The United Nations General Assembly has designated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The purpose of the day is to raise awareness of the fact that women and children around the world are subject to rape, domestic violence and other forms of violence and sexual assaults.
As part of the “International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women”, the 25th of every month has been designated “Orange Day” by the United Nations Secretary-General’s Campaign UNiTE to End Violence Against Women, to raise awareness and take action to end violence against women and children.
The school observes Orange Day every year, with this year being no exception. To mark this day, the Heritage Club of the School organized a one day seminar on the 28th of August, 2018, with the theme being “Protection of Oneself and Others from Sexual Abuse”. This year’s event is sponsored by the Government of Meghalaya under the Voluntary Action Fund 2016 – 17 through the office of the Deputy Commissioner, East Khasi Hills.
The seminar started off with a Prayer animated by the Heritage Club members, followed by a narration from Ms. Paula Pakyntein, explaining to the audience from the school about sexual abuse, and the different ways to prevent oneself from sexual abuse and assaults. This was followed by a short documentary film on sexual abuse, especially on children. Other acts and songs were enacted by the club members to stress more on the negative impact of sexual abuse, how to determine when one is sexually abused, and ways and methods to prevent and stop sexual abuse.
Sr. Elizabeth Thinnamotil, the School Secretary, gave the closing speech. In her speech, she reiterates the dangers that young children of our society face from sexual abuse, gender discrimination and human trafficking. She talks about the different ways one can protect oneself from these dangers. She ended the speech with hope, citing examples of different government and non-government organizations working together to prevent and stop the menace of sexual exploitation of women, especially children.
