Child Abuse, More in Tamil Nadu?

Bangalore: Child rights activists were unhappy with the fact that only 105 child abuse cases in Delhi have been reported in the National Commission for Child Rights so far. This was recently revealed in the Rajya Sabha, as reported by Ashpreet Sethi for DHNS. They alleged that it was the commission’s apathy and inaction that makes parents hesitate to file a complaint.

According to E Ahamed, minister of state for human resource development, NCPCR has received 115 and 105 complaints from Tamil Nadu and Delhi respectively. Among the complaints filed, were instances of beating, harassment, humiliation and sexual exploitation in schools. Tamil Nadu, with its 115 complaints, reported the highest number of cases. 

According to Shashank Shekhar, former member of Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Delhi has a peculiar mindset. “Parents feel it is normal for a child to get punished, even beaten up, in schools or else how will the child learn? This is wrong. Whenever harsh punishment has been given to children, we have sent a strong message to teachers that such behavior is not allowed. Unfortunately, this message was not conveyed to parents,” he said. Shekhar added that among all other cities, Delhi was the first to file a complaint against a teacher. “Parents do not understand that even minor abuse should be reported. They do not realize that the effect of such abuse leads to psychological problems,” he said, as reported by DHNS.