Pune’s auto rickshaws become messengers of safety for children
Pune’s auto rickshaws become messengers of safety for children
Pune, 3 March 2025: On 25 February 2025, Foundation for Child Protection (FFCP)- Muskaan, an NGO in Pune working towards prevention of CSA and providing intervention services with a multi-disciplinary approach since the last 25 years, successfully held a child safety awareness campaign at Chhatrapati Sambhaji Garden to spread awareness about prevention of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA).
The event kicked off at 4.30 pm with a keynote address Mrs Shubhada Ranadive, FounderDirector of FFCP-Muskaan in which she expressed concern over the alarming rise in incidents of child sexual abuse. She then shed light on the various preventive measures which can be taken to protect children as this is the need of the hour. She also urged the participating NGOs to take collective responsibility towards child safety. She then spoke about the purpose of this campaign which was the inclusion of the city’s autorickshaws as messengers of safety, wherein FFCP-Muskaan’s helpline numbers were put up on the autorickshaw hoods.
This was followed by an encouraging speech by the Chief Guest, Professor Anjali Maydeo Ambedkar, a senior social activist, wherein she praised the efforts of the organization in consistently providing momentum to such a sensitive topic through such effective initiatives.
Mrs Manisha Biraris, child development project officer at Women and Child Development department, who was also present for the event, reiterated the department’s commitment towards strengthening child safety measures. Members of the Child Welfare Committee also graced the event with their presence and focussed on strengthening child safety measures.
In order to keep the audience engaged a street play was performed by employees of FFCPMuskaan which addressed multiple aspects of CSA such as types of sexual abuse, the fact that not only girls but boys are also victims and most importantly empowering children to say no even if the abuser is known to the child.
A significant element of the program was the official ribbon-cutting and flag-off ceremony, where 20 to 25 auto rickshaws from Pune city displaying messages of child safety and FFCPMuskaan’s helpline number were launched. Child safety is a shared responsibility and the engagement of autorickshaws through this campaign is a strategic move as it creates a wider reach among the citizens of Pune to seek help in unsafe situations.
