‘Naazuk’ initiative by police to tackle sexual abuse of kids

NEW DELHI: To prevent the sexual abuse of children by relatives or strangers in underprivileged colonies of the national capital, the Delhi Police on Thursday launched a new initiative named ‘Naazuk’.

According to Delhi Police commissioner Amulya Patnaik, who conceived the initiative, a short film made on the issue will be shown to children and parents in these neighbourhoods and the local police will periodically interact with them to create awareness.

“Children and guardians will be sensitised about the potential threats with the help of role play, short films and dramatics. Services of experts in the field of child psychology will also be taken to bring about clarity in the minds of children. We will also interact with children through a questionand-answer series,” Patnaik said.

‘Naazuk’ (delicate) is different from an earlier initiative ‘Nirbheek’ (fearless), said Patnaik. “Nirbheek focused on reaching out to children in schools. With Naazuk, we will be meeting children and parents in their neighbourhoods,” Patnaik said.

The previous initiative had resulted in several children revealing abuse they suffered at the hands of people known to them. Police hope that ‘Naazuk’ will have a greater impact.

A study conducted by the police helped them identify neighbourhoods where multiple cases of sexual abuse of children were reported or where cases under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act were on the rise.

One such district was northwest, where the police chief launched the project on Thursday. “We have begun a pilot project in Bharat Nagar police station as a few POCSO cases were reported from here last year. We will eventually take the project across Delhi,” Patnaik said. The launch of the pilot project was attended by 800 children and 200 parents/guardians on Thursday, the police said.