Child Safeguarding Gains Focus in Gelephu Schools
A school programme in Gelephu is strengthening awareness of child safety, sexual exploitation, harassment, reporting mechanisms and respectful behaviour.
As Gelephu moves towards realising the vision of Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC), attention to the safety, dignity and wellbeing of children is becoming an increasingly important part of the city's social development.
In this context, RENEW (Respect, Educate, Nurture and Empower Women), in partnership with the Department of Surface Transport (DoST) under the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MoIT), conducted an educational programme on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) and Sexual Harassment (SH) on September 1, 2026, as part of the ACCESS Project in Bhutan.
The programme was held at three schools, Sherzhong Primary School, Tarathang Primary School and Norbuling Central School. It reached a total of 163 students, comprising 81 boys and 82 girls.
The programme targeted children aged 10 to 14, a critical stage of childhood and early adolescence when they undergo significant physical, emotional and social changes. At this age, providing appropriate knowledge about personal safety, boundaries, consent, respectful relationships and recognising inappropriate behaviour is particularly important.
The programme aimed to equip children with the awareness and confidence to identify, prevent and respond appropriately to situations involving sexual exploitation, abuse or harassment. It also encouraged them to seek help from trusted adults when necessary.
Education as a Safeguarding Tool
Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment can be difficult for children and young people to understand, identify and discuss. Unequal relationships, fear, social pressure and uncertainty about whom to approach can discourage students from speaking about experiences that make them uncomfortable or unsafe.
The educational programme sought to address this gap by strengthening students' understanding of SEA and SH.
Its emphasis on reporting mechanisms is particularly important. Education about inappropriate behaviour has limited value if students are not equally aware of what they can do when they encounter it. A student who recognises that something is wrong must also know where to seek help and whom to approach.
Schools, in turn, need to ensure that reporting pathways are accessible and that students have confidence that their concerns will be handled appropriately. This places safeguarding within a wider institutional responsibility. Schools, families, communities and relevant agencies all have a role in creating environments where concerns can be raised without fear, shame or stigma.
Respect and Gender Sensitivity
The programme's focus on respectful behaviour and gender sensitivity also extends beyond the immediate prevention of SEA and SH.
Schools are important spaces for shaping attitudes towards equality, dignity, relationships and responsibility. Education that encourages students to understand boundaries and respect others can contribute to healthier interactions among young people.
As Gelephu develops, the behaviour of its residents and the strength of its institutions will also help shape the character of the city. In this context, mindfulness has practical implications for everyday relationships. It involves being conscious of how individual behaviour affects others, recognising vulnerability and responding responsibly when another person's dignity or safety is at risk.
Prevention Must Become Part of the Culture
The programme also highlights the importance of prevention, which requires more than a single educational intervention.
Awareness and education can introduce important concepts, but sustained prevention depends on whether those concepts are reinforced in everyday school life. Respectful behaviour, child protection and gender sensitivity need to be reflected in how students interact with one another and in how adults respond to concerns.
This raises an important question for schools and institutions: what happens after the programme ends?
The effectiveness of an educational programme should not be measured only by the number of students reached or the information delivered. Its deeper value lies in whether students become better equipped to recognise unsafe situations, understand their options and seek support when necessary.
Likewise, institutions need to examine whether their existing safeguarding practices are sufficiently clear and accessible to students. Prevention is strongest when children know they will be heard and adults understand that safeguarding is a continuing responsibility.
Children at the Heart of a Mindful City
The students who took part in the programme are not simply recipients of an educational intervention. They represent a generation that will grow alongside and eventually help shape Gelephu Mindfulness City.
As His Majesty King Jigme Khesar's vision for GMC places human wellbeing and flourishing at the heart of development, strengthening child protection in schools can help translate that vision into practice.
Economic growth, infrastructure and innovation can transform a city physically, but its character will also be shaped by how it treats its youngest and most vulnerable citizens. Safeguarding therefore needs to become part of school culture, institutional practice and community responsibility.
Children should be able to learn without fear, speak without stigma and seek support with confidence. A mindful city depends not only on infrastructure and innovation, but also on the values, safety and wellbeing of the children who will inherit its future.
