If you want to understand how to become better allies to people with disabilities, then join us at Embracing All Abilities: Including People with Disabilities at Work.
Boys are just as at risk of child sexual abuse as girls - though a patriarchal society like ours denies it happening, putting these boys at further risk. A new govt initiative will now take it into account.
Boys are just as at risk of child sexual abuse as girls – though a patriarchal society like ours denies it happening, putting these boys at further risk. A new govt initiative will now take it into account.
Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) is a serious problem of significant magnitude throughout the world. It is a dark reality and a pressing human rights issue that is highly prevalent in India, which can adversely impact children’s health – both physical and mental.
When one uses this term – Child Sexual Abuse – it is important to note that the victims can be both boys and girls. But usually, emphasis is given only to girls.
Sexual abuse of boys is often overlooked by society. Sexual abuse of boys is hardly addressed by the law. In fact, when it comes to victims, boy victims generally don’t disclose the abuse, and very few are reported due to fear of disbelief and bullying. It’s this mindset of people which makes everyone believe that it’s only the girls who are more susceptible to abuse.
In most child abuse cases (be it girl or boy victims), the reason behind what an offender looks for is their feeling of power over a helpless victim, instead of the actual sex of the child. So it is important to understand that all children, including transgender children are vulnerable to sexual abuse.
Our government informed Parliament last week that the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) will for the first time collect gender disaggregated data on sexual assaults against children.
This is a very good step taken by our government towards addressing child sexual abuse.
According to Prabhat Kumar, Head of Child Protection, Save the Children, “The need for gender-disaggregated data was felt following a nationwide study in 2007, which showed that the number of boys who were victims of sexual abuse was slightly more than those of girls. Up to the age of 13-14 years, boys and girls are equally vulnerable and maybe boys are more vulnerable because of the myth that they are not abused.”
It is estimated that 18% of girls and 8% of boys globally have experienced childhood sexual abuse, according to a study conducted in 2011.
The Study on Child Abuse conducted in 2007 in India, commissioned by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD), surveyed 12,447 children in 13 States and found that more than half (53%) of them had faced one or more forms of sexual assault. Of these, 52.94% were boys and 47.06% were girls. Only 5.69% of the victims had reported being sexually assaulted and most children did not report the matter to anyone.
The findings suggest that young boys in India have similar and sometimes higher prevalence of CSA than girls.
It is interesting to note that, globally, India was cited as having the best legal framework to protect victims, due partly to the 2012 Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, which focuses on protecting boys as well as girls from sexual violence. According to the rankings, Britain, Sweden and Canada are the countries tackling abuse most effectively. Pakistan, Egypt and Mozambique were rated at the bottom of the list.
Our government has taken a remarkable step in this aspect. It now becomes the responsibility of all those victims to stand up and do their part by reporting injustice happened to them.
Many parents miss early signs of abuse. Be vigilant, be responsible. Sexual Education is one side of it, other side is to communicate and report immediately if anything foul is seen (be it in school, family or in any public places).
Reporting is a difficult decision to be made. Many fear revictimizations through the criminal justice system and fear they may be blamed for it. But, its each individual’s responsibility to report and ensure the culprit is punished and the victim gets justice.
Image source: shutterstock
I am basically a Software Engineer from Bangalore. I have worked in the IT industry for almost a decade - in India and Singapore. Currently, I am on a career break, rather a "career-switch" - I read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
Rajshri Deshpande, who played the fiery protagonist in Trial by Fire along with Abhay Deol speaks of her journey and her social work.
Rajshri Deshpande as the protagonist in ‘Trial by Fire’, the recent Netflix show has received raving reviews along with the show itself for its sensitive portrayal of the Uphaar Cinema Hall fire tragedy, 1997 and its aftermath.
The limited series is based on the book by the same name written by Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, who lost both their children in the tragedy. We got an opportunity to interview Rajshri Deshpande who played Neelam Krishnamoorthy, the woman who has been relentlessly crusading in the court for holding the owners responsible for the sheer negligence.
Rajshri Deshpande is more than an actor. She is also a social warrior, the rare celebrity from the film industry who has also gone back to her roots to give to poverty struck farming villages in her native Marathwada, with her NGO Nabhangan Foundation. Of course a chance to speak with her one on one was a must!
“What is a woman’s job, Ramesh? Taking care of parents-in-law, husband, children, home and things at work—all at the same time? She isn’t God or a superhuman."
The arrays of workstations were occupied by people peering into their computer screens. The clicks of keyboard keys were punctuated by the occasional footsteps moving around to brainstorm or collaborate with colleagues in their cubicles. Most employees went about their tasks without looking at the person seated on either side of their workstation. Meenakshi was one of them.
The thirty-one-year-old marketing manager in a leading eCommerce company in India sat straight in her seat, her eyes on the screen, her fingers punching furiously into the keys. She was in a flow and wanted to finish the report while the thoughts and words were coming effortlessly into her mind.
Natu-Natu. The mellifluous ringtone interrupted her thoughts. She frowned at her mobile phone with half a mind to keep it ringing until she noticed the caller’s name on the screen, making her pick up the phone immediately.
Please enter your email address