Kolkata cops train schoolgirls to take on bullies, on road & in cyberspace
Times of India | 30 January 2024
KOLKATA: Over 23,000 adolescent girls in 233 government schools in the city will now be taught to combat bullies, both on roads and in cyberspace, as part of Kolkata Police's Rani Laxmibai Self Defence Training initiative run jointly with the state education department. The physical training began last month and the cyber security classes kicked off over the weekend.
As part of the programme, schoolgirls between classes 8 and 12 are to be trained in any of the six forms of self-defence - taekwondo, judo, kick-boxing, karate, wushu and aikido. The 90-minute physical classes are being held every Saturday and will continue for three months. The cyber security sessions will be of shorter duration and will encourage the students to ask questions.
"We are already giving self-defence training to schoolgirls but feel it is equally important to tackle online bullies. Teens, particularly girls, are vulnerable to hacking and often fall prey to traps on social media. It is crucial for them to learn the technique of staying out of danger. That is why a session on cyber laws and rights is now an inherent part of this course," said an officer of KP's community policing wing that is running the programme with the help of cyber cells.
The response to Kolkata Police's cyber security classes for schoolgirls has been extremely encouraging. "On Saturday, 230 girls from different schools turned up for the cyber security session at Police Training School and on Monday 200 others at a city school. We expect a greater number when we cover a Chetla school on Tuesday. In fact, such is enthusiasm that even boys are joining these classes," said a police instructor.
"We are aware that we are addressing school students. So we focus on cyber bullying, the dangers of social media and possible dangers from AI and metaverse," he said, adding that this was perhaps the first time that the city police force had put up a presentation on the possible harmful impact of AI at a school.
An officer, who recently delivered a talk on the same topic at Asutosh College, said, "We are not against any new technology, but safety is required as with any technology."
A handbook prepared by the school education department on physical training says girl students will be trained in various forms of punches, blocks and kicks besides being taught to focus through meditation. The handbook on cyber security says they will be taught the different methods used to track them online, among other things.
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