CHENNAI: There is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent -Mahatma Gandhi The fact that parents are a child's biggest blessing needs no glossy elucidation.
However, at least four times last week Tamil Nadu woke up to reports of sexual horrors or physical torture meted out to children either by parents or others in connivance with parents. This points to the deficiency of safety mechanisms to avert such crimes.
In the case of two Chennai women letting a shopkeeper allegedly sexually assault their children, the incident came to light when police personnel tasked with curbing gutka sales raided the perpetrator’s shop. Police believe he had been abusing the children for years.
Meanwhile, a woman from Villupuram who allegedly tortured her child was arrested almost seven months later when her husband noticed the videos recorded in her cellphone. Going by these reports, the ordeals the children go through come to light months or even years later. Hundreds of children may still be suffering without the world ever coming to know of their distress.
Community Health and Education Society founder and former chairperson of Chennai's Child Welfare Committee P Manorama says, "It is usually a revenge cycle. The woman who is a victim of domestic violence, might have had non-supportive parents and in turn she takes it out on her child. Only a holistic approach to crime prevention can offer a solution."
Addressing these root causes might take a long time. But there are a few pragmatic measures that can be taken up in the meantime: Teaching children emergency hand signals, popularising child care helplines and undertaking campaigns to make children aware that any violation of their bodies is not acceptable.
Tr Gayathri Srikanth, founder of Iraivi Kuzhumam, an organisation that works for protection of women and children, says, "There are simple hand gestures that a child can use to let another person know that she is being held against her will. Then that person can alert police or child helplines. Zero tolerance towards any kind of abuse should be the primary instinct of a civilised society."
It should be etched in the general psyche that safety of every child is a combined responsibility of the community, she adds.
As for popularising child care helplines, massive campaigns on helpline 1098 have been taken up in the past. But activists say many people are still unaware of whom to call when they see a child in distress. In a lot of cases, children are taught to "adjust" with the situation at home, and the child sometimes goes to the extent of repressing the horrors of abuse.
"When the father commits abuse, the mother often is reluctant to lodge a complaint. Even after a case is registered, the child may change his or her statement before the judge, and the proceedings fall apart," says Girija Kumar Babu, former general secretary of Indian Council for Child Welfare.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child notes that the State is the primary stakeholder and the responsibility lies with the State to empower its victims, she adds.
Gut-wrenching instances
A couple of days back, while questioning a minor girl found alone at Marina beach, police found that she had run away from her home after being sexually abused by her father. In another incident, a three-month-old baby allegedly starved and beaten by his parents was rescued in Guindy
Vulnerable at their own homes
Data from the National Crime Records Bureau shows that crimes against children by family members are clearly on the rise
Perpetrator's relation to the victim (2019)
Family 138
Relatives or friends 461
On the pretext of marriage 1,133
Unknown 10
Call 1098
Massive campaigns have been taken up to popularise the helpline 1098 in the past. But many people are still unaware of it