By M L Satyan

Bengaluru, May 25, 2023: A few days ago, I was traveling by a taxi in Bengaluru. At a major traffic signal, I noticed a middle-aged woman on the footpath carrying a young baby on her shoulder. The child was quiet. As soon as there was red signal, all the vehicles stopped. The woman pinched the child two times and the child started crying. Showing the crying child, she started begging from the people traveling in car, jeep, auto, scooter and motor cycle.

On another occasion at a different traffic signal, I noted the same scene. Of course, it was a different woman and a different child. I had earlier read in some newspapers that young babies are hired from a child trafficker for begging. This seems to be the case in many major cities and towns in India. This bothered my mind and prompted me to study and write this article.

Today children are abused physically, emotionally, sexually and in various other forms. Let us look at them closely:

Physical abuse: It should be suspected when the child is seen to have injuries in un-exposed areas and posterior areas. Unexplained injury marks on protected parts such as buttocks, thighs, torso, frenulum, ears should raise red flags while we examine children. An identifiable wound or mark on the skin could be a tell-tale sign of abuse, such as handprints, belt buckles, cord loops. Other forms of physical abuse such as shaking, drowning, poisoning do not show any external skin manifestation, and hence people must be vigilant everywhere.

Emotional abuse: Any persistent act or conversation conveying messages of worthlessness cause emotional trauma to children. However, imposing inappropriate expectations, overprotection, and abnormal social interaction also could be considered emotional abuse, although these acts are well intentioned. Children up to 5 years are more vulnerable since the relationships acquired during this period contribute to the socio-emotional development and psycho-social functioning. Cognitive, motor, and language delays are seen secondary to this reason.

Sexual abuse: It involves forcing, leading, or enticing anyone below the age of 18 years to participate in sexual activity of any kind, irrespective of the awareness on consequences. Activities could range from contact activities such as intercourse, buggery, oral sex, or could be non-contact activities such as watching pornographic materials, or encouraging to behave in a sexually inappropriate way.

Other forms of child abuses: Neglect is an act of omission resulting from the inability to acknowledge and fulfil the needs of a child – both physical and psychological which may have an impact on his/her health and development. Any failure in provision of food, shelter, clothing, protection from danger, adequate supervision, basic medical care and treatment would amount to neglect of child which is considered an abuse. Societal abuse is seen as child beggary, child labour, child marriage, etc., which are seen mostly in poorer and developing nations.

Impact: Childhood abuse leads to cyclothymic mood disorders, depression, anxiety, and irritable temperament. As mentioned earlier, it adversely affects a child’s physical and mental health and causes developmental delay in infants. Physical, cognitive, and reproductive adversities are results of such abuses in early childhood. Somatic complaints, asthma, recurrent infections, sleep disorders are also seen to have a significant correlation with adverse events earlier in childhood.

Hard Facts: As per the report by UNICEF India, 2022:

• India is home to the largest number of child brides in the world. India ranks fourth (after Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan) among the eight South Asian countries in terms of child marriage prevalence.
• Adolescent girls are especially vulnerable to poor nutritional status, early marriage and childbearing, affecting their ability to live empowered, healthy lives, which in-turn affects the next generation.
• India is the only large country where more girls die than boys, with the inverse sex ratio at birth being 900 girls born for every 1000 boys. Globally 7 per cent more boys die under the age of 5 compared to girls in India, 11 per cent more girls die under the age of 5.
• Children from rural areas, slums and urban poor families, scheduled castes, tribal communities and other disadvantaged populations suffer from multiple deprivations related to poverty, malnutrition, access to quality health services, child marriage, poor school attendance, low learning outcomes, lack of sanitation facilities, hygiene, and access to improved water.
• More than half (54 per cent) of adolescent girls have anaemia compared to 30 per cent of boys, and the issue of low Body Mass Index in adolescent girls coupled with challenges of child marriage and adolescent pregnancies have an intergenerational impact. India has one of the highest rates of violence against women and between 60-90 per cent of girls face sexual harassment/violence in public spaces.

Violence against children remains widespread across the country. Apart from issues such as forced early marriage, child labour, domestic abuse, sexual violence, and human trafficking, online violence also runs rampant. India has witnessed a surge in internet penetration as of 2020 due to the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Online activity by children has reached an all-time high and is expected to further increase in intensity. Internet access has been used for imparting knowledge but it has also exposed harmful and inappropriate content to children who are impressionable and vulnerable. Moreover, data indicate that cyber-sexual harassment and cyberbullying are at a record high due to the use of social media by children and adolescent girls. These are detrimental to a child’s development and are also known to have lifelong consequences for the child.

The constitution of India guarantees fundamental rights to all children implemented by the states through directive principles of state policy. It guides the states to keep children safe, protect them from abuse, and provide them opportunities that foster physical, social, and mental wellbeing.

Despite the child protection act, we witness child rights violations that include the denial and inability to secure the right to education, the right to food and health, and rights against exploitation. Even with several legal frameworks in place to address these issues, India’s performance in comparison to its counterparts in child development and child protection remains inadequate as the vast majority of children continue to be deprived of their fundamental rights.

Safeguarding our children is one of our primary responsibilities. Parents, teachers, child rights/social activists should identify vulnerable children and situations and take timely action. Let us save vulnerable children from abuses.