KOCHI: Even as the year 2020 saw an increase in POCSO cases in Ernakulam district, what's very alarming is the rise in the number of teen pregnancies. It has come to light that 30 per cent of POCSO cases involve girls between the age of 16 and 17, with nearly 10 to 15 per cent ending up getting pregnant.
According to advocate Bitty K Joseph, chairperson, Child Welfare Committee, Ernakulam, in 2020 the number of Pocso cases in the district was high compared to those reported in 2019. "By December 31, we tallied over 200 cases compared to 154 in 2019. And it is also not very reassuring to see at least one or two cases coming in every day since the start of this year. POCSO cases are all very tragic," she said.
According to her, another fact that has come to light since she took over in 2019 is the spurt in cases involving teenage girls. "Girls in the age group between 16 and 17 fall victim to the guiles of men, who promise them romance and fun that ultimately leads to teen pregnancies," she said.
She said that, of the cases that come before the CWC, nearly 30 per cent involve teens and of them, nearly 10 per cent end up getting pregnant. "From March 2019 till date we have given up for adoption 50 babies born to teenage girls," she said.
She added that even after being duped, many girls continue to remain in their fantasy world. "While some of them terminate pregnancies after being forced by their parents, many decide to take it to term. Many of them give up their babies for adoption. However, there is a provision that allows them to reclaim the babies within sixty days," said Bitty.
"Some girls come back for the babies hoping that they will be accepted by their paramours and get to live a happy married life," she said. However, often these hopes are based on the charms of the lovers, she added. "But many times that doesn’t happen," said Bitty. According to her, the exposure to the romance shown in movies and also the blind aping of western culture is leading the youngsters astray.
According to Fr Jenson Varyath, director, ChildLine Kochi, there has been a steady increase in such cases in the district. "One can't make a distinction between rural and city limits. What needs to be done is to educate parents and residential groups. With the pandemic shutting down schools and colleges we were not able to conduct any awareness programmes. But such programmes will be resumed in the coming days," he said.
As to why teenage girls fall prey, psychologist Jesna Sivasankar said, "One of the reasons is the lack of avenues to channelise their creative energy. Teenagers are by nature very curious, especially about subjects that are considered a taboo and not discussed openly."
"Kids today mature very fast physically and have high sexual energy. It is the educational institutions that need to come forward to channelise this energy into more creative areas. Sex education is also a must," she added.