Learn about our Mission and Focused Area
Focus Area –
Challenging child sexual abuse:
According to a 2007 study by the Indian Government of nearly 14,500 children from across 13 states of India, 53% of children reported having faced sexual abuse. 20% of those interviewed said they had been subjected to severe abuse, which the report defined as ‘sexual assault, making the child fondle private parts, making the child exhibit private body parts and being photographed in the nude’. The study also reported that 50% of abusers are known to the child or are in a position of trust and responsibility and for this very reason, it was found that over 70 per cent of children had never spoken to anyone of what was done to them.
Sahas Foundation is committed to engaging adolescents from the age of 11-18 years to build awareness of child sexual abuse along with the different aspects of puberty and growing changes during adolescence thereby building their capacity to prevent incidences of child sexual abuse.
At Sahas, we engage with parents and teachers to build gender inclusive community so that
adolescents have safe spaces both in home and in schools.
- Comprehensive sexuality education:
Comprehensive sexuality education is a rights and gender-focused approach to sexuality education that equips adolescents and young people with the information they need to protect their dignity, health and well-being. It gives them information about body anatomy, puberty and the physical, emotional and social changes that come with it. Further, it also discusses topics such as consent, relationships, identities, periods, violence, and how to challenge when faced with violent situations. - Gender Inclusive Villages and Girls Leadership:
The conversation on gender, gender-based violence and reproductive health is limited and is beyond the reach of adolescent girls, especially in rural areas of India. They are forced to drop out of school as soon as they reach class 8, and are pushed to household chores. This leads to early marriage and teenage pregnancy impacting their reproductive and mental health severely. We have been working in Khushipura village, Uttar Pradesh to curb child marriages and empower young girls with the knowledge and access to the issues of gender, sexuality, mental health and leadership so that they can raise their voices against the structural issues and lead a life of their dreams and aspirations. - Girls Education:
With the Sahasi Girls programs, we are supporting the education of the girls in Khushipura village who had dropped out of school because of a multitude of issues including poor socio-economic background, parents’ reluctance to support the education of girls and societal pressure.