(6/8) HOPE RUNS - against prejudice

”I confessed about my sexual abuse to a friend. Instead of keeping the confidence, he spread the news. Soon, the walls of the college and the toilet signboards had my name. They didn't see it as sexual abuse. For them, it was fun gay sex. I became a symbol of ridicule. I got branded as gay, because 'I had sex' with my relative. I tried to commit suicide, but survived.” - Harish Iyer, adult survivor of child sexual abuse

If a male child has been sexually abused by a male, or a female child by another female it DOES NOT mean either of them are homosexual.

Due to unawareness on child sexual abuse and gender sexuality, adolescents and adults don’t understand the differences between sexual abuse, homosexual behaviour and homosexual orientation and are unable to respond appropriately.

ARPAN creates awareness on child sexual abuse and teaches appropriate intervention skills and responses that should be given in the event of a disclosure. ARPAN has reached out to over 4000 parents, 700 teachers and mental health professionals so far and needs your support to reach out to many more.

Harish is running for ARPAN in the Mumbai Marathon on 17th January, 2010 to support Arpan's work on preventing child sexual abuse and healing it’s ill effects.

Help him raise funds for ARPAN. Funds collected will be used for teaching children skills to protect themselves from sexual abuse and help child and adult victims heal through counseling and therapy.

Funds collected so far – Rs. 90,200/- Target amount – Rs. 1,01,000/-

Donate now.

Last date to receive cheques - 7th January.

Last date to receive online donations - 9th January.

To pay online click here. http://www.unitedwaymumbai.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=146&popup=1&template_id=42

To pay via cheque, please send cheque in the name of ‘United Way of Mumbai’ to

ARPAN

Unit 24, 2nd flr, 105, Apollo Street, Mumbai Samachar Marg, Mumbai – 23.

To know more about ARPAN visit www.arpan.org.in

Please forward this email to all your contacts and help spread the word around. Thank you.

Watch out for updates on www.Hope-Runs.blogspot.com and www.twitter.com/hoperuns. www.facebook.com/hoperun Join Arpan's facebook group. - facebook/arpan

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United Way of Mumbai is the Charity Partner for Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2010 and will be sending the receipt and 80 G certificate to you for donations made. Donors outside India can donate but wont get any tax rebate. After the marathon, United Way will give the funds collected to ARPAN. To know more about United Way of Mumbai and the Marathon visit www.unitedwaymumbai.org

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Fight for Justice - Not just for Ruchika, but for society!

Ruchika Girhotra was an innocent girl, an upcoming tennis player for the nation from Haryana. Was molested by a policeman in 1990, then was harassed by him, threatened so that she doesn't complaint about him. Her whole family was played with, in the same matter and she finally committed suicide after 3 years. Her friend Anuradha, still fighting for justice for Ruchika sees no justice in the case filed against the accused.

The former DGP of Haryana, SPS Rathore was given a sentence for 6 months, and due to the appeal from higher court, was released on bail in just a few minutes. Rathore enjoyed the life with the name of law and police, for 19 years and got promoted in his duties to become one of the best police officer in Haryana. But his evil acts would not be ever hidden. We, along with Aradhana would fight for Ruchika, fight for the society so that we don't see any other case of injustice in future.

We still appeal for justice and Rathore should be given a higher punishment for the things he did. Molested the girl, then jailed her brother for several cases of theft, the girl was expelled from school for all this happening, and in the end committed suicide.

All the Mumbaikars, join hands to fight for the society, vote below and comment at the Desi Dilwale gang site for justice.
Please vote -

(5/8) HOPE RUNS - to help regain their lost dignity

    “I never trusted a man. I felt hatred and resentment towards anything that was masculine. As I grew up I was completely asexual. I was very body conscious. I thought my body was disfigured by constant abuse. I couldn't bear to be seen from the rear. As a result, I would chicken out from anything that made me stand first in the row, showing my rear to the rest. My constrained body posture made me walk shaking my butt, which people thought was typically girlish.” - Harish Iyer, adult survivor of sexual abuse

Sexual abuse is a traumatic experience for most children. As a result, children feel betrayed and find it difficult to trust adults again. They develop low self esteem, tremendous amount of shame and guilt which stays throughout adult life affecting their thought processes and beliefs about themselves.

ARPAN does counseling and therapeutic healing of children and adult survivors of sexual abuse so that they can live beyond the trauma of the abuse with the dignity they have a right to, healthily and joyfully. ARPAN has so far helped over 80 children and adults including trafficked/rescued minors. We need your support to help many more child and adult survivors.

Harish is running for ARPAN in the Mumbai Marathon on 17^th January, 2010 to support Arpan's work on preventing child sexual abuse and healing it’s ill effects.

Help him raise funds for ARPAN. Funds collected will be used for teaching children skills to protect themselves from sexual abuse and help child and adult victims heal through counseling and therapy.

Funds collected so far – Rs. 88,200/-      Target amount – Rs. 1,01,000/-

Donate now.

