To prevent sex abuse, child's welfare must be made the top priority
Priya Virmani says shame associated with child abuse and lack of robust background checks make India a breeding ground for paedophiles
Last month a six-year-old primary school girl was raped in Bangalore by her school's gym instructor and his accomplice. The incident was brushed under the carpet for days before a media expose brought it to light. This incident was soon followed by the rape of another primary school student by the son of her household help who was entrusted with the task of fetching her from school.
Following ghastly sex crimes against women that caught the attention of both the national and the international media, India has earned itself the reputation of being misogynistic. Now, it is also being viewed as unsafe for children.
The majority of sex crimes against children go unreported. Notwithstanding this, the statistics of the reported cases are abhorrent. Between 2001 and 2011 there have been 48,000 cases. Moreover, there has been a 336 per cent jump in cases between 2001 and now. The Indian media is calling these numbers an epidemic. The jump in cases, however, can be read as more cases coming to light.
For far too long, India's institutions have colluded with society to keep the problem of child abuse quiet. People are aware of what is happening yet they choose a tragic silence. Private schools are more preoccupied with cementing their brands. More humble schools remain completely off the child safety radar. Parents collude in the process of silence out of fear of the shame that society associates with the victims of this type of crime and their families.
India unsurprisingly is a perfect breeding ground for paedophiles who can operate with impunity. A case in point is that of Paul Meekin, a paedophile wanted by the British police who sought refuge in the guise of headmaster of a posh Bangalore school. When he was arrested in 2012, it was found that false documents used to secure the job went unchecked.
The need of the hour is a background check for every person in any employment that deals with children and vulnerable adults. Britain's body responsible for rigorous background checks, the Disclosure and Barring Service, successfully kept Meekin out of Britain while India's lack of even a basic system of vigilance meant Meekin had cover in the light of day. Schools in particular must incorporate institutionally determined, non-negotiable child health and safety measures and make provisions for child counsellors.
In my work with Paint Our World, a project that works to empower underprivileged children who have been through trauma like child sexual abuse, I have encountered indescribably tragic stories. Yet the mindset that accompanies child abuse is at best inadequate, at worst nauseating. Most of the children I work with have been abused by their immediate kin - mostly their fathers and uncles. Unless a meaningful intervention is made in the lives of these children, can we expect them to become functional adults? The notorious gang rape of a student in December 2012 aboard a moving bus in Delhi was perpetrated by youths who had childhoods that were financially decrepit and emotionally arid.
Cases of child sexual abuse cut across the divides of class, caste and religion. Only when there is an institutional clampdown on child abuse, together with families putting their child's safety above family honour, will things begin to change.
