After schools, neighbourhood clubs now seek to sensitise boys
Times of India | 1 September 2024
Kolkata: Counselling sessions for youths, especially teenage boys, are going to be held in some city localities to help them understand how to behave properly with women around them. A number of local clubs are taking this initiative to stress how important it is for men to respectfully co-exist with women in a civilized society to make it better in future.
The rape and murder of a trainee post graduate doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital has sent shockwaves across every section of society. Many are in search of the root of the evil. The city streets are flooded with innumerable rallies of students, doctors, assembled groups of civil society demanding justice for the victim’s family. Some are even trying to do something to nip this evil mindset in the bud.
An Amherst Street club is working towards arranging counselling sessions for the local youths. “Reaching out to the parents to convince them how important it is to catch them young to make them understand that respect for a woman is a man’s most precious characteristic in a civilized society is the primary challenge for us,” said Indranil Chakrabarty of Palli Yubak Brinda Club. He added, “We have already spoken to a professional counsellor who will conduct the sessions. Banners and flex of the programme will be there in our puja pandal so that all locals are informed. The details of the sessions, including timings, age bar and purpose, will be posted in our social media group soon.”
Gautam Saha, former president of Indian Psychiatric Society, observes that the lessons should be given first at home. “This is not a single-day affair. Counselling is a continuous process which they will go through for a long period of time to realise that women should be given respect and protection by men in every sphere of life instead of harming them,” said Saha adding, ‘We have a long-standing demand that moral education and sex education should be part of the school curriculum.”
Joy Mukherjee of Unnayani Sangha in Kudghat feels that there should not be any age bar to attend these counselling sessions as many incidents of rape, molestation and other kind of atrocities committed by men ranging in the group of 13-70 are being reported across the country. “Many parents are interested in sending their boys to these counselling sessions. So we hope that this initiative will help in breeding a generation of truly civilized men who will take care of women in all walks of life,” said Mukherjee.
Suvendu Chatterjee of Paschim Putiary has enrolled his teenage son Riskaan’s name for the counselling sessions. “My son is in class VIII. My wife is also working. I strongly feel the urge to send him to the sessions. Even I myself could join them,” said Chatterjee.