Not Just a Survey, A Stand Against Silence
What if the loudest cries are the ones we never hear? More than 53% of children have faced child sexual abuse in India — and that’s just the number we know. Globally, only 1 in 10 cases are ever disclosed. What happens to the other nine? Millions of hidden stories remain buried beneath shame, fear, and silence. They’re never recorded. They simply vanish — but the trauma stays forever.
Bachpan – Save The Innocence, one of India’s largest youth-led organizations, has long been at the forefront of the fight against child sexual abuse. This year, we asked ourselves a more difficult question: Are we truly listening to the voices of those who never spoke up?
That question gave birth to Project अनकही — a bold and groundbreaking initiative aimed at shedding light on the unspoken. Through this project, we’re conducting a survey on child sexual abuse with one goal in mind: to create a safe, anonymous space where survivors can finally say, “Yes, this happened to me,” without fear or shame.
With Project अनकही, we are choosing to listen — not just to stories, but to silence. Every response, every unspoken truth brought to light, is a step toward a future where no child has to suffer in silence. This is more than a project. It’s a movement — to acknowledge the unseen, to honour the unheard, and to ensure that no story is left untold again.
When silence becomes oppression, speaking up is revolution
“I didn’t understand good or bad touch, but I knew something was wrong. I’ve never told anyone—not even my parents.” — A Survivor
The silence around child sexual abuse in India is not accidental — it’s institutional. Survivors remain quiet because:
- They don’t realize it was abuse until later.
- They fear judgment or disbelief.
- The abuser is often a trusted figure.
- There’s no secure system to report safely.
Society urges silence — families hide it, schools avoid it, and systems fail to protect. Project अनकही was launched to break this silence. It wasn’t just a survey on child sexual abuse — it was a platform for truth. A mirror held up to society, reflecting stories across Tricity, Delhi, Mathura, and beyond, where Bachpan Save The Innocence works.
Why a survey?
Because anonymity builds trust. Survivors are more honest when there’s no fear of blame and judgment. And data builds strength. Each form was more than a statistic — a voice, a demand, a stand.
Project अनकही is not the end, it’s the beginning of a louder, braver conversation.
Collecting courage to rewrite the India’s future
Project अनकही is a dream and a disruption.
At its core, it offers a safe, anonymous space for survivors to say:
“This happened. I’m not alone. I’m not to blame.”
But this goes beyond healing.
We’re building India’s largest survivor-informed dataset on unreported child sexual abuse — to uncover truths, demand reform, and drive prevention.
Our Mission
- Reveal the real numbers — the ones that never make it to police reports.
- Map patterns: age, gender, disclosure rates, relationship to the abuser.
- Design better school training, teacher sessions, and parental tools.
- Advocate for mental health support, legal reform, and survivor-safe systems.
Our Target
6,000+ honest, anonymous responses — primarily from youth (ages 13–25) across urban and semi-urban regions.
Because every form is a voice.
Each whisper builds momentum — until silence is no longer an option.
We imagine a future where
- Museums and exhibits center on survivor stories.
- Campaigns like Unke Shabd go viral, breaking stigma.
- CSA training is embedded in every language, every classroom.
Through अनकही, we’re not just hoping for change.
We’re building it — voice by voice.
Behind the Scenes of अनकही
It wasn’t just a form. It was a movement — built on empathy, trust, and care. Every detail was designed to keep survivors safe and help their truth be heard.
1. Designing the Survey on Child Sexual Abuse with Care
- 5 mins. Anonymous. Trauma-informed.
- Crafted with input from survivors, therapists, legal experts.
- No personal data is collected.
- Trigger warnings + logic jumps to avoid distress.
- A gentle space at the end to share stories — if they wished.
Those who reached the end saw helplines, support links, and a quiet reminder:
You are not alone.
2. Building the Team
Our team consisted of nearly 200 volunteers across India. They co-created, tested, and drove awareness both online and offline.
3. Training Volunteers
Every volunteer was trained in:
- Trauma-sensitive talk
- Handling disclosures
- Outreach ethics
They weren’t just distributors — they became listeners, supporters, and catalysts for change in their own circles.
4. Spreading the Word
We knew awareness needed to go where people already were.
Reels. Infographics. Street talks. Webinars.
We didn’t just share the what, we shared the why.
5. Gentle Outreach
From DMs to campus circles, every share was human.
No force. Just presence. Sometimes, it meant sitting next to someone while they filled out the form.
For many — it was the first time they said: “Yes, this happened.”
This wasn’t just a survey. It was a collective act of listening.
An effort powered by empathy, built on trust, and driven by the belief that every untold story matters. Through careful design,
Project अनकही created a space where silence could break, safely.
And this is just the beginning.
Battling the Silence: Our Toughest Moments
Launching the form wasn’t the hardest part. It was breaking decades of silence.
