Child Abuse: An Issue Plaguing Our Society

-Sheetal Verma

 

“Childhood should be carefree, playing in the sun; not living a nightmare in the darkness of the soul.”― Dave Pelzer, A Child Called "It"

Child Abuse is an improper treatment or harming the child by any means, be it mentally, physically, sexually or psychologically. It can happen at any age and anywhere like home, schools, communities or places where a child interacts with the world. In general, harming someone physically, mentally or sexually is abuse, children are like a growing bud which are crushed before they can even turn into a flower.

WHO defines child abuse as "all forms of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child's health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power.

When a child is abused, their views on the world and human beings will be subverted. So, think about it!

Figures of child abuse

Worldwide it is evaluated that up to 1 billion children from the age group between 1 to 17 years have been abused, harmed or neglected in the past one year. According to the National Crime Record Bureau, 109 children in India face some form of child sexual abuse every day. Majority of the cases left unreported as many families don’t report cases due to the fear of defamation. Approx. one in every nine girls and one in every 53 boys are sexually abused under the age of 18 years.

-As reported by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the total number of child pornography/rape and gang rape complaints lodged in the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) from 01.03.2020 to 18.09.2020 is 13244.

-As reported by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), information of 420 cases of child sexual abuse has been received by NCPCR from 1st March 2020 till 31st August, 2020 via online portals, helplines and other media.

-Reported by Childline India Foundation (CIF), 3941 calls have been received by CIF regarding child sexual cases from 1st March 2020 to 15th September 2020.

“The greater a child’s terror, and the earlier it is experienced, the harder it becomes to develop a strong and healthy sense of self.”― Nathaniel Branden, Six Pillars of Self-Esteem

Good touch bad touch

“Keeping children aware is a treat to children which helps them to pass hurdles, they may face.”

Children should be made aware of their body by their elders. It is the parents' responsibility; at an early age they should teach children about good touch and bad touch. It becomes very important to make them aware of the bad people in the pretence of good ones. Children can be easily manipulated by people but giving the required knowledge can help them differentiate between the two. It is important to take preventive measures for child safety. Only a healthy relationship with a child can help in preventing their safety. Given below are some of the preventive measures you can acquire: 

•One should always talk to a child in a friendly manner and always support them; only then the child can trust and share everything.

•Try to be empathetic and do not interrupt them instead of trying to analyse their behaviour. 

•Observe their silence and change in behaviour and try to encourage them to speak their heart out. 

Laws protecting child

“The prime goal of laws is the safety of people”

Child abuse can result in death, severe injuries; impair brain and nervous system development, unplanned pregnancies and diseases. Child abuse is a stigma to the society for which the government is also implementing laws for the safety of children. There are several laws which are made for children and their safety such as: -

-Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012

-Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005

-Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015

Raise the voice if you see wrong doings around you or with you.

NGO working in this area

“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”

 Apart from the government, many non-profit organizations are creating awareness about child abuse and helping the victims of the same for their better future. These are some of the organizations you can check and stay connected to if you find any victim.

•CRY- They ensure children in CRY supported projects are safe from violence, abuse and exploitation. Till now they have helped a huge number of children and supported them with food, shelter and care. 

•Childline India Foundation-It is India’s first 24 hours, free emergency phone service for children in need of help and assistance. From time to time they spread awareness on child sexual abuse.

•Save the Children- They run programs in remote corners and urban areas in India to provide quality education and healthcare. They also run programs for child protection, child abuse and life-saving aid during emergencies to children. Children are the purest form of human being who cannot help themselves. Everyone should take a step further for their betterment as only better childhood can make them a good person. 

What we can do?

“We need to come together for helping these innocent lives.”

-Everything starts from us, one should always see if any child is being abused in one’s own family, be it physically, mentally, socially or emotionally. 

-One as a parent should always control their temper and behaviour in front of kids and should not allow any child to see violent TV shows. 

-If you find any other child being molested, abused, neglected or caused harm, complain because if you don't, anything bad can happen to the child. We should always spread awareness about child safety and take this matter seriously.

-Depressed and irritated behaviour of the guardian leads to child abuse, their ill-tempered behaviour leads to some bad effects. This is probably seen in this pandemic where everyone is disturbed due to job, money, security, health and many other things.