Pedalling for a cause: Students organise cycle rally to protest against child abuse

In the recent days, we have heard of many shocking instances of child sexual abuse being reported not only in the state but also in the country. We come across hundreds of cases every year where the instance of rape cases are on the rise. Rape and sexual assault of children at home, schools, orphanages have made headlines. But it has been seen that despite all this, a majority of cases are still not been looked into as the victims remain silent.

In order to voice out against the child abuse, a group of four students Freddy John Michael, Jerry Cherian Jacob, Jibin James, Aromal R along with their professor Sebastian Thomas are on a mission to protest against child abuse through the cycle ride. The cycle rally was flagged off by two girls, Thumbi Lakshmi, a 10-year-old and Sana Subhash, a five-year-old. “In this 13-day ride, we wish to cover almost all districts in the state. As we ride through the districts, we interact with people and take their opinion about child abuse. We will also be uploading the updates on Facebook regularly,” said Freddy John Michael, one of the riders.

The cycle rally was flagged off from Thiruvananthapuram railway station to Kasaragod to fight against child abuse. The ride is titled 'Breaking the silence through silence' which a silent protest against child abuse. This is the first time such a ride is being undertaken by this group of college students with the permission of their parents. Freddy said, “Everyday we hear about horrible cases of child sexual abuse and exploitation of children. My friends and one of our professors decided to do something different so a little change can be created in the mindset of the people. We are hoping to create awareness about how the children who go through abuse are silenced and threatened.”

The team starts the journey at 5.30 am in the morning and ends it by 10 pm. It has only been a day since they set out on their journey upholding their cause, but they have already met and inspired many people. In case of responses, some people opined the youth and children should be given more awareness through schools, strict action should be taken against people who do such heinous crimes, and WhatsApp groups and other social media should be regularly monitored. The team is regularly uploading the videos of the people they interview as they ride by.