Aangan is a resource centre working to enhance the emotional health of children, dealing particularly with the issue of child sexual abuse.

History

The Aangan program was started in 1994 as the first initiative of its kind to initiate a debate on the issue of child sexual abuse in Pakistan . In the initial stage, the program focused on direct awareness raising with children, parents, and professionals. However, keeping in view the strictly tabooed nature of the subject as well as the emerging need to address the issue of child sexual abuse with a more holistic and empowering framework for children, the program began to address the issue of child sexual abuse within the overall context of emotional health. It was felt that for children to be able to disclose or resist abuse, they should also be self-confident, assertive and have good communication skills. Awareness raising activities through work in school systems, material development and dissemination for parent, children and professionals and media received an overwhelmingly positive response. A particular initiative worthy of mention is a series of articles for children in a popular youth magazine printed in 1996. This series resulted in the program receiving over 350 letters from abused children from all over Pakistan . In 1999, the program felt that it had achieved sufficient experience and built enough capacity to start functioning as a modest resource center on the issue of child sexual abuse. Training initiatives primarily involved professionals groups such as doctors, medical students, psychologists etc.

The last few years have enabled the program to further refine its approach to capacity building and strengthen its credibility as a premier resource organization on the issue of child sexual abuse. Our work on capacity building in this area have highlighted the need for sustained mentoring and support to trainees along with the need for tailoring capacity building initiatives to their needs. What has been especially encouraging has been Aangan's success in enabling three diverse groups -- a community group from a lower socio economic group, volunteers from the community, and teachers from the government school system -- to work on the sensitive issue of child sexual abuse. The last of these initiatives involved a formal contractual agreement with the Ministry of Education and is an example of Rozan's commitment to working with the State.

Objectives

1. Capacity Building and Resource Center Development

To build the capacity of community members, volunteers, organizations and professionals to raise awareness and effectively deal with child sexual abuse in their respective communities and institutions.

2. Service Delivery: Counseling and Referral Services and Awareness Raising Campaign

One of the most important aspects of Aangan's work is to provide support services to children and adults affected by child sexual abuse through psychological counseling, support and referrals. Counseling is offered via community-based counseling camps, life skills activities, support groups, letters, phone (051 2215368) and in-person counseling.

Counseling is offered to:

• Children/adolescents having emotional difficulties
• Children and adolescents that are victims of sexual abuse (abuse is currently ongoing) and survivors (abuse happened previously or in their childhood)
• Women and men who are survivors of child sexual abuse
• Parents/families of sexually abused children
• Parents of emotionally disturbed children
• Child and adult sex offenders

3. Advocacy

Aangan has been working actively with other civil society organizations to advocate the issue of child sexual abuse along with various governmental and international bodies.

• Aangan is part of the National Working Group on Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) and Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC), along with six-other non-governmental organizations. The Group was formed in early 2003 to create awareness about CSA, follow-up and carry forward CSA/CSEC cases, and to pursue Pakistan 's National Plan of action (NPA) on CSA/CSEC.
• Aangan extensively and actively pursues the cases of child sexual abuse, and uses its expertise and skills to deal such cases in collaboration with other organizations.