After the highest number of child sexual abuse cases were reported in Pakistan’s two districts, Kasur and Sheikhupura, Fulbright alumni Syeda Amna Hassan and Hassan Bukhari conducted a study to identify the extent of abuse and devise a curriculum that would introduce localized preventive measures for parents, teachers, children, and police officials. Their findings suggest that lack of communication and narrow understanding of abuse lead to vulnerability and unresolved trauma in children.
Based on the consultations with pediatricians, psychologists, and child protection agencies in Pakistan, the United States and South America, they have developed structured material to guide parents to recognize and respond to child abuse.
Amna holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, while Hassan graduated in Natural Resources and Environment from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, on the Fulbright Program. They work as project coordinators for Safer Society for Children, a child sexual abuse prevention program funded by the U.S. Embassy and housed at Information Technology University (ITU) in Lahore.
To learn more about their work and online courses on child sexual abuse prevention, visit http://ssc.itu.edu.pk/
Courtesy : United States Education Foundation Pakistan (USEFP)
