Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday launched a statewide awareness campaign of Odisha Police against Child Sexual Abuse. The campaign tilted ‘Paree Pain Katha Tiye’ (A word for the little angel) is being organised with collaboration of UNICEF.

During the launch ceremony at Traffic Police Station at Bhubaneswar on Monday. Patnaik flagged off 15 vans modified as ’Paree Express’. These vehicles will cover all 30 districts of the state during the campaign from May 28 to June 12, 2018.

Minister of Women and Child Development Prafulla Samal, chief secretary A P Padhi, Home secretary Asit Tripathy, DGP Dr R P Sharma, Ms Yumi Bae, Chief, UNICEF Odisha and senior police officers were present.

The CM said the Paree Express will be able to make the community aware of the problem and about responsibility of all of us in tackling it. He wished the campaign a big success.

Later he signed the message board kept at the venue and wrote- Save the Girl Child. Minister Prafulla Samal, said the State Government has organized many qualitative initiatives for women safety and against child abuse.

He also recognized the efforts of the Department of Culture in involving folk artistes in the campaign. Mr A P Padhi highlighted the problem of child sexual abuse and relevance of the campaign.

He appreciated the Odisha Police for their efforts. He expressed hope that this initiative will make an impact in the society. Stressing the key objective of the campaign, DGP Dr. R P Sharma, thanked UNICEF for their technical support and collaboration with the Odisha Police for this campaign.

Home secretary Mr Tripathy said child sexual abuse is a very crucial issue which needs to be taken very seriously as 1000 to 1200 such cases are registered every year.

YumiBae, UNICEF Chief, Odisha said that the is child sexual abuse is a very complex issue and that the effort is to put out an emotional appeal for public awareness, as most of the perpetrators are known to the children belonging to their neighbors, families, relatives and communities.

Increasingly, the internet and mobile phones also put children at risk of sexual violence. There is also an increase in the number and circulation of images of child abuse on internet.

A 2014 UNICEF study, ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’, estimates that around 120 million girls under the age of 20 have been subjected to forced sexual intercourse or other forced sexual acts at some point of their lives. Boys also report experiences of sexual violence, but to a lesser extent.