PROTECTION OF CHILDREN AGAINST SEXUAL OFFENCES (POCSO) COMMITTEE

We as a school aim to provide a high standard of child centred education in a safe supportive learning environment, where values and ethos are promoted.

All children have an equal right to access education in an environment that is safe, protective and conducive to the overall development. The challenges of gender inequality, eve teasing and sexual abuse in school environment call for increased awareness and creating synergy among parents, teachers and schools. In order to ensure strict compliance of the Protection of child from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012, CBSE has taken several initiatives and actions for creating awareness about sexual exploitation among the school children.

Keeping that in mind we have formulated a POCSO committee who will be looking after the safety and security of children.

A Child Abuse Monitoring Committee (CAMC), consisting of the following members is constituted under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) 2012 for the academic session 2018-2019.

Objective

The objectives of the Committee are:

• Prevent discrimination and harassment against students, by promoting gender sensitivity among students
• Deal with cases of discrimination and harassment , in a time bound manner, aiming at ensuring support services to the victimized and termination of the harassment
• Recommend appropriate punitive action against the guilty party to the Chairperson.

Procedure for Approaching Committee

The Committee deals with issues relating to harassment at the TSSS School. It is applicable to all students. A complaint of discrimination or harassment may be lodged by the victim or a third party. A written complaint may be addressed to the Convener of the Committee. If the complaint is made to any of the Committee members, they may forward it to the Convener of the Committee against Harassment. Here it should be noted that according to the guideline harassment can be defined as "unwelcome" sexually determined behaviour

(whether directly or by implication) as:

• Physical contact and advances
• Demand or request for sexual favours
• Sexually coloured remarks
• Showing pornography
• Other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of a sexual nature.

The following is also sexual harassment and is covered by the committee:

• Eve-teasing,
• Unsavoury remarks,
• Jokes causing or likely to cause awkwardness or embarrassment,
• Innuendos and taunts,
• Gender based insults or sexist remarks,
• Unwelcome sexual overtone in any manner such as over telephone (obnoxious telephone calls) and the like,
• Touching or brushing against any part of the body and the like,
• Displaying pornographic or other offensive or derogatory pictures, cartoons, pamphlets or sayings,
• Forcible physical touch or molestation and
• Physical confinement against one's will and any other act likely to violate one's privacy.

PROCEDURE FOLLOWED TO IMPLEMENT IT

1) TEACHERS' WORKSHOPS Gender Sensitization workshop is being conducted on a regulr basis where Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) act is discussed. The teachers are trained to attend to adolescence related issues. They are primarily made aware to notice the behavior pattern of children. This particularly includes close monitoring of academic performance and psychological behavior, categorically in cases of sudden decline in performance, lack of interest, depression, aloofness etc. The teachers are educated on how to counsel a child if they notice such behavior pattern. They are also well trained to talk to parents on the subject of child sexual abuse from time to time.

2) STUDENTS' WORKSHOPS In order to provide a safe, protective and conducive environment to our children for their overall development, we keep conducting workshops wherein children are taught to differentiate between good touch and bad touch. They are encouraged not to hide things and to report inappropriate behaviour to their teacher.

3)There is also a provision of COMPLAINT BOX in the School, where children can drop their complaints though we have not received any complaints so far.

4) SELF DEFENSE TRAINING PROGRAMME Special activities like WUSHU classes are regularly held in school which not only give self defense training but also boost their confidence.

5) CCTV CAMERAS The entire School premises and every Class room is under CCTV surveillance which is personally monitored by the Head of the Institution

6) SCHOOL COUNSELLOR Regular visits to each class is done by the School Councellor to interact with the students and train them regarding difference between good and bad touch.

CHILD HELPLINE

TOLL-FREE NO : 1098