The forum’s core message was clear—safety starts with empathy. Students voiced concerns about the shame of CSA, especially involving known abusers. Sessions also examined the dilemmas of mandatory reporting
Published Jun 10, 2025 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Jun 10, 2025 | 7:00 AM
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Synopsis: At the MASOOM Conclave on Child Safety in Bengaluru, child psychologist Dr Ashwini emphasized recognizing the silent signals of child abuse—withdrawal, fear, or sudden aggression. She urged caregivers to look beyond expected behavior and truly understand distress cues. The event gathered educators, doctors, and legal experts, spotlighting the urgent need for awareness over jargon in protecting vulnerable children
It wasn’t policy papers or legal jargon that made headlines at the MASOOM Conclave on Child Safety held in Bengaluru recently. It was something quieter, yet more urgent—the silent signals children send when they’re in distress.
“Children rarely say, ‘I am being abused.’ They show it—through silence, fear, regression, or sudden aggression. But we’re often too distracted, or too uninformed, to notice,” said Dr Ashwini, keynote speaker at the event and one of India’s leading child psychologists.
In a room filled with educators, doctors, lawyers, and caregivers, she urged the audience to move beyond ‘stipulated behaviour’ and understand the real language of child distress.
Dr Ashwini listed behavioural indicators that may point to Child Sexual Abuse (CSA)—many of them so subtle, they’re easily dismissed as “just a phase”:
“These are not just phases,” she warned. “They are cries for help.”
The need to be emotionally available, to observe and believe children without judgment, was a recurring theme. “Prevention is not passive. It’s proactive,” Dr Ashwini said. “It starts with adults being attuned, emotionally ready, and present.”
While India’s Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act offers a robust legal framework, the conclave underscored a painful truth: laws often come into play only after damage has occurred.
By then, the trauma has already taken root.
The message from the forum was clear—safety begins with empathy. During interactive sessions, even students spoke up—about the shame surrounding CSA, especially when the perpetrator is a family member or someone from their community. One session explored the moral weight of mandatory reporting, especially when children are silenced by fear or threats.
The conclave strongly pushed for de-stigmatising conversations around abuse and encouraged adults to create safe spaces where children can open up.
As a tangible outcome, Young Indians Bengaluru announced the launch of a White Paper on Child Safety. The document will bring together expert opinions from doctors, educators, and legal professionals, aiming to create a unified action plan to prevent and manage child abuse.
The final message: Train the adults to protect the children. As the session wrapped up, there was no applause—only quiet reflection.
“We can’t count on punishment to keep pain in check,” Dr Ashwini said. “We have to provide caregivers, teachers, and communities with the training to find it early and respond with empathy.”
The MASOOM Conclave didn’t just deliver data or policy—it left the audience with a promise: Until every adult learns to listen, some children will continue to suffer in silence.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
