Child Abuse - Thriving at the wrong end of the stick!

The recent rape of a six-year-old schoolgirl in a reputed Bangalore school jolted the nation’s conscience. Even as a national outrage ensued, several shocking incidents of child abuse were reported across the country. Crimes against children are indeed reaching alarming proportions. The National Crime Records Bureau reported a total of 58,224 crimes against children, up 52 percent from last year and a whopping rise by 133 percent over 2009! And these are just what have been reported. A government report in 2007 highlighted 53 percent children have faced one or more forms of sexual abuse. It is a fact that most cases go unreported for the fear of social stigma, an inept bureaucracy and judicial system.

The Bangalore incident is outrageous more so since a child was abused within the vicinity which was supposed to protect and nurture her!  The management’s callous and unscrupulous approach of allegedly covering up the crime and destroying evidence is despicable. It highlights the need for parents to understand the core values of the school vis-à-vis the projected glamour in its sales pitch or brochures. It also emphasises the pertinent need for doing a thorough background and criminal record check when inducting school faculty and for providing regular counselling to school staff. 

Technically, it 's a wake-up call to schools all over the country particularly the government since most government schools are without functional toilets, boundary walls and any basic security! According to a 2012 survey by a children’s foundation, only 10 per cent schools had a child protection policy. Even though the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act came into effect in 2012, a meagre number of schools have complied.

While child abuse is yet another eventuality of lack of stringent punitive measures, a crippled social/economic environment and an apathetic bureaucracy, one of the most inadvertent causes is the society itself. It stems from the recesses of a society’s darkest alleys and personnel from schools as other professionals are of course an extension of it. Could WE have a role in the thriving of this evil? Let’s reflect. How do we treat a child? How seriously do we listen to a little voice? Do we encourage children to speak up? 

Even in education, far too much emphasis has been given to respect teachers rather than respect oneself first; on being obedient rather than take initiatives or lead or learning to state differences of opinion; on inducing discipline at all costs! Are we treating our children with the respect they deserve so they know the difference when they are being treated otherwise and are confident to oppose it? Spine-chilling visuals of a three-year-old being brutally beaten and kicked around by his tutor and that of a visually impaired child being beaten by his teachers speak of a deeply embedded issue.

The issue highlights a critical miss of the Indian society which believes that discipline and corporal punishment go hand-in-hand. How can respect be derived from children when it is withdrawn from them?  What good does locking a child in a dark room serve? A school’s perspective when it comes to protecting or disciplining a child speaks volumes of its commitment to preserve and respect the sanctity of a child’s being. 

Positive disciplinary techniques can be used to assist children acquire correct behaviour without the fear of violence. However, most teachers aren’t equipped or are too understaffed to handle so many kids. Patience wears thin; unsurprisingly, the very first casualty is the confidence of the child! Unfortunately, abusers prey on such timid and battered spirits.        

A floundered parent community in Bangalore was quoted describing the sports instructor who raped the six-year old - “He looked normal”, “He is married”, “His wife is pregnant”, etc. These are stereotypical assumptions we keep encountering in our campaign against child abuse which we initiated years back. Child abuse rattles us and we can’t believe that humans can assuage the role of monsters with such ease but the fact is that there is no ‘type’ or an abuser profile. For certainty though, they thrive on silence. A child’s!

‘Chuppi todo’ or ‘Break the silence’ is a crucial activity we undertake by sensitising children, as young as two years, to ‘good and bad touch’. But undoubtedly, the most important aspect is the trust a child shares with the parent which enables her to be herself, stand for her beliefs, speak up loudly and be confident she will be listened to. ‘Disciplining’ shouldn’t be at the cost of breaking that sacred bond. 

Every child is worthy of our absolute attention. The most important belief we must embed in our young through our interaction with them at home and school is best summed by the tagline of a popular commercial - ‘I am worth it!’