Bengaluru discusses about child safety measures in Cubbon Park

Bengaluru, July 25: It was a regular Sunday morning on July 24 as parents and kids came together to enjoy various fun activities in the verdant Cubbon Park, located in the heart of Bengaluru. As parents and their children descended on the premises of the park, members of RikRio Bengaluru urged everyone to join them to discuss various aspects related to child safety.

The Bengaluru-based organisation hosted the special event under its programme "Come Together" to create awareness about safety issues related to all the residents of the city and children in particular.

The three-hour-long event started at 7 am and focused on child-centric topics like ragging, bullying and sexual abuse, to name a few.

Parents and kids had meaningful interactions with psycho-social experts, medical professionals, legal experts, safety experts and volunteers from RikRio during the awareness drive.

"The idea of the event is to talk and create awareness among parents and kids about various safety issues. It is an informal initiative," said a member of RikRio.

"We got good response from the participants. We talked to people while they were walking and cycling. We also took feedback from people on what needs to be done to make the city a safer place for our young children," he added.

Of late, Bengaluru has witnessed several horrific incidents where children were victims. In 2014, several children were allegedly sexually abused inside the premises of their schools. Recently, a teenager studying in an elite school of the city committed suicide after he was allegedly bullied by his friends.

Vasudev Sharma, executive director of Child Rights Trust, Bengaluru, told OneIndia, "It is a good initiative to create awareness among the masses about the need to create safer and better environment for children. Unless and until, we don't talk about them, it would be difficult to find a solution to the problems. Most often children are too scared to talk about their problems to their parents also. Parents, guardians and elders should create an environment where kids can express themselves openly."

Bhargavi PR, a mother of two teenage boys, who participated in the event, said, "In today's world safety is a huge issue. I am glad I have come here. I want my kids to be safe and comfortable wherever they go. We all need to come together to build a healthy society for our future generation."

OneIndia News