Name – Akashdeep Sengupta

Roll Number – 0026

Department – Law

Course – B.com LLB(Hons.)

Semester – 2nd

Section – 1

E-mail ID – akashdeepsengupta1@gmail.com

TOPIC – CHILD ABUSE IN INDIA.

 CHILD ABUSE IN INDIA

Since ages, Indian households have been recognized for their patriarchal common families
who took care of their kids with extreme attention and interest. Particularly known for resting
together, no one always considered the smallest existence of child abuse. No one thought
about the amount of a senior member from the house, would sexually attacking or raping the
child inside the walls of the one house. Child abuse, also called cruelty to children, the willful
infliction of pain and suffering on children through physical, sexual or emotional
mistreatment. Prior to the 1970s the term child abuse normally referred to only physical
mistreatment, but since then its application has expanded to include, in addition to inordinate
physical violence, unjustifiable verbal abuse, the failure to furnish proper shelter,
nourishment, medical treatment, emotional support, incest and other cases of sexual
molestation or rape, and the use of children in prostitution and pornography. According to
UNICEF, violence against children can be, “physical and mental abuse and injury, neglect
or negligent treatment, exploitation and sexual abuse. Violence may take place in homes,
schools, orphanages, residential care facilities, on the streets, in the workplace, in prisons
and in places of detention.” Such violence can affect the normal development of a child,
impairing their mental, physical and social being. In extreme cases abuse of a child can result
in death. It is estimated that approximately 1 million children are abused by adults in India.
The number of children who are being abused are increasing at an alarming rate in India.

Abuse and neglect are defined as ‘injury, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, negligent
treatment or maltreatment of a child’. This abuse can be of several kinds according to the
World Health Organization (WHO) – physical, mental, emotional, psychological or in any
form of neglect or exploitation. It brings about circumstances causing harm to child’s health,
welfare and society. Child abuse, in its very ways forms can be found everywhere in India –
in cities and rural homes, in homes of rich and the poor, and in streets and schools. In some
cases, children are abused by their parents or guardians. In other ways, they are forced into
prostitution or other forms of sex works. The most common types of child abuse include –
sexual assault, rape, kidnapping and incest. In many cases, these acts are committed by
strangers or friends. Fear is one of the major causes of this problem. After passing through
terrific and horrific sexual, physical or emotional abuses, children are not really sure how to
explain the details to their parents. Emotionally weak from inside after being victims of these
horrendous act, children usually keep quiet and not reveal anything even to their trusted
sources. There have always been incidents where children do not know how to explain the
act, while they know it was a shameful one.

As per report, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) estimated that 150
million girls and 73 million boys under the age of 18 have been subjected to force sexual
intercourse or other forms of sexual violence. In 2002, there were 53,000 reported cases of
child homicide. A Global School-Based Student Health Survey found that 20% and 65% of
school going children reported having been verbally and physically bullied in the last 30
days. ILO estimates show, there were 218 million child labourers in 2004, out of which 126
million were engaged in hazardous works. UNICEF estimated 3 million girls and women in
sub-Saharan Africa, Egypt and Sudan are subjected to female genital mutilation every year.
Child marriage is also a major cause of child maltreatment in India. The number of child
brides in India has increased by over 50 percent since 1998. In a report it was found that, a
12-year-old girl, found out she was pregnant when the foetus was around five months old. It
turned out that her elder brother, himself 14 years-old, had sexual intercourse with her. Both
siblings seemed to have little awareness about sex and its implications. This led to the parents
not being able to provide any information about sex and its implications. The government of
India has also been trying to raise awareness about the issue by making laws against child
abuse.

Every few minutes in India, a child is being abused. Until now, it was known that small
children were the victims to sexual abuses in the family itself. Children being dependent of an
elder person, for their requirement were never considered as an individual with an energy to
talk for themselves. Their desires and needs to-do and not-to-do a particular thing was
considered as a childish behaviour, hence, elders just neglect them which resulted to be the
root cause of the problem. I remember watching a video, where Ashton Kutcher, co-founder
of Thorn, an international organization against human trafficking and child abuse tried to put
into words his own agony over watching how a 3-year-old was sexually abused by a man. I
remember him getting teary-eyed at the end and taking pause to comprehend how someone
could be so cruel to a child.

Leading child rights NGO ‘save the children’ is a major key independent child protection
body. It has extensive experience in partnering with civil society organizations, child-led
initiatives, governments and other key stakeholders. Leveraging its strong alliance with local
governance, the NGO can provide intervention in situations where child labour and abuse is
suspected, and stop all forms of violence against children. The NGO is also fighting for a
blanket ban on child labour in all forms to ensure that children are not exposed to harmful
workplace circumstances which results in abuse. The organization’s work is supported by the
national youth council for child welfare, which supports young people in the provision of
educating and training. The NGO works with local communities to promote safe, healthy
environment for children and prevent child labour/abuse.

India’s Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences Act of 2012 (POCSO) and Immoral
Traffic (Prevention) Act have been recently strengthened in their aim of fighting child rights
violation. There has also been corresponding increase in the number of child abuse cases
filed, due to awareness about legal recourse or translating to an increase in a number of
convictions. In 2016, the National Crime Records Bureau also spoke about the relationships
of the victims and the accused in rape cases. Opinions about the scale and nature of child
abuse have changed dramatically since the 1960s, and the notion that children are widely
subject to abuse and exploitation has become firmly fixed in the public consciousness. Child
abuse also has become a major topic of study in academia; themes of incest and abuse are
now common in the social and behavioral sciences, as well as in such diverse subjects as
literature, social theory and cultural and women’s studies. The surging interest in preventing
child abuse, child protection, and children’s rights was one of the most significant social
developments of the late 20th century.

We should talk to the kids about the ‘bad touch’. Make them understand that evil lurks not far
away from them. Don’t keep quiet when you see someone sexualizing kids – be it your street
or on social media. Donate to NGOs that are working to prevent child sexual abuse. Fight for
stronger laws for kids and against CSA (Child Sexual Abuse). The kids of our society deserve
a better life.