Safety in Focus: Police and students unite for empowerment

In a collaborative effort with the Police department, an awareness programme was organised in Apeejay School, Model Town in Jalandhar to ensure student safety and promote awareness about various issues.

Inspector Gurdip Lal, In-charge of District Saanjh Kendra, along with Inspector Sanjeev Bhanot, In-charge of Sub Division Central and North Saanjh Kendra, Police Commissionerate Jalandhar, interacted with young learners on crucial topics such as women empowerment, traffic rules, prevention of cybercrime, shakti app, and services provided by Saanjh Kendras.

During the programme, students were taught about relevant laws, including the Victim Relief Services, Legal Provisions of IPC, Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace, Protection of Women from Domestic Violence, Rights of Women and Children, and Protection of Child from Sexual Offenses Act 2012. They were briefed on the functioning of PPMMs (Police Public Mitr Mandals) in every police station within the Jalandhar Commissionerate.

A class 8 student of Apeejay School, Model Town, Arya Lakhanpal highlights, “The seminar was an eye opener for me where the experts explained that every citizen is living in two worlds simultaneously. One is the ‘real’ world and the other is ‘virtual’. In both of these, we must take all precautions to remain safe and secure. In addition, we should know all the rules, regulations and laws. Despite everything, mistakes can occur, as a result of which incidents of crime (intentional or unintentional) take place.” She also added how in-depth knowledge of different types of cybercrimes such as access without permission, data theft, damaging computers, denial of access, access to unauthorised person identity theft, cyber stalking, cyber terrorism was imparted during the session. “I noted all the information down,” the student said.

As per Dhiren Shahi, another class 8 student, “The event organised by the school was superb. We got to know about many new and great things. There is a great need of conducting such cyber awareness programmes so that we (students) can acquire great knowledge.” Sharing a similar opinion, student Mitesh Dutta said, “After attending the session, I felt like a responsible citizen of my city who should make others aware about this information.”

As part of the event, Inspector Lal emphasised the crucial role of educators in ensuring the safety and security of children. Furthermore, the teachers of the school were educated about commonly overlooked instances of sexual harassment and were provided information on preventive measures, recognising signs of abuse, and the importance of the POCSO Act. Various helpline numbers, including 181, 112, 1091, and 1930, were shared by Inspector Lal to facilitate immediate assistance.

When asked about her experience, an educator of the school, Ms Nidhi Soni said, “The session was very informative. It touched sensitive issues related to cybercrime and safety. Moreover, it’s a need of the hour to be aware and extra careful of such things. One should be highly vigilant and report it immediately.”

Sharing a similar opinion, another educator Ms Maninder Kaur shared, “As the crime related to the internet is growing day by day, it is very important to make the youngsters aware of the cyber security system. Therefore, the session was informative and threw light on maintaining certain rules and regulations while using social media such as not disclosing financial and social status while making friends with anyone on social media.”

She continued, “The seminar highlighted that practices like morphing others photographs, sending malicious emails or mocking someone on social media are punishable crimes and the police can trace the people who create fake IDs and indulge in such crimes. After this, the workshop proceeded by informing students that if anyone finds himself/herself in trouble, they should never keep quiet. Reach out and speak to elders, especially parents.”

Overall, the seminar aimed to sensitise all to stay vigilant against potential threats and to encourage them to freely report any problems to the concerned authorities. The event served as a platform to equip both students and educators with valuable knowledge regarding personal safety and legal protections. The day concluded with a question-answer session where the school children cleared their doubts and their questions were answered cheerfully by the team of experts.

“Educational frameworks that consider non-discrimination, gender equality, anti-racism and more, help build an understanding and respect for human rights. Through it, students learn about their history and responsibility as citizens of the world.”

-Mr Malkiat Singh, Principal, Apeejay School, Model Town in Jalandhar