It is unthinkable, but every year thousands of children become victims of crime – whether it’s kidnappings, violent attacks, or sexual abuse. Regardless of gender, a child is not safe today — even at home. According to the study, the reasons for the high incidence of child abuse could be poor parenting skills, vulnerability of the child in conditions outside the family environment – on the street, at work and in institutions – belief in the adage “spare the rod and spoil the child” and dysfunctional families. Unfortunately in India, there is no separate, exclusive legislation to deal with the problem of child sexual abuse. Child abuse has been going on for years all over the developing countries and in developed countries as well. The child often has no true realization of being abused and the implications, until they gain mental maturity. Perhaps, lack of awareness and open communication within the family, fear of being stigmatized and not being trusted dissuades young victims from speaking up. By creating awareness among parents in order to monitor changes in their child’s behaviour is the one of the methods to alleviate this problem. But if the system is reformed, we can ensure that such crimes against children and women are minimized.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
