Insight --------------------------------- Two out of three children in India are physically abused... Thursday April 19 2007 17:15 IST
Vimala Ramachandran The recent report brought out by Government of India, Ministry of Women and Child Development has for the first time documented the prevalence of child abuse including the prevalence of violence in schools. The report has come out with startling findings: Two out of every three children were physically abused Out of 69% physically abused in 13 sample states, 54.68% were boys Over 50% of children in all the 13 sample states were subject to one or the other form of physical abuse 88.6% were physically abused by parents 65% of school-going children reported facing corporal punishment two out of three children were victims of corporal punishment, most of them from government and municipal schools 53.22% children reported having faced one or more forms of sexual abuse 5.69% were sexually assaulted Every second child (both boys and girls) reported facing emotional abuse 50.2% of children reported they worked seven days a week this includes children formally enrolled in school Most children did not report the matter to anyone The report has highlighted the vulnerability of boys and girls to various forms of physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Taking all the 13 states together more boys reported physical abuse than girls, though the ratio of girls physically abused was higher in Kerala (55.61%) and Gujarat (54.61%). Incidentally, the highest percentage of abuse among boys was reported from Delhi (62.2%) followed by Madhya Pradesh (59.75%) and Maharashtra (55.75%). The situation of children in institutions / shelters, observation homes and other places created for the protection of children is alarming. Yet, what most of us find difficult to accept is that over 53 per cent of children reported being abused at home and in their families. A very disturbing yet timely part of the report deals with emotional abuse, invisible and insidious. Unfortunately, in India we are still some distance from understanding and acknowledging emotional abuse. Dismissing a girl child as being unwanted at home to caste-based remarks in schools we need to pay more attention to the impact of emotional violence. Humiliation was reported by 44.13 per cent of children and they talked about being humiliated at home, in schools, at work, on the streets and in the institutions created for their protection. Comparison was also reported as another form of emotional abuse. Comparing children with their siblings, with other children in the extended family, with others in schools and in institutions seem to leave a deep impression on the minds of children. The younger age group 5 to 12 years felt that being subjected to such comparison was hurtful. This report reinforces the findings of a number of qualitative studies on barriers to learning and attendance. Discussion with children reveal that they get very upset if they are asked bring their own water / utensils for mid-day meal especially if they belong to the Dalit community. Equally upsetting is getting them to sit in one corner of the classroom, calling them by their caste names and dismissing their performance in school by linking it to their family occupation or telling girls that they will only end up having babies and looking after the house. An overwhelming proportion of girls (70.57%) from different parts of the country reported neglect or deliberate favouring of male siblings. I remember one particular incident that still haunts me. During the course of my work on barriers to education, I asked girls in different states about what they eat at home. Most of the girls from poor rural and urban households said they did not have time to eat breakfast and that their first meal of the day was in school. On probing further they said that when non-vegetarian food is cooked at home they rarely got a piece of meat or fish and were usually asked to make do with the gravy. They resented having to do housework when their brothers were goaded to do their homework and study for examinations. What the girls disliked most was being told that they are being trained to adjust in their marital home, a constant reminder that they do not belong to the natal family and that they will go away one day. Child trafficking is another area that merits urgent attention. It is shocking that our law enforcement agencies do not take reports of missing children seriously. A set of non-negotiable protocols need to be put in place to make sure every report of a missing child, violence against children, corporal punishment in schools, abuse at the hands of policemen (especially of street children) and the silent screams of children working in sweatshops / factories / dhabas and in homes are followed-up. Joint police-civil society agencies need to be created and empowered to monitor if the protocols are being followed. It is high time we translate our understanding and our knowledge into action and create a momentum whereby all institutions that interact with children are made to set in motion processes to sensitise their staff / teachers, introduce programmes where children are told about their rights and strengthen help-line services. The writer can be contacted at [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------------- Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos.