As another Children’s Day dawns, bringing cheer the little ones who are the future of the world, there are some who are not so fortunate as to soar high in the frothy spirit of the day meant for them.
With the instances of violence against children seeing a spurt in the state, it is clear that all is not well with tiny tots and urgent action needs to be taken to restore innocence back to childhood.
It was barely a few months ago that the state was rocked by the physical atrocities meted out to a five-year-old in Idukki by his father and stepmother. The latest in the row of such shocking incidents was the molestation and murder of four-year-old Aksa from Chottanikkara.
Fr James Joy, State Convener, Child-line and chairman of the Children’s Welfare Committee, Thiruvananthapuram, said that more than 1,000 cases of child abuse have been reported in the state this year alone.Poverty, strained relationships and alcoholism in the family are the primary causes of these mishaps. “The environment of the child and their vulnerability are crucial reasons behind the increasing number of child abuse cases that are reported from various parts of state. Parents often end up taking out their frustration and anger upon their children. Physical abuse is a sad reality for children hailing from economically-backward communities, and there is hardly any awareness in such families about the rights of a child and child protection norms,” he pointed out.
Dr Anilkumar, psychiatrist, Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, says that victims of child abuse, physical or emotional, tend to be scarred for life. “The tendency is high that they could turn to be law-breaking and emotionally-disturbed adults. If we can provide them love and stability of at least one parent and mould their personality through education and other extra-curricular interests, we may be able to put them on the path to recovery,” he said.
It is indeed shocking that the children are abused almost everywhere, emotionally, physically and sexual ly and a blot on the entire system of governance and society that our young ones are not safe anywhere. “As many 1,017 cases of sexual abuse against children were reported this year alone and there are many unreported cases too,” he said.
B Sandhya, Additional Director General of Police, said that parents should be attentive to their children and never ignore any kind of behavioral changes or mood swings.
“Because they may be in trouble. With the advance of technology, children are more exposed and vulnerable in today’s world. Hence, parents and others concerned must be really observant,” she added.