Child Abuse in India

Child abuse in India is often a hidden phenomenon especially when it happens in the home or by family members.
Focus with regards to abuse has generally been in the more public domain such as child labour, prostitution, marriage, etc.
In 80-85 per cent cases of child rapes in our country, the offender is a known person.
They can be a neighbour, someone from the local community, a relative or even a family member.
A sexual offence by a known person is one of the worst things that can happen to a child.
Many a time, when the offender is a family member, the victims don’t report due to fear of social stigma.
Sometimes minors do not even understand that they are being wronged.
This data from the National Crime Records Bureau shows even the best of police systems and toughest of laws cannot ensure prevention of sexual violence against children.
Police can punish the perpetrator after the crime is committed. However, by then the damage is already done.
A jail sentence to the accused comes after years of legal battle, and hardly helps the victim in dealing with lifelong trauma.
In many such incidents, victims are forced to change their statements in court just because the matter has been ‘amicably settled’ among the elders.
Many rapes take place in urban slums, because children are left alone or with some person known to the parents.