Author(s): Sivanathan Nallampatti Thangavelu
According to WHO: ''Child abuse or maltreatment constitutes all forms of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting 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 National Study on Child Abuse undertaken by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, in 2005, attempts to understand the extent of the problem, its dimensions as well as its intensity. In addition, it examines two aspects: In 2013 report India's Hell Holes: Child Sexual Assault in Juvenile Justice Homes, the Asian Center for Human Rights said that sexual offences against children in India have reached epidemic proportion. The report stated that more than 48,000 child rape cases were recorded from 2001 to 2011 and that India saw an increase of 336% of child rape cases from 2001 (2,113 cases) to 2011 (7,112 cases). Government of India study on child abuse (UNICEF) the findings of the Study on Child Abuse clearly indicate that a very large number of children in India are not even safe in their homes. It is here, in the home, that we must start tackling the problem of child abuse. Interventions are needed to bring about change in the ways family members behave towards children in the home. Research shows that the incidence of abuse among school-going children is lower than amongest those who do not attend school. All efforts must therefore be made to ensure that all children attend school and that schools provide them with a protective environment that is free from violence, with an emphasis on the elimination of corporal.
