The alleged sexual assault of a three-and-a-half-year-old child by her father and gang rape of a five-year-old girl have stressed the need for setting up more Collaborative Child Response Units, which can handle these sensitive cases effectively.
Dr Shaibya Saldanha of Enfold Trust, Bengaluru, said on Tuesday: “We have been working in this field for the last 10 years and we have seen the number of child abuse cases, in one form or the other, increasing. But still, there is no proper legal system to handle such cases. Though a Bill to protect children from any form of abuse has been passed by both Houses, it has been lying with Parliament for the last two years. It is yet to become an Act."
“A change in the way parents talk to their children since their birth and introduction of sex education in schools are necessary. These help children report that they have been victims of sexual abuse. Above all, there is a need to set up more CCRUs in the state for providing social, legal, psychological and medical support to victims and their families,” she said.
Enfold Trust has started two CCRUs at Baptist and MS Ramaiah Hospitals. “We have put forward a proposal and held talks with the State Health and Family Welfare Department to come up with CCRUs at Bowring and Lady Curzon, Vani Vilas, St. John’s and other district Hospitals and Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health " she added.
Dr Shekar Seshadri, Professor, Department of Adolescent and Child Psychiatry, Nimhans, said: “In case of children who have been victims of sexual assault have short-term and long-term impacts. Once they get to know the fact, children start losing confidence. There would be deterioration in their performance, ability to make friends and other aspects of life. Not just the children, it also affects the family.”
Sr Dulcine Crasta, Coordinator, Department of Women and Child Development, Child Protection Unit – Unicef, stressed on the need to strengthen programmes to help prevent child abuse. “The Department of Women and Child Development are now providing training to police and also teachers on how to deal with such children. A clear database on child tracking system is necessary,” she opined.