Complaint boxes in schools to prevent child abuse

In a novel move aimed at checking child abuse, the district administration here has decided to install complaint boxes in all schools to help students air their grievances if any and make them feel secured.
The objective of the initiative, taken by District Collector N Venkatachalam, was to instill confidence in the students so that they feel secured in schools, officials said.
The key of the "Protection Boxes" will be with the head of respective schools who would open them daily and the grievances enquired into confidentially.
The decision was announced by Venkatachalam during a district-level child line consultative committee meeting here, an official press release said today.

The district administration also plans to hold gram sabha meetings to create awareness on the need for protection of children at the village level.
Since government primary schools in villages do not have the financial resources to set up these boxes, the village panchayats should take the responsibility of purchasing the boxes.
Child help line number 1098 also should be displayed near the complaint box, which can also be used to prevent child marriages, the release said.