Tara Sharma: You want all kids to be safe

Following Child Safety Week, Tara Sharma Saluja — mum of two — sheds light on why awareness about the issue must start at home.

Actor Tara Sharma Saluja, who recently posted a video on Instagram on child sexual abuse, says learning about the problem and listening to stories of abuse “shakes you as a parent”.

Tara Sharma Saluja has been hosting a talk show for 12 years now

“When you hear scary and upsetting stories of people in the family abusing children, and other similar incidents, it just shakes you. Thankfully, I do not have any personal experiences, but there are many who have dealt with something this horrific,” says Saluja, mother of two.

The actor hosts a talk show titled The Tara Sharma Show, where she discusses family issues at length and invite guests to share their stories. Often, she also touches upon the subject of child sexual abuse. “As a parent, you want all children to be safe and healthy. And hearing about such horrifying statistics and cases makes you want to speak out against it,” shares the actor, who was last seen in Kadakh (2019)actor.

Parents, she says, play a crucial role in educating children about “good and bad touch” and in making a safe space for their kids to open up. “They need to know what to do when something wrong happens. There are cases where a known person abuses a child, but the child does not understand what really happened or what to do. It’s difficult to comprehend, thereby making it difficult for them to speak up. That’s why education in this regard is important and it needs to start at home,” she says.

On how pertinent it is to raise your voice against abuse, Saluja adds, “When I did my research, I got to know that 97% of the children are abused by people they know... Learning this made me realise that talking about it is essential because the more awareness there will be, the more people will feel comfortable sharing their personal experiences, and in the process, healing themselves.”