Simble Johney has rewritten eight common English nursery rhymes, such as Jolly Jack & Jill and Baa Baa 'Brave' Sheep, to teach children about consent and spread awareness about child sexual abuse. The idea of her book Appropriate Rhymes for Inappropriate Times stemmed from having faced such instances herself as a child, from conversations with people, and coming to terms with years of trauma and silence that most survivors of child sexual abuse go through.
According to the 2018 National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, as many as 109 children were sexually abused every day in India. And 90 percent of abusers are known to the survivors.
While Indian parents have always struggled to teach their kids about 'good touch and bad touch', sex education is still a taboo and considered unimportant.
The trauma, confusion, shame, and other corroborating factors are the reasons the report rate is so less in cases of sexual abuse of children. The Ministry of Women and Child Development told Parliament that only 467 male child abuse cases were lodged with the police out of 36,321 such reported incidents in 2016.
Keeping all the data and researches aside, it is no news that almost every second child in India has faced sexual abuse before the age of 18.
Simble is an advertising professional and her intention with this book is to open conversations between parents and their children. To break the wall of discomfort so that children gain confidence to speak about such issues.
Common English rhymes such as Mary Had A Little Lamb are tweaked to Mary Had A Little Friend and the poem tackles the issue of bullying, Jack and Jill is tweaked to Jolly Jack and Jill, which teaches about consent. Similarly, words of many other popular rhymes are changed and presented in a format that is understandable to both kids and adults.
All the eight poems in the book are beautifully illustrated by Akshita Yadav, a creative illustrator.
For those aged 6 to 12, Appropriate Rhymes for Inappropriate Times would definitely be a wonderful collection to any kid's bookshelf. As it helps change the narrative surrounding child sexual abuse and is a perfect conversation-starter.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)