To pay online click here. http://www.unitedwaymumbai.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=146&popup=1&template_id=42

(shortened URL – www.bit.ly/HopeRuns )

To pay via cheque, please send cheque in the name of ‘United Way of Mumbai’ to

ARPAN

@ Unit 24, 2^nd flr, 105, Apollo Street, Mumbai Samachar Marg, Mumbai – 23.

To know more about ARPAN visit www.arpan.org.in

Please forward this email to all your contacts and help spread the word around. Thank you.
Watch out for updates on www.Hope-Runs.blogspot.com , www.facebook.com/HopeRun and www.twitter.com/hoperuns Join Arpan's facebook group. - facebook/arpan

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United Way of Mumbai is the Charity Partner for Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2010 and will be sending the receipt and 80 G certificate to you for donations made. Donors outside India can donate but wont get any tax rebate. After the marathon, United Way will give the funds collected to ARPAN. To know more about United Way of Mumbai and the Marathon visit www.unitedwaymumbai.org

(4/8) HOPE RUNS - for those children who silently suffer

“All my childhood I lived a dual life—the life when I was being abused, and the life when I wasn't. It dictated my very being. It was years of continuous abuse, years of pain, years of breach with not a single soul to reach out to. I bled from my anus often, and once did gather the courage to tell mom. And she thought it was because of the summer heat. I don't blame her now. She was completely ignorant about the fact that male children are susceptible to sexual abuse and need to be protected.” - Harish Iyer, adult survivor of child sexual abuse

Children do not talk about sexual abuse. They continue to be threatened by the secrecy they were sworn into and slowly grow to ‘accommodate’ the abuse. They also lack the vocabulary to talk about it. Even if they eventually talk about it, parents don’t pay much attention as they are unaware about child sexual abuse, what it is, its symptoms, its prevalence and the immense negative impact it can have on a child. They also do not know that boys are as susceptible to sexual abuse as girls.

ARPAN, an NGO in Mumbai creates awareness on child sexual abuse amongst parents so that they can help prevent child sexual abuse and intervene appropriately in the event of any abuse. Arpan has reached out to over 4000 parents so far and needs your support to reach out to thousands more.

Harish is running for ARPAN in the Mumbai Marathon on 17^th January, 2010 to support Arpan's work on preventing child sexual abuse and healing it’s ill effects.

Help him raise funds for ARPAN. Funds collected will be used for teaching children skills to protect themselves from sexual abuse and help child and adult victims heal through counseling and therapy.

Funds collected so far – Rs. 76,100/-      Target amount – Rs. 1,01,000/-

Donate now.

To pay online click here. http://www.unitedwaymumbai.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=146&popup=1&template_id=42  for tweeting, you could use tiny url www.bit.ly/HopeRuns

To pay via cheque, please send cheque in the name of ‘United Way of Mumbai’ to

ARPAN

Unit 24, 2^nd flr, 105, Apollo Street, Mumbai Samachar Marg, Mumbai – 23.

To know more about ARPAN visit www.arpan.org.in

Please forward this email to all your contacts and help spread the word around. Thank you.

Watch out for updates on www.Hope-Runs.blogspot.com , www.facebook.com/hoperun and www.twitter.com/hoperuns. Join Arpan's facebook group. - facebook/arpan

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United Way of Mumbai is the Charity Partner for Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2010 and will be sending the receipt and 80 G certificate to you for donations made. Donors outside India can donate but wont get any tax rebate. After the marathon, United Way will give the funds collected to ARPAN. To know more about United Way of Mumbai and the Marathon visit www.unitedwaymumbai.org

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 What can you do about child sex abuse : you could blog/tweet and forward this email extensively. Let everyone read it. click on the Share This link below to share with your friends, acquaintances and people should know about the evil. 

I have  received several calls and emails from other survivors ever since this campaign was initiated. I understand that just by acknowledging and sharing, the burden of  the lump in the chest is lessened. Though, I am not a counselor, i try my best to listen, assist and share... and request them to speak to psychotherapist if the issue is beyond my control.  You could reach me at +919833100340 or mail me personally at hi@hiyer.net - Harish Iyer

(3/8) HOPE RUNS - for those vulnerable children

“He forced his penis into my mouth. I moved away and started crying loudly. He told me that he would kill me and everyone in my family if I didn't shut up. He then asked me to suck his penis again and this time, I did it. He lifted and took me out. He pushed me on the bed, turned me around and then raped me. He continued to rape me for 11 more years.” - Harish Iyer, adult survivor of child sexual abuse

Children are often sworn into secrecy by abusers using some kind of threat. Children feel scared and succumb to keeping quiet and doing what the abuser asks them to do.

ARPAN, an NGO teaches children not to keep unsafe secrets but to go and tell a trusted adult and keep telling till they get the help they need. ARPAN has taught over a 1000 children, skills to protect themselves from sexual abuse and need your support to reach out to thousands of more children including yours.

Harish is running for ARPAN in the Mumbai Marathon on 17^th January, 2010 to support Arpan's work on preventing child sexual abuse and healing it’s ill effects.