1. Convincing People to Open Up — Even Anonymously
Even with full anonymity, it wasn’t easy.
- Some clicked the link multiple times before starting. Others cried midway.
- Child Sexual Abuse in India is still a taboo. Even saying “this happened” felt impossible.
But we built slow, patient trust — and that changed everything.
2. Handling Sensitive Responses with Care
Every story was treated with respect and caution.
- Trigger warnings and skip logic were used to protect emotional safety.
- No names. No emails. Only the stories were collected — shared freely, without fear.
- At the end, survivors were gently offered support resources and helplines.
3. Tackling Tech and Outreach Challenges
We didn’t just run a survey on child sexual abuse. We built a safe digital space.
- Mobile-friendly forms that worked even on low networks.
- No data collected — just truth, safely shared.
- 200+ trained volunteers led with empathy, not pressure.
- Awareness didn’t spread through ads — it grew through quiet, trusted conversations.
Despite it all, they spoke. And in their stories, we found strength and a way forward.
This wasn’t just a form. It was a door — one that opened into truth, trust, and transformation.
Each submission was more than a data point. It was an act of bravery.
In every quiet response, we found a call to listen louder, act deeper, and never let these stories be अनकही — unspoken — again.
How Far We’ve Come
When we launched Project अनकही – a nationwide survey on Child Sexual Abuse in India, we knew we were stepping into silence but what we found was courage.
Anonymous, safe, and built with care form became more than just questions. It became a voice.
“I never thought I’d say this out loud. Even anonymously.”
“I feel many more voices have been heard because of this project.”
“I didn’t know what happened to me was child sexual abuse until I read your form.”
“I feel less alone now.”
Each response uncovered truths we rarely speak about:
- Did the survivor tell anyone?
- How long did they carry the secret?
- Was the abuse a one-time incident or repeated?
- Was legal action ever taken?
And India responded.
- 1,000+ entries in 3 hours
- 6,200+ by Day 4.5
- Now 6,800+ — all real, all organic
- 1,500 survivors shared their personal stories.
- 40 joined our support group to heal — together.
Volunteers led with empathy. Survivors chose truth over silence. Together, we didn’t just run a survey. We sparked a movement.
Child Sexual Abuse in India is no longer invisible. Because they spoke — and we listened.
The Journey Ahead
Every response to the Survey on Child Sexual Abuse is not just a number — it is a voice, a life, and a call for change. Now, with thousands having broken their silence on Child Sexual Abuse in India, here’s how we move forward:
1. Survivor-Led Data Analysis
We’ll study trends in age, types of abuse, relationship with the perpetrator, regional differences, and time taken to disclose. We’ll be uncovering silent trends that mainstream conversations on Child Sexual Abuse in India have long ignored. It will bust myths and replace assumptions with lived realities, so future policies reflect truth, not theory.
2. National & Regional Reports
Anonymized reports with infographics, maps, and survivor voices will be shared with schools, NGOs, media, and policymakers — putting lived realities at the center of the prevention of Child Sexual Abuse in India.
3. Awareness Campaigns
Posters, workshops, and media drives will break the stigma around child sexual abuse in India. We’ll build safe spaces in schools and communities, where children can speak and be heard.
4. Ground-Level Training
Teacher workshops. Trauma-informed counselor training and Parent sessions, all in Hindi and local languages, ensuring child sexual abuse awareness reaches every corner of India.
5. Policy Advocacy
The insights from Project Ankahi’s Survey on Child Sexual Abuse will form the backbone of our advocacy work:
We’ll push for:
- Child Sexual Abuse education in every school
- Curriculum reforms via SCERT
- Safer, survivor-friendly systems in schools and police stations
Child Sexual Abuse in India is a crisis — and now, a movement.
With survivor voices leading the way, we’re building a safer, stronger, more aware India.
अनकही No More — This is Our Roar
In a country like India — home to the largest child population in the world — we are often taught not to speak about what hurts. We are told to “let it go,” “forget it,” “move on.” But the truth is: silence does not heal.
Silence wounds deeper. Silence isolates. Silence kills.
Every child who suffers from child sexual abuse in India and is unable to speak is not just a lost statistic — they are a lost story. A story that could have saved lives if only someone had listened.
Through Project अनकही, we are not merely collecting responses through a survey on child sexual abuse — we are listening. We are ensuring that what was once buried in whispers now echoes through schools, courtrooms, and communities across India.
To every survivor who fills out our form:
You are not alone. You are heard. You are powerful.
And your story will help protect a child somewhere — one you may never meet, but whose life you will change forever.
This is not the end. It’s the beginning of an India that listens.
The silence has spoken, and soon, the data will too.
Stay tuned for our upcoming blog, where we unpack the truths spoken by those who were once silent.
