As defined by WHO, Child Abuse or maltreatment "includes all types of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, negligence and commercial or other exploitation, which results in actual or potential harm to the child's health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power".
The term stated above does not have a universal definition and often changes with varying professionals working towards demolishing the causes. What remains common, however, is that any form of hurting to the innocent souls is undeniably wrong.
It wasn’t until the 1960s that the conversation on child abuse broke into the mainstream media and people came to know about such terrible crimes. Since then, many studies have been done on this issue and been taken into account by lawmakers to prevent such crimes from happening.
Child Abuse is in itself an umbrella term and constitutes different kinds of abuses such as physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and child neglect. All of these can lead to serious depravities in children and they're likely to develop mental health issues in adulthood such as depression, anxiety, personality disorders, insomnia, suicidal ideation, PTSD, etc.
Since the perpetrators are closely related to the child, most of the time, it is utmost important to look for signs in the house. The signs or causes can be varied starting from a stressful environment in the house, domestic violence, substance abuse, lack of good parenting skills to parents suffering from mental illnesses themselves. These can be the factors that disrupt the conscience of parents and them taking out the frustration or anger on their kids.
In India, child abuse is a crippling issue with a case being reported every fifteen minutes. Not only this but the country is also facing issues like child marriage, child labourers, drug abuse on children, child trafficking, children living under poverty, and crumbling childcare infrastructures which is yet to be worked upon efficiently.
To this day, only 45 countries have well-established laws related to this matter or more specifically related to “child sexual abuse”. Many times, cases of physical or emotional abuses aren’t even reported or taken into strict consideration. It is saddening that tough laws aren't being enforced and enough budget isn't being relocated by local and international institutions, henceforth proving their inefficiency in the case.
All in all, as a community all of us need to fight against this atrocity. Knowing that perpetrators exist everywhere, it is crucial to spread awareness regarding this and build a healthy relationship with every child. Since our system has many flaws and we don’t know what can happen, we can practice and preach some of the basic ideas like:
Be a nurturing parent and regularly indulge in healthy discussions with the children. Make them feel like they can share anything without hesitation. Also, telling them about “Good and Bad Touch” is crucial.
Help your relative, friend or neighbour if they have kids as it can get overwhelming sometimes to look after everything.
Keep in check your mental health as only a fulfilled mind can provide essential care to the little ones.
Try to spend quality time with children so they feel connected and reassured.
Have an eye on what the children are watching and if they have any screen time limit.
Come forward as a community and actively discuss these things. If possible get hold of advocates or caregivers who have a vivid knowledge on these issues.
Educate yourself and tell your children about their rights. Get to know about different signs that can be shown by kids facing abuse.
Promote different programs in school to openly discuss these issues with children in a subtle manner.
Be vigilant. Report immediately if you suspect any abuse or neglect in your surroundings.
Promoting the concept of foster care where the troubled child is given to a family having a healthy environment to look after the child for some time.
If possible volunteer yourself in NGOs or welfare organisations who are tackling issues related to child abuse or neglect.
Making sure that families bearing children have a stable source of income to look after them.
There are numerous other ways that one can become more considerate towards our children and community. It is high time that we do so to save the lives of our beloved little ones who will look after us someday. Children are the future of any country and it should be our prime duty to ensure they live in a safe, happy and healthy environment without worrying about the cruelty that currently exists.
Piece by-
Sunidhi Sharma
sunidhisharma2801@gmail.com
Sunidhi Sharma is currently studying Economics at the University of Delhi. She has always been very passionate about feminism, political issues and deliberating on the social injustices that prevail. In her lone time, she loves to cook and often finds it therapeutic in a strange way. Listening to songs and watching movies are her ways to get solace when the world seems to be graving in chaos.
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