By Abha Anindita
SHILLONG:
Incidents of sexual crimes against children are on the rise and have been a serious affair for the law-enforcing agencies. Incidents like these have multi dimensional- legal, social, and psychological– implications. They also tend to affect the adult relationships of victims.
The latest report by National Crime Records Bureau for 2021 suggested that Meghalaya has the third highest rate of sexual offences against children with a 27.8 per cent of the crimes committed against children falling in this category.
Meghalaya reported 384 cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO), according to police.
ïamonlang M Syiem, Chairperson of Meghalaya State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, in a conversation with The Meghalayan said, “Reasons cannot be pin-pointed as to why there is such a sudden rise, however we are trying to put a digital system in place so we can work with exact numbers and diagnose the roots.”
“Having worked in this field for some time now, what I deduce is that the extensive use of social media by children and their exposure to child pornography play a major role. Especially post pandemic, with the online education system, children are left with smart devices without supervision which can be a risky affair,” she added.
A total of 1,49,404 cases of crimes against children were registered in the country as per the NCRB report, showing an increase of 16.2 per cent over 2020. Out of the total cases, 53,874 were registered under POCSO meaning 36.05 per cent of crimes were sexual offences.
“Another way to look at it is that people are now finally coming forward and reporting these cases. Maybe the awareness has helped,” Syiem said.
She added, “There is also a direct relation between substance abuse and increase in sexual abuse cases. There has been an increase in drug abuse in the state, but I believe the police department is doing a fantastic job and cracking down on these peddlers.”
During the pandemic, restrictions on socialising in-person, teaching shifting online, there was a corresponding rise in time spent by children on the internet thereby making them vulnerable to online sexual abuse.
The NCRB report mentioned that 97.2 per cent of the offenders were known to their victims. Out of the 290 cases reported under section 4 and 6 of POCSO, 282 perpetrators were familiar to their victims.
“The clan culture does not exist anymore, most families are nuclear where both the parents are working. That leaves the child vulnerable to his/her groomer who the child might be familiar with. And most of the time these are the cases that go unreported because nobody wants to lodge a police complaint against their own family member.” Syiem said.
The societal taboo is also a deal-breaker when parents don’t want to take the legal way to fight the case, because it is apprehended to be slow.
As a solution, Syiem stressed on the need for introduction of personal safety education initiatives in schools. “The Commission is collaborating with the Faith Foundation to introduce a curriculum in schools to teach children about the good and bad touch. Instilling these ideas at the young age is likely to help them not fall prey to sexual predators.”
The importance of sex education in schools has been conversed about several times. Noted educationist Ibarilin Kharsati made a point. She said, “Even after sex education has been introduced in some syllabuses, teachers are inhibited to teach the subject. That is why schools which can afford it should hire professionals.”
She added, “Parents also should be made aware and instructed to have open conversations with their children. A lot of incidents can be prevented that way.”
The enclosure has fallen weak in the whole protective system, but the lawmakers should know where it needs mending. The criminal is able to commit the crime because the fences are down, might it be cultural or social. Counseling for the children who have already been through abuse is also a major topic that should be emphasised.
Ampareen Lyngodh, Chairperson of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly’s Committee for Empowerment of Women asserted, “Counseling facilities should be made more available for women and minors. It should also be taken care of that the identity of those individuals who want to undergo the process should remain anonymous.”
She added, “Even if a perpetrator is taken to task attempts to dehumanise the victim and blame her for whatever has happened is not uncommon, therefore counseling for the whole family should be a requisite.”
Syiem also advocated the need for awareness for parents. “Healing has to come from within the community. Children are vulnerable, and they need to be protected at all costs by all stakeholders involved. Our children deserve a life free of violence and fear.”