Fighting Sexual Abuse With Social Psychology

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Balesh Jindal, a physician in a rural area near New Delhi, India, won the grand prize for her efforts to address sexual violence in her community. Balesh visited a local school to talk to more than 2,000 female students, ranging in age from 4 to 17 years, about inappropriate touching and how to report incidents of abuse. In her conversations, she uncovered multiple cases of abuse by neighbors, brothers, cousins, and even fathers. After the Day of Compassion, Balesh invited the mothers of abused girls to her clinic for free counseling, and began setting aside one day each week to continue working with local children and their families.