“There is no trust more sacred than the one the world holds with children. There is no duty more important than ensuring that their rights are respected, that their welfare is protected, that their lives are free from fear and want and that they can grow up in peace.” – Kofi Annan

On 03 July, we took a closer look at How we can ensure a safe environment for our children in this crisis driven pandemic. Parents, Caregivers and teachers, how it’s the need of the hour to not let the children be burdened with growing up, also their own safety.

With this webinar, we gave an exclusive insight into the menace of child sexual abuse and its potential to scar the coming generations of the potential victims and survivors, more so, during this pandemic induced mitigation strategies where it was necessary to restrict movements. The spokespersons and presenters included eminent speakers from HAQ- Centre for Child Rights and representatives from the government of India.

The context of the webinar was set by Fr. Jolly, Assistant Executive Director of Caritas India. The necessity to build a safety net inside our own homes and a dearth of protection because of this prolonged lockdown, which needed an unfolding. The sheer vulnerabilities faced by children and the hike in number of cases of sexual abuse against children have brought out the sad reality of the world.

In his Keynote Address Fr. Paul, Executive Director of Caritas India spoke about how the brutality of this pandemic has marred the children the most. The people they trust turn against them and the perpetrators live within their own households. To prevent this menace parents, teachers and caregivers have to open their eyes to them, now more than before.

Dr. Kavita Mangnani, Director restorative care at HAQ- Centre for Child Rights, highlighted how to identify signs and symptoms of sexual abuse in children. The physical and psychological manifestations of a child undergoing sexual abuse were clearly enumerated. The short and long-term consequences of such a painful and scarring experience in a child’s life can be life-threatening.

Mr. Varun Pathak, Advocate, Consultant to Women and Child Development, Government of India, presented the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) 2012 which was formulated to effectively address sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children. He explained the need for such a stringent law as before the implementation of the POCSO Act, the Goa Children’s Act, 2003 was the only specific piece of child abuse legislation. However, it had drawbacks, it did not protect male victims from sexual violence. The need of a legislative reform brought out the POCSO Act. Here, the laws are specifically designed for children or any individual below 18 years.  A Gender-Neutral Act. A Child-friendly law, the case must be solved and deposed of within one year from the date of reporting of the offence.

Child abuse, its psychological consequences and how to reach out to the survivors of child sexual abuse and violence were presented by Ms. Bharti Ali, Director of Co-Director HAQ-Centre for Child Rights. She directed panel discussion towards the importance of psychosocial support, the therapeutic needs and necessity of the realization of its early need. The stringent laws often lead the perpetrators to the prison and often the psychological aspects take a back seat, which is a problem that needs to be dealt with.

The panel discussion found most questions directed towards the stringent laws and its placement in the picture towards a preventive perspective. The laws designed to prevent are sometimes too strict and get diluted in the process of reaching out for justice. NGOs working for child rights have faced issues regarding the laws themselves being a blockage in serving justice. The need for corrective measures are here and now.