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ISLAMABAD, Nov 26 (APP):The Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) has launched its latest evidence-based report titled “Children’s Understanding of Good Touch and Bad Touch: A Developmental Study.” The initiative was designed to strengthen children’s personal safety awareness through interactive learning and child-friendly communication methods.
The study was conducted across multiple private schools in the Islamabad Capital Territory, specifically those with fee structures representing the upper-middle-income segment. These schools were chosen under the assumption that children from relatively privileged backgrounds would have stronger baseline awareness an assumption the study’s findings strongly challenge.
As part of the methodology, SSDO conducted pre and post-tests to evaluate children’s understanding of personal boundaries, safe and unsafe touch, and harmful behavior before and after structured awareness sessions.
An interactive qualitative activity was also carried out, allowing children to anonymously share their real-life experiences.
Some of these anonymous accounts have been visually represented in the report through child-drawn illustrations, providing deep insight into the realities children face but often remain unable to express due to fear, shame, or the absence of a safe space to speak openly.
The comparison between the pre and post-test results revealed alarming gaps in children’s initial knowledge. Many children lacked even the most basic understanding of personal safety, highlighting a critical communication gap between parents and children, one of the most significant barriers to protecting children from unsafe situations.
Equally disturbing were the qualitative findings, which revealed serious instances of unsafe and harmful experiences that children had never disclosed to their parents, teachers, or caregivers. These insights underscore the urgent need for age-appropriate education, open communication within households, and stronger child protection systems in schools and communities.
To help strengthen policy and institutional responses, SSDO also held a consultative session with parliamentarians from the Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights. The references, insights and recommendations presented in the report draw extensively from the discussions, feedback, and policy guidance shared by parliamentarians during this session, adding substantial value to the report’s evidence-based advocacy approach.
The study urges the government to introduce mandatory body safety education into the national curriculum, train teachers effectively and ensure uniform implementation across both public and private schools.
It further calls for nationwide awareness campaigns and practical toolkits to support parents in discussing body safety with their children in an open, age-appropriate manner, along with regular sessions through Parent-Teacher Associations to normalize such conversations.
The report emphasizes the need for schools to adopt child protection policies, appoint trained focal persons and establish confidential reporting mechanisms connected with provincial child protection units to ensure timely response and proper case management.
Additionally, it stresses the importance of breaking cultural taboos by running public campaigns, integrating life skills education, and involving religious and community leaders to promote acceptance and reduce stigma around discussions on personal boundaries and personal safety.
With this report, SSDO aims to spark a national dialogue on child protection education and reinforce its commitment to empowering children with the knowledge they need to stay safe.
The organization reiterates the importance of creating supportive environments where children can express themselves freely and ensuring that families, schools, and policymakers work collectively to build a safer and more protective future for every child in Pakistan.