BENGALURU: With a new case being reported at a private school at Chennarayapatna in Hassan district, the number of teenage students becoming pregnant has reached three within six months in Karnataka.
Experts, including the chairman of the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, have highlighted that the absence of child protection policies and committees in schools, lack of awareness about Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, lack of awareness about the process of reproduction and ignorance of parents arfe leading to such incidents.
The commission’s chairman, Shashidhar Kosambe said, “The main reason is not implementing the Karnataka State Child Protection Policy, 2016, in schools, especially at residential schools like those in Yadgir and Koppal where such incidents have taken place.”
According to the policy, the commission must have two teachers or school officials and two outsiders who work in the interest of child rights, so that there is no prejudice whenever complaints are filed.
“It is the commission’s duty to monitor children and school staff. They must organise awareness drives on the child protection policy, POCSO Act and sexual abuse for children and school staff, besides including sex education in the curriculum. Police must be informed immediately when a violation is detected. The policy and the commission must become part of the ecosystem and shouldn’t be treated as extra work,” he said.
Psychiatry professor at ESI hospital, Rajajinagar, Dr Chandrashekar said, “Many adolescent girls become pregnant when they are sexually abused by their male friends. The victims undergo a lot of physical changes and mental trauma because of the way others respond. Therefore, whenever we come across a pregnant teenager, especially the victims of sexual abuse, we provide counselling to the victim as her family members.”