Sexual harassment: Shut schools could mean greater risk for children
CHENNAI: With schools shut and children confined to their houses, activists are concerned about kids’ safety. This is because the number of child sexual harassment cases in Tamil Nadu increased during the previous lockdown. Though schools are closed, teachers should regularly interact with students and enquire about their well-being, these activists say.
“The number of sexual harassment cases in schools has risen, but students aren’t safe at home either. Amid the pandemic, the number of cases of child abuse, child marriage, and child labour increased significantly. Teachers can play a pivotal role in checking such incidents by regularly interacting with students,” says Tamil Nadu Child Rights Watch convenor Andrew Sesuraj.
Explaining how the School Education Department can use the Illam Thedi Kalvi scheme to monitor absenteeism, he adds, “The scheme’s volunteers can upload information about absent children on the Educational Management Information System, based on which teachers can check in on the students.”
During the pandemic in 2020, the number of crimes against children in Tamil Nadu rose by 4.8 per cent, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Not just teachers, but others too have an important role to play in safeguarding children, say activists.
“Other stakeholders, like village-level officials, health workers, and child protection officers, should unite to ensure children are safe,” A Devaneyan, a child rights activist, points out. “As Covid cases are surging again, there is uncertainty over the reopening of schools. It is necessary to have a proper mechanism to ensure the safety of children. Teachers and counsellors can visit their houses and interact with them,” opines T Sriharini, a child psychologist.
The State government had instructed all institutions to immediately set up complaint cells to deal with cases of sexual harassment. But soon after the directive, schools were closed due to the pandemic. The government has trained district-level education officers in this regard, and now, activists say headmasters and parents too should be trained so there is greater awareness and preparedness to deal with child abuse.