On 24th February 2013:

Dr. Padmavathy explaining what
constitutes Inappropriate Touch

We, at GIIS believe that for an all-round development of our students it is important that parents engage and involve in their learning process. Our GIIS parent community is one which has a rich reservoir of knowledge and skills and they excel in their respective careers. To tap into this pool, GIIS has launched an initiative called, GIIS Parent for Parent. It is a platform where parents share their knowledge and experience on child care, upbringing and career orientation and other aspects of nurturing with each other.

GIIS Parent Speaker, Dr. Padmavathy Soosai, a reputed neonatologist and consultant paediatrician from Prince Court Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, graciously volunteered to give a talk on Inappropriate Touch - a session on Child Abuse.

Parents were introduced to this subject and made aware of what constitutes a touch that is inappropriate, to watch out for signs of distress and what steps parents can take if confronted with such a situation.

Dr. Padmavathy factually stated the underlying nuances of such situations and sensitized the parents to this issue. She spoke at length on how to discriminate between a Good Touch and a Bad Touch, bringing home the fact that any touch that makes you Uneasy is a bad touch. She gave a simple approach to teach the children that any area covered by a swimming costume is out-of-bounds by anyone other than parents; and that too during bathing or illness or by a medical personnel when the child is ill. Dr. Padmavathy also advised that touch discrimination must be broached by parents as early as when their child is 4 years of age.

She also cautioned parents that the peril their child may face comes mostly from relatives and family members, and not strangers. She focused on the gravity of the situation with facts and figures based on a survey which shows that in the USA, as many as 1 in 4 children have undergone some sort of abuse by the time they reach 18, and majorly by people known to the child.

While Malaysian statistics are not available, the issue crosses all boundaries of race, class, culture and gender, and hence the need to remain vigilant. The parent needs to create a conducive atmosphere at home will encourage a traumatized child to open up and disclose his agony. She also stressed that children should be taught what constitutes inappropriate touch while interacting with other children/peers as well.

It was an excellent presentation and an eye-opener that paved the path for teachers and parents to broach the subject without causing any embarrassment to our children. The first session between parents and school was a successful one and parents went back satisfied.