Police educated children on their personal safety
The learners were taught that their bodies are not allowed to be touched, hurt or played with by fellow learners, as well as people known and unknown to them.
AIMED at educating children about their personal safety, Brighton Beach police recently hosted an awareness campaign at the Marlborough Park Junior Primary School on The Bluff.
Captain Louise le Roux, Brighton Beach police spokesperson and project manager, said the objective of the presentation, ‘My Body Safety’, was to empower learners in the foundation phase on their personal safety when attending school, at home and when visiting relatives and friends.
She said through the use of multiple teaching aids, the ‘look, listen and learn’ principles were reinforced.
“The body safety presentations were facilitated through the use of the ‘Jack and Jill’ school boy and girl teddy bears. The bear team has become a teaching aid to enhance the learning experience when facilitating the ‘three spots’ body safety presentation.
“The learners were taught that their chest area and private parts were not allowed to be touched, hurt or played with by fellow learners. They were reminded that this principal also applies to persons known and unknown to them.
ALSO READ: Brighton Beach police host Child Protection Week initiative
“They were also instructed to report inappropriate touching to their teachers and parents, and reminded to shout out, ‘Don’t touch me!’, when someone touches them in a bad way, she said.
Le Roux said the learners were also instructed to respect each other’s privacy when occupying school toilet facilities.
“They were informed that entering and malingering within each other’s bathroom facilities are not permitted. They were also told that being courteousness towards fellow learners is imperative, however, physical contact must be limited when greeting each other, as this type of contact could lead to inappropriate touching. To limit physical contact between learners, they were encouraged to utilise the ‘elbow hug’ principal when greeting each other, instead of physically hugging.
“The learners were also encouraged to be honest, and report inappropriate touching among fellow learners, as generally the victim may be reluctant to disclose the incident. We hope that through this initiative, vigilance was achieved,” she said.
For more Southlands Sun news, follow us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also follow us on Instagram.
