Good Touch, Bad Touch; This Mom Built a Safety Curriculum for 60000 Students
Children often lack the language, tools, or safety they need to express their emotions or protect themselves from harm. For Dr Kanika Sharma (43), this realisation struck during an ordinary conversation with her four-year-old son. When she asked him what he had learned at school, he replied casually, “Good touch, bad touch,” and ran off to play.
That moment stayed with Kanika, prompting deeper reflection and ultimately shaping a groundbreaking initiative in child safety and mental well-being. By 2021, her concern for her son and every child had evolved into ‘Hapchi’, a structured life-skills and safety education system that today reaches thousands of children across India.
In HapSafe sessions, children aren’t just told what is unsafe, they are taught how to respond, reflect, and seek support. But a shift occurred when Kanika became a mother. Having grown up in a joint family of nearly 30 relatives, she had always been involved in raising children, starting from the age of 11, taking care of younger cousins. While motherhood came naturally to her, it also reignited her desire to make a larger impact.
