A report by Human Rights Watch states that sexual abuse is "disturbingly common" in Indian homes, childcare facilities and schools. To add insult to injury, child victims are often mistreated and humiliated by police. The Indian government has made no public comments concerning the matter, as it usually does not respond to such reports.
A government study reported that over half of the nearly 12,300 surveyed children reported one or more forms of sexual abuse. Child rights activists believe many more cases go unreported. According to Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director of HRW, “Children who bravely complain of sexual abuse are often dismissed or ignored by the police, medical staff, and other authorities”.
The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act made all forms of child sexual abuse a criminal offence. It also made it possible for an abuser to be prosecuted for molestation and non-penetrative sex, shifted the burden of proof onto the abuser, and recommended setting up special courts to try cases of child abuse.
But campaigners say that better laws alone will not help unless there is a change in social attitudes and the way police, medical officials and the judiciary deal with these cases. In India, sex is a taboo subject and sexual abuse is rarely discussed or admitted. Campaigners say that the abusers are often family members such as parents, grandparents, uncles, siblings, and other caregivers.
Often parents and other authority figures are reluctant to report abuse because they want to avoid shame and scandal. They may also want to protect the child victims from having to deal with a callous police force, intrusive medical examinations and an insensitive judiciary. Campaigners argue that India needs a "zero tolerance approach" to cases of sexual abuse of children.
Sources: bbcnews / humanrightswatch
