sood.
The advisory asks parents to be mindful of the safety protocols practised in schools. It urges them to not ignore a child’s complaint that someone is touching or hurting her or him.
If a child is not listened to, she or he might not open up the next time such an incident happens, said a psychologist.
“If you find out that your child is being abused, don’t hesitate to file an FIR. Many parents don’t do this because of social shame, but always remember if these culprits go scot-free, tomorrow they can again abuse your child or someone else’s child. So take action,” the advisory warns parents.
Children have to be taught about good touch and bad touch, it says. Just as they know about traffic signals, they should be aware of the safety aspect, too.