Satyamev Jayate: Aamir Khan throws spotlight on child sex abuse

May 13, 2012

amirkhan


New Delhi, May 13: Whom does a child turn to when the one he trusts with all of his tiny heart turns abuser? In a nut-shell, the second episode of Aamir Khan's television show Satyamev Jayate was simply heart-breaking. It brought out a common but rarely talked-about scourge of society - the sexual abuse of children - often by people they trust the most.

Aamir spoke to several such victims, their family members, experts and social workers who came on the show on Sunday to narrate their horrific experiences of being molested, sodomized and cowed into silence with the threat of bodily harm.

Given the seriousness of the issue, the tone of the show was emotional but surprisingly light, with victims facing the camera squarely and even joking with the host who was tearing up often. The heartbreaking story of Anamika, who was sexually abused by her teacher, underscored the importance of parents listening to and trusting their children.

Aamir quoted from a survey conducted in 2007 by the Women and Child Development Ministry and the NGO Prayas in association with Unicef and Save the Children across 13 states and with a sample size of 12,447. The shocking details were laid bare to the entire nation.

The survey found that 53.22 per cent of children reported having faced one or more forms of sexual abuse. Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Assam and Delhi had reported the highest percentage of such incidents at that time. In 50% of the cases, the abusers were known to the child or were in a position of trust and responsibility and most children did not report the matter to anyone.

The National Study on Child Abuse is one of the largest empirical in-country studies of its kind in the world. This study also complements the UN Secretary General's Global Study on Violence against Children 2006.

The case of Cinderella Prakash and Harish Iyer

Cinderella Prakash was abused by a 55-year-old man she trusted when she was 12 years old. Not only could she not tell her mother about her tormentor, she spent years running away from him. Similarly, Harish Iyer spent 11 years in trauma, being abused by a man he trusted as a child. He was sodomized and when he went to his mother after much deliberation, he was not taken seriously. Aamir called on Harish's mother who admitted she was wrong in not believing her child.

It is not often highlighted but 53% of children who went through child sexual abuse were boys, according to the 2007 report, the aim of which was to develop a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of child abuse, with a view to facilitate the formulation of appropriate policies and programmes meant to effectively curb and control the problem of child abuse in India.

Trust your child

Harish was threatened into silence by his tormentor. Experts Anuja Gupta of RAHI NGO RAHI (Recovering and Healing from Incest) spoke of the child psychology behind keeping silent about abuse. She advised parents watching the show to trust their children when they confided in them about any instance of sexual abuse. She asked parents to "listen to your child, and apologise to your child for letting this happen to him/her under your watch." Nishit Kumar of the agency Childline spoke of the infamous 2001 case of sexual abuse of boys at the Anchorage Shelters.

Good touch, bad touch workshop for children

Aamir conducted a 'Good Touch, Bad Touch' workshop for children across the nation to teach them about the importance of understanding sexual abuse, recognising predators and confiding in their parents if abuse happens. Through interactivity and a series of diagrams he taught the children the importance of having a 'bodyguard' or someone they implicitly trusted to take care of them.

Aamir appealed to people to press the government to pass the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences Bill in Parliament and pledge their support against child sex abuse by SMSing Y to 5782711.

Harish gets a surprise

Harish said he was a big fan of actress Sridevi and his obsession with Bollywood, along with his trusted German Shepherd dog, played a big role in keeping him sane through the years of sexual abuse. His surprise was almost comical when Sri Devi was called on by Aamir to meet her arguably biggest fan. She gave Harish a gift-wrapped package and sat beside the flustered fan through the rest of the show.

Aamir has said he would highlight 13 such contentious issues in his show, which has already had the government sitting up and taking notice.


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News Netowrk
July 10,2020

New Delhi, Jul 10: Actor Bhumi Pednekar, who is staying indoors like many other Bollywood celebrities, on Friday said that she has learned to prioritise what is important to her amid the COVID-19-induced lockdown.

"One thing that I have learnt about myself is that I love isolation. I love being by myself. I saw a lot of people complaining that they are bored at home or that they cannot go out. I am an extrovert, I am a very social person but this quarantine has led me to realise that I do prefer my isolation over meeting people because I haven't really been in touch with people," she said.

"I have kind of been catching over my reading, not seen much television but started watching shows. I have spent a lot of time with my mom and honesty there were days when I did nothing," she added.

The 'Pati Patni Aur Woh' actor further said that it was important loving oneself and enjoying one's own company.

"I have kind of prioritised what I feel is important in life. I have re-educated myself. But the biggest learning has been that I love being alone. And maybe I have kind of enjoyed this state because as actors you are constantly surrounded by people whether you are promoting or shooting a film," she said.

"Your immediate entourage is also like a team of quite a few people. You are constantly over the phone, you are constantly over social media," she added.

Pednekar was last seen in Karan Johar's horror film 'Bhoot Part One: The Haunted Ship,'.

She will next be seen in another horror thriller, 'Durgavati.'

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News Network
May 10,2020

New Delhi, May 10: While people across the country have been spending a lot of time at home owing to the lockdown, superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Saturday provided a unique platform for all the aspiring filmmakers to produce some 'fun, creative and... spooky' video.

The 54-year-old actor shared a statement on Instagram, detailing about the opportunity for the filmmakers to channel their inner "filmmaking ghost to make a scary indoor film with an element of horror in it."

Taking it to the captions, the 'Don' actor wrote: "Since we've all got a bit of time on our hands in quarantine, thought I can get us all to work a bit... in a fun, creative and... spooky way!"

In the post, titled with a hashtag 'SpookSRK,' the actor has listed down the rules to be followed while making the video and shared the email link to submit their work.

The 'Dilwale' actor also announced that the selected "three winners" will get a chance to video call the star himself.

Wrapping the post on a lighter note, he added: "I will be sending in my film as well...P.S - Ghosts are welcome to send their entries too."

This comes a day after the first trailer launch of Shah Rukh's new Netflix horror series 'Betaal'.

SRK's Red Chillies Entertainment is producing the horror-thriller. The new series also stars Vineet Kumar, Aahana Kumra, Suchitra Pillai, Jitendra Joshi, Manjiri Pupala, and Syna Anand.

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June 30,2020

Mumbai, Jun 30: Actor Vivek Oberoi on Tuesday announced that he is set to make his debut as a producer with a high-concept thriller titled "Iti- Can You Solve Your Own Murder”.

The whodunit thriller will be directed by Vishal Mishra, who has previously helmed on films "Coffee With D” (2017) and "Hotel Milan” (2018).

"Iti" will be produced by the actor's banner Oberoi Mega Entertainment, Mandiraa Entertainment and Girish Johar. It is creatively backed by Prernaa Arora.

The 43-year-old actor said he trusts Vishal’s vision and liked the idea so much that he decided to back the project.

"I’m sure it’s going to be an exciting journey with Prernaa, team Mandiraa and Girish. We hope to present an engaging piece of cinema to the audiences with this," Vivek said in a statement.

The film revolves around a woman who is racing against time to solve her own murder. The project is expected to go on floors by October and release in the first quarter of 2021.

“I’m super excited and keen to share this story with our audiences. Vishal is a very gifted talent and we are pretty sure that with this film, we have a winner on our hands," Johar said.

Vivek's last Bollywood big-screen appearance was in 2019’s "PM Narendra Modi". He was also seen in season two of Amazon Prime Video's thriller "Inside Edge".

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