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Agrasar Bachpan
Creating safe, caring learning spaces free from fear and violence.
Building Emotionally Safe Learning Environments
Agrasar Bachpan works to end corporal punishment and build emotionally safe classrooms where every child feels respected, heard, and supported. By engaging children, parents, and teachers, the programme replaces fear-based discipline with empathy, emotional understanding, and care.
Why It Matters
Corporal punishment remains a deeply rooted practice in many schools and homes, often accepted as “discipline.” But this normalized violence harms children’s emotional well-being, confidence, and ability to learn. Agrasar Bachpan challenges these norms, promoting positive discipline and emotional literacy as foundations for meaningful education.
The Alarming Reality of School Violence and in community
of school-going children get physically punished by their teachers
(Government data)
of children experience corporal punishment (Physical Punishment, Mental Harassment, or Discrimination) at school. (NCPCR)
children in a large proportion of government schools are beaten up on a daily basis in Gurugram. – Choking Childhood Report
Children Accept “Justified” Beating
Believe physical punishment with a reason is acceptable and necessary for learning
Parents Approve School Punishment
Vast majority of parents support corporal punishment in educational settings
Parents Use It at Home
Three-quarters of parents admit to using corporal punishment with their own children
Why Disadvantaged Children Face Greater Risk?
Family Stress
Limited resources and time for child supervision
Migrant Background
Prejudice and discrimination compound vulnerability
Government Schools
Under-resourced institutions with absent governance
Social Norms
Cultural beliefs that children “need to be broken” for betterment
Corporal punishment may seem like a quick discipline solution, but research reveals a troubling reality: even mild physical punishment carries an inbuilt risk of escalation.
Parents who begin with “light” discipline face heightened risk of perpetrating severe maltreatment as boundaries gradually shift.
Developmental Harm
Impaired cognitive and socio-emotional development, poor educational outcomes, and compromised mental health across all cultures and countries.
Physical & Mental Health
Linked to physical ill-health, mental health challenges, increased aggression, and higher likelihood of perpetrating violence later in life.
Rights Violation
Violates children’s fundamental rights to physical integrity, human dignity, health, development, and freedom from cruel or degrading treatment.
The elimination of violence against children is central to UN Sustainable Development Goal Target 16.2.
How We Work
Our model focuses on strengthening the relationships around a child - parents, teachers, and peers - to create sustained emotional safety.
How We Do
Based on the globally accepted CASEL framework, Agrasar bachpan uses SEL as a tool to develop emotional resilience in children and a supporting ecosystem for their well-being.
Teacher Engagement:
Teacher’s orientation and workshop
Child Engagement:
Student workshops (age-banded)
Parent Engagement:
SMC meetings & parent workshops
01
ASSESS
Baseline survey of safety practices and perceptions in schools of intervention
02
DESIGN
“Safe Schools kit” (guides, posters, reporting flowcharts) contextualized to the community of intervention.
03
ENABLE
Training of Parents & Teachers on child wellbeing and positive disciplining
04
REVIEW
Post-pilot evaluation, feedback collection, and learning synthesis
05
REFINE AND SCALE
Program refinement based on evidence and classroom realities + feeds back into the next assessment cycle
In the Field:
A Glimpse
Workshops and classroom sessions led by facilitators bring color, trust, and creativity to everyday learning.
Impact Highlights
children and parents reached through sessions in Gurugram and Lucknow
students and 280+ parents actively engaged
schools partnered, including 15 government and 4 low-income private schools
classroom and community sessions conducted