It's okay to say 'No'

On January 19 the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court stated in a case that pressing of the breast of a minor cannot be considered as ldquosexual assaultrdquo under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences POCSO Act 2012 as there was no ldquoskintoskin contactrdquo and clothes were not removed and that groping does not fall under this definition This sent shock waves among women activists and child safety groupsThe cover design shows a young girl enjoying the sun with her arms raised behind her head Due to dysphoria and harassment many girls have a complicated relationship with their chests I wanted to show the girl unafraid of scrutiny and shaming Instead of stooped shoulders hands folded she is outside experiencing the beauty of nature I found illustrators like Elise Gravelrsquos work on consent hugely inspiring Aindri COn January 27 the Supreme Court stayed this order after Attorney General KK Venugopal stated it as a ldquodisturbingrdquo conclusion that could set off a dangerous precedent After the first judgment the Nagpur bench and the same judge Justice Pushpa Ganediwala were in the news again when they stated in a case involving a minor that ldquothe act of holding a girlrsquos hands and opening the zip of pants will not come under the definition of sexual assaultrdquo under the POCSO ActAindri CThis prevalent climate is far from the rainbowsandbutterfliespicture bookview that our children are typically exposed to in their formative years Thatrsquos why accurate information about consent touch and personal boundaries must be sensitively disseminated by parents and educators And it is in this scenario that Your Body is Yours Pratham Books released earlier this year shines a light on these rarelydiscussed topics aided by relatable characters and a simple yet powerful narrativeYamini VijayanldquoPratham Booksrsquo editorial team approached me with the idea of writing a book on consent and touch I was always interested in exploring this because therersquos so much embarrassment when it comes to talking about our bodies openlyrdquo recalls Yamini Vijayan its writer The book also delves into subjects like the possibility that someone may not always respect your boundaries and informs children what they can do in these situations mdash whether itrsquos saying no or screaming or walking awayldquoWe wanted this information to empower children and help them understand that itrsquos never their fault We needed to also ensure that we left our young readers feeling supported and hopefulrdquo adds Yamini What the book also reminds children is to take pride in their bodies no matter what it looks or feels like ldquoOur audience is primarily the underserved child and we sorely felt the need for an affordable opensource book that talks about personal boundaries and starts healthy conversations around our bodies and the right to say no Itrsquos a book we are very proud ofrdquo echoes Bijal Vachharajani senior editor Pratham BooksFor research Yamini and Aindri C the illustrator did a fair bit of reading and spoke to experts in the sphere of childrenrsquos safety Aindri wanted to design a lsquosafe spacersquo that would convey consent to the young reader ldquoA personal boundary was designed for each character in the shape of a patronus guardian shield In order to show harassment we would focus on breach of this personal boundary Initially the patronuses were animalshaped outlines we then tried abstract jellylike cocoon shapes until we finally used leaf shapes that complemented the shape of the characters that are outside in nature exploring themselves and their surroundingsrdquoThe book has a conversational and friendly tone without talking down to children ldquoWe didnrsquot want to hold back Children are very perceptive So if we want them to be able to talk about their bodies openly without shame we need to mdash as parents and educators mdash shed our own inhibitions and be able to do the same They need to see that therersquos no need to be embarrassed about using accurate terms like penis and vulva which are just body partsrdquo shares Yamini The truth is that even today many feel awkward to speak to children about their bodies ldquoWhether itrsquos about hair sprouting in different body parts or puberty or safe and unsafe touch they are left to figure it out on their own To change this more effective and meaningful systems of awareness and support need to be createdrdquoThey hope such books will help start a few such conversations or at least make it easier ldquoIn India we still raise children to be obedient to not question adults mdash especially girls As a result they are often hesitant to say no and be assertive We also wanted to tell children via this book that itrsquos perfectly fine to say no to anyone who doesnrsquot respect their boundaries no matter who it is because your body belongs to you and no one elserdquo Yamini sums upLog on tostoreprathambooksorg