From a graphic designer to being the Founder & CEO of Arpan, Pooja Taparia has spent two decades working to prevent Child Sexual Abuse (CSA), creating child-centered prevention and healing models that challenge the silence surrounding Child Sexual Abuse, empower children to recognize unsafe situations and seek help, skill adults in the child’s ecosystem to create a safety net around them and support those with lived experience of CSA to heal and thrive.
A Play That Changed Her Direction
Pooja Taparia’s journey into child protection began after watching the play 30 Days in September, which portrayed the lifelong impact of Child Sexual Abuse. A graphic designer by training, she had no prior experience in the social sector but was deeply moved by the issue.
The experience pushed her to research Child Sexual Abuse in India. She was shocked to discover that limited work was being done on prevention and response systems for such a critical issue. The realisation that children could remain vulnerable without adequate support compelled her to act.
Pooja’s decision was driven by the belief that prevention needed to begin with empowering children and the adults around them. She envisioned a system where children could identify unsafe situations, communicate concerns, and receive timely support.
Determined to create change, Pooja founded Arpan two years later. Through Personal Safety Education, Arpan works to help children recognise unsafe situations, speak up, and seek support from helpful adults while building awareness among parents, teachers, and communities.
Challenging Denial Around Child Sexual Abuse
In the initial years, a major challenge was societal denial. During early awareness sessions with parents and teachers, Pooja and her team frequently heard people insist that their homes and schools were safe. The thought of abuse occurring within familiar environments was difficult for many to acknowledge.
Navigating this denial became a defining learning experience. The team eventually began asking a critical question: How can we prevent CSA from happening? This question reshaped Arpan’s work. Rather than focusing only on spreading awareness, the organisation began developing a child-focused, scalable and scientifically researched prevention and intervention model to prevent and respond to CSA.
Putting Children At The Centre Of Safety
Arpan’s core mission is to prevent Child Sexual Abuse and heal those affected by it. As Founder and CEO, Pooja drives the organisation’s strategic vision while ensuring that the safety and dignity of children remain central to its work.
Arpan’s flagship initiative is its Personal Safety Education programme. The programme works to help children recognise unsafe situations, refuse assertively and seek help from trusted adults. It also reinforces that sexual abuse is never the child’s fault.
The organisation also trains teachers, engages parents and provides trauma-informed mental health services. Its work includes providing psychotherapeutic intervention for institutionalised children booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.
For Pooja, child protection cannot depend only on individuals and organisations. Arpan therefore works with government bodies to institutionalise Personal Safety Education into national and state curricula and train government stakeholders to reach millions of children in the remotest part of the country.
Every November, the organisation also runs its public awareness campaign Child Safety Week, bringing together governments, civil society, corporates and influencers to amplify conversations around child safety.
When Safety Education Creates Change
Stories from the field highlight the impact of Arpan’s Personal Safety Education programme. A Grade 5 child, after attending a session, encouraged a friend experiencing repeated unsafe behaviour to share it with a helpful adult, helping the child find the courage to tell her parents.
In another classroom, Personal Safety sessions helped students reflect on inappropriate behaviour and create a more respectful environment. Boys began holding each other accountable, while girls felt more comfortable participating. “The curriculum gave them the immediate courage and language to stop unsafe situations,” Pooja said.
Measuring Safety, Agency And Behaviour Change
Arpan evaluates its programmes by studying shifts in knowledge, attitudes and practices among children and adults. The organisation conducts pre- and post-test, programme evaluations, gathers feedback and commissions independent external assessments to identify gaps.
Arpan recently undertook an external evaluation of its Training of Teachers programme. The evaluation involved more than 1,000 teachers, children and parents across three states, with the goal of examining how Arpan’s training influenced real-world behaviour.
According to the evaluation, over 90% of children could successfully identify an unsafe situation and respond appropriately after a session. The assessment found that 98% of parents regularly reminded their children about safety rules, while 87% were prepared to respond appropriately if a child disclosed abuse.
Teachers also reported a 49% reduction in bullying and a 35% increase in classroom participation following interventions, alongside improvements in attendance and academic performance.
Aiming To Reach Millions More Children
The same external evaluation presented Arpan with a sobering finding. “For 70% of the people we surveyed, Arpan was their only source of information on personal safety.” Pooja believes this places a significant responsibility on the organisation to accelerate its reach.
Over the coming years, Arpan plans to move from linear growth to exponential scale. The organisation has developed a blueprint to expand its reach tenfold and bring personal safety messages to millions more children.
A key part of this strategy involves working with government officials and education departments to make Personal Safety Education a state-owned programme.
At the same time, Arpan’s direct work in Mumbai schools will continue to function as a “learning lab”, allowing the organisation to test and refine innovative child-centred practices.
Building A Global Movement For Child Safety
Pooja hopes the child protection sector will move beyond fragmented and localised efforts towards a cohesive global movement.
Arpan is contributing to this global movement by turning its two decades of grassroots experience into frameworks, evidence, and thought leadership that inform how the world approaches child sexual abuse prevention and response.
She also contributes towards field building, so that there is a recognition in the global funding community that Child Sexual Abuse is a critical global priority rather than a one-off concern. For Pooja, the ultimate vision remains clear: a world free from Child Sexual Abuse, where every child can grow up safe, happy and protected.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Pooja Taparia’s journey shows how awareness can evolve into meaningful social change. Her work with Arpan highlights that preventing Child Sexual Abuse requires education, healing, and collective responsibility.
Creating safer spaces for children depends on parents, teachers, schools, governments, and communities working together.
How can we make child safety education a regular part of every child’s learning journey?
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