Sunaina Malik
It is a matter of profound distress that the brutal crime of child abuse is mounting day by day in our Indian society. A society which was once praised for her compassion, ethnicity and traditions has now turned into a crime prone society. A society where eight cases of child abuse are reported every day. India has achieved No. 1 rank in crime of child abuse. According to statement of released by Loius Georges (UNICEF representative of Indian state) it is alarming that one in three rape victims is a child. More than 7,200 children are raped every year. Amid numerous Indian states Kerala toped by representing 70 per cent child abuse cases. To your revelation child abuse cases have increased by 417 per cent from last year. In addition to this, as per the survey conducted by Indian Govt. in 2007 where 1,25,000 children of 13 different states of India were interviewed, 53 per cent of them said that they have been subjected to one or more form of sexual abuse. Out of them 57 per cent were boys.
Sexual assault with children is not the only face of child abuse. Following are the some other major forms of child abuse punishable under (The Protection of Children from Sexual Offence Act 2012)
Physical Abuse- It include striking, kicking, shaking, starving or throwing any object over a child with an intention to cause physical injury on child’s body.
Neglect- Neglect is that form of child abuse where a child is subjected to emotional or physical harm due to neglect of his parents, guardian or any other oppressor.
Emotional Abuse- It include unnecessary and continuous criticism of child. This abuse has negative effect on child’s emotional development.
Substance Abuse- This form of child abuse include giving of Alcohol, Tobacco, Illicit drugs to a child to effect his or her judgment or to put child’s life in danger.
Abandonment- In this form of child abuse, the child is left alone with out food, medicine or care. This form of child abuse is generally committed by teachers, parents or guardians. The abandonment of child in a dark room for a longer period can have deep harmful effects on psychological development of a child. Abandonment for a longer period of time can also take a child’s life.
As per the records, the crime of child abuse is commonly committed by the persons known to child like neighbours, family members, maternal and paternal uncles and people living in same colony like shop keepers, peons and daily visitors of one’s home. The relations on which we were taught to believe are now turned into criminals or perpetrators. There was a time when trust over the relations was the soul of human dwellings but today the emotion of trust has completly faded from our society due to the breech of trust by relation like father, teachers, guardians and even loyal servants. Irony to our crime prone society is that our mothers are living in an ambiance full of anxiety and trauma. It is very hard for family to pass that time when their children are away from home. Every moment a mother feels the hands of criminal approaching towards her child in school, tuition center, play ground and market. Crime on our innocent children has bowed down the head of humanity and raised innumerable quarries over the courteousness of our society. It is very intricate to nourish a healthy progeny in such a kind of
society.
After sensing the gravity of situation following are the points which can help us in saving our flowers from getting blemished.
(1) In this alarming type of situation, the responsibility of saving the plantlets of our future progeny fall heavily on our mothers. They must never leave their children at the mercy of servants, neighbours or any male relative. Child may be boy or girl.
(2) Ensure regular monitoring of your child in school or tuition centers.
(3)Accompany your child during playing hours because play grounds, parks or any such places remain over crowded with criminals in the face of acquaintances.
(4) Don’t force your child to go alone for some shopping because children are weak and innocent and easily fall a prey to criminals. Criminal can easily kidnap a lonely child
(5) Don’t leave your child for night stay at your neighbour’s house.
(6)Monitor your child during family functions and festival celebrations. It is during these occasions that impostures try to take benefit of our innocents.
(7) Develop friendly relations with your children so that they may easily disclose any unusual happening happened with them in schools, tuition centers or any such place.
(8) Give full awareness about happening of crimes to your child.
(9) Make your child aware about apprehension of danger in the society.
(10) Prohibit your child from accepting any eatable like ice-cream, chocolate, cold drink or any sweet from any alien. Criminals usually use these things to lure any innocent and later on fulfill their illicit and shameful aims.
(11) Train your child to be very vigilant in situations of criminal assault on him or her or on any of his friends. They must be very vigorous in saving their self or their friends from criminals. Every child must be trained enough to complain any unusual happening to police station or to his or her elders.
(12) Last but not the least spread the awareness of safeguarding one’s child among uneducated section of your locality and your city like servants working in your homes, labourer’s families and people living in slums because your small effort can save a naïve from getting spoiled for ever.
As we all know that prevention is better then cure. So above mention preventive measures can curtail the rate of child abuse to a larger extent.