Foundation for Child Protection-Muskaan is an NGO working to prevent Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) and to help survivors since the year 2000. Muskaan is one of the oldest initiatives in Pune whose entire focus is on the critical issue of CSA, addressing it with a multidisciplinary approach.

We focus not only on children, but on all involved stakeholders, viz., parents, relatives, teachers, police, lawyers, child protection agencies and NGOs. We also work with children staying in Child Care Institutions (CCI) in need of care and protection as well as children in conflict with the law at Observation Homes (OH) to expedite the process of rehabilitation and restoration of their lost childhood.

Initially when Muskaan began its work, the issue of sexual abuse of children was not addressed and people were not willing to acknowledge its existence. Most of the cases went unreported. Moreover, there was no specific law for protection of children from sexual abuse. Finally in 2012 the POCSO Act came into existence and people became aware of the extent of this heinous crime. Subsequently, there was a significant surge in the demand for awareness sessions and reporting of cases of child sexual abuse.