The Punjab Home Department on Thursday launched a campaign to raise awareness about the safety of children.

According to the spokesperson of the home department, the campaign called ‘Safe Children, Safe Punjab’ was launched on the instructions of the Punjab Chief Minister.

The statement said, “The home department released the first episode of a special animation series to create awareness about ‘Good Touch, Bad Touch’.

“The campaign was launched to prevent incidents of sexual abuse of minors.”

The statement also said that the series introduced the characters named Haya and Bahadur, who educate children about “Good Touch and Bad Touch”, with a message for children stating, “We will not be afraid of those who touch us badly.”

Educating children about personal safety was the need of the hour, the statement said, adding that the series taught children about “appropriate and inappropriate physical behaviour in a positive way”.

With proper education and awareness, children can recognise and report inappropriate behaviour, it added.

It further said that parents and teachers must teach children how to report sexual abuse at home or outside.

The statement highlighted that children who face sexual abuse can be traumatised for life, saying, “It is the responsibility of the state to protect children and bring abusers to justice.”

The campaign will help protect children from abuse and sexual exploitation, it added.

According to the statement, the Punjab home secretary has directed the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau to conduct an awareness campaign for children.

The department had also written a letter to the Education Department to include ‘Good Touch, Bad Touch’ awareness in the curriculum.

The awareness campaign has been designed to keep future generations safe, the statement said, adding, “Be a part of this awareness campaign to keep your children safe.”

Earlier this month, a civil society report revealed that 3,364 child abuse cases were reported from across the country in 2024. The children were most vulnerable to abuse in the age group of 11-15 years, in which more boys than girls were reported.

A 17-year-old girl died by suicide in April after she was allegedly raped and impregnated in Punjab’s Muzaffargarh.

On Tuesday, the police arrested four suspects involved in an alleged gang rape of a mentally-challenged minor in Lahore.