Tuesday 30 April 2013

Sexual offences against children


There is a growing concern about the rising incidents of children being sexually abused and raped. While the number of reported cases is alarming, the fact remains that even a larger number of cases might have been unreported, especially where the perpetrators of the crime are members of the family.

The issue requires to be dealt with a socio-legal frame of mind. While we have laws making child abuse a punishable offence, the law does not seem to be deterrent enough. One of the reasons behind it might be the fact that the implementation is not as desired. There are flaws both at the investigation level as well as at the trial stage. And these should be properly dealt with. Further, the issue of the non-reporting of incidents also poses a problem in the area of implementation and investigation. A strict implementation of laws protecting the rights of children is a need of the hour.

Another issue is the lack of education at the lower section of the society. Further, the fact the children can be subjected to sexual assault is not something that even parents take seriously and that makes children an easy target. There is a need for developing social awareness about the rights of children at all sections of the society. And this should be addressed from various platforms including gram panchayats and other elected bodies, street plays, through mass media and schools and hospitals. Both parents and children should be educated about the right of children to be protected from abuse. A child should be aware that his body is not be touched and such acts should be immediately reported to his parents and guardians. Further, parents and other primary caregivers must be taught to take such complaints seriously. Special attention must be paid to children at foster homes, orphanages and those with special needs. There must be a monitoring system at place to ensure the safety of children.

Developing strong public awareness and public opinion against such offences will also help curb the same.