The United Voters Social Foundation (UNTVO Social Foundation), a National Civic & Democratic organization, has submitted a representation letter to Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and Karimnagar MP Shri Bandi Sanjay Kumar, seeking his intervention to make the constituency India’s first “0% Child Sexually Abused Constituency” through strict implementation of the POCSO Act and comprehensive awareness programs in educational institutions.
The representation comes at a crucial time when the minister has already demonstrated sensitivity to child safety issues. Recently, Bandi Sanjay had directed officials to register POCSO cases without hesitation regarding the sexual abuse case at a government school in Gangadhara mandal and urged sensitive media handling to protect minors’ identities.
“सुरक्षित बचपन, समृद्ध करीमनगर: POCSO सख्त, बच्चे सुरक्षित!” (Safe Childhood, Prosperous Karimnagar: Strict POCSO, Safe Children!) is the slogan proposed by United Voters Social Foundation, A National Civic & Democratic Institution for this mission.
UNTVO Social Foundation, a civic organization dedicated to grassroots empowerment and democratic values, highlighted the multifaceted threats facing children in Karimnagar. These include peer-group exploitation and blackmail, abuse within educational institutions, adult-perpetrated assault cases, online sexual exploitation through the circulation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSEAM), and high-risk environments that leave children vulnerable.
The foundation’s three-pronged strategy includes constituting a District-Level Child Protection Monitoring Committee under the police and district administration, mandating school safety programs that educate students on good touch-bad touch and online safety, and launching a massive public awareness campaign to break the culture of silence surrounding child abuse.
The organization, which works to bridge the gap between citizens and governance systems, has offered to partner with the administration as a civil society watchdog. With Bandi Sanjay already taking cognizance of recent incidents, the foundation expressed confidence that under his leadership, Karimnagar can become a national model for child protection.