Help him raise funds for ARPAN. Funds collected will be used for teaching children skills to protect themselves from sexual abuse and help child and adult victims heal through counseling and therapy.

Funds collected so far – Rs. 31,100/-      Target amount – Rs. 1,01,000/-

Donate now.

To pay online click here. http://www.unitedwaymumbai.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=146&popup=1&template_id=42

To pay via cheque, please send cheque in the name of ‘United Way of Mumbai’ to

ARPAN

Unit 24, 2^nd flr, 105, Apollo Street, Mumbai Samachar Marg, Mumbai – 23.

To know more about ARPAN visit www.arpan.org.in

Please forward this email to all your contacts and help spread the word around. Thank you.

Watch out for updates here on www.Hope-Runs.blogspot.com 

www.twitter.com/hoperuns. 

or Join Arpan's facebook group. -

 ------------------------------

United Way of Mumbai is the Charity Partner for Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2010 and will be sending the receipt and 80 G certificate to you for donations made. Donors outside India can donate but wont get any tax rebate. After the marathon, United Way will give the funds collected to ARPAN. To know more about United Way of Mumbai and the Marathon visit www.unitedwaymumbai.org

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Please do share the above mail with as many as you can.

Protectors and Predators

This came to me in a forwarded mail.

Last week a 3 year old girl in

South Africa was beaten and raped.. She is still alive. The man responsible was released on bail yesterday.He is walking the streets. If you are too busy to read this then just sign your name and forward this on.This is a very important petition. It is an essential part of the justice system for children. You may have already heard that

there's a myth in South Africa that having sex with a

virgin will cure AIDS. The younger the virgin, the more potent the cure. This has led

to an epidemic of rapes by infected males, with the correspondent infection of innocent kids. Many have

died in these cruel rapes.

Recently in Cape Town ,

a 9-month-old baby was raped by 6 men.

Please think about that for a

moment. The child abuse situation is now reaching catastrophic proportions and if we don't do something, th

en who will?

Why are we, human beings, who are bestowed with the supreme intelligence, behaving worse than the worst animals? Even animals protect their young ones from predators. And what happens when the protectors turn predators?

Join us against Child abuse.

Show you care.

visit- http://www.arpan.org.in/

(2/8) Hope Runs : against the loss of innocence

“I was seven years old when it started. I was at a relative's home. As always, he wanted to give me a bath. He soaped me to a rich lather and suddenly started playing with my penis. I didn't know how to react, but didn't mind it. I think it felt nice, though weird. He asked me to do the same to him and I obliged."  – Harish Iyer, adult survivor of child sexual abuse

Children easily trust adults and do not understand that such behaviour is not alright. ARPAN, an NGO in Mumbai teaches children differences between safe and unsafe touches and that it’s not alright for someone to touch, look at or talk about private body parts except to keep them clean and healthy. Arpan has taught over a 1000 children, skills to protect themselves from sexual abuse and need your support to reach out to thousands of more children, including yours.

Harish is running for ARPAN in the Mumbai Marathon on 17th January, 2010 to support Arpan's work on preventing child sexual abuse and healing it’s ill effects.

Help him raise funds for ARPAN.
Funds collected so far – Rs. 21,100/- Target amount – Rs. 1,01,000/-
Donate now.

To pay online click here.

http://www.unitedwaymumbai.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=146&popup=1&template_id=42


To pay via cheque, please send cheque in the name of ‘United Way of Mumbai’ to

ARPAN @
Unit 24, 2nd flr, 105, Apollo Street, Mumbai Samachar Marg, Mumbai – 23.
To know more about ARPAN visit www.arpan.org.in

Please forward this email to all your contacts and help spread the word around. Thank you.
Watch out for updates on www.Hope-Runs.blogspot.com and www.twitter.com/hoperuns

------------------------------
United Way of Mumbai is the Charity Partner for Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2010 and will be sending the receipt and 80 G certificate to you for donations made. Donors outside India can donate but wont get any tax rebate. After the marathon, United Way will give the funds collected to ARPAN. To know more about United Way of Mumbai and the Marathon visit www.unitedwaymumbai.org
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P.S.  :   WE DO NOT ACCEPT CASH.

19 November : World Day Against Child Abuse

Today, 19 November marks the World Day of Prevention of Child Abuse. We ask you for your support to prevent Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) by supporting Arpan's diligent and continuous work on the issue. We all as individuals of a large community across the world need to pledge and support our fight against this social malice.

Harish Iyer, an adult survivor of child sexual abuse is running for ARPAN in the Mumbai Marathon Jan 2010 to raise funds to support ARPAN's activities and tell the world there is HOPE and that together we can fight CSA.

We hope you will support Harish. Donate now.

To pay online click here.  

To pay via cash / cheque, send cash / cheque in the name of ‘United Way of Mumbai’ to

ARPAN

Unit 24, 2^nd flr, 105, Apollo Street, Mumbai Samachar Marg, Mumbai – 23.

To know more about ARPAN visit www.arpan.org.in

Watch this space

to be updated.