SOCIETY

One in every two children has suffered sexual abuse,
claims Prayas survey

     New Delhi: In a shocking revelation on child abuse in the country close on the heels of the Nithari episode, it has come to light that one out of every two children has experienced sexual abuse and two out of every three children have been physically abused. The startling figures have been thrown up by a first-ever survey on child abuse in the country. Prayas, an NGO working since 1988 for the welfare of street and neglected children, has prepared this report, which was released by Minister for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury here today. According to the report, which assumes greater significance in the wake of the Nithari episode that brought into focus the issue of safety of children, children in the age group of 5-12 years have reported higher levels of abuse. The survey, carried out across 13 states and with a sample size of 12,447, reveals that 53.22 per cent of the children reported having faced one or more forms of sexual abuse, with Andhra Pradesh, Bihar , Assam and Delhi reporting the highest percentage of such incidents. In 50 per cent of child abuse cases, the abusers were known to the child or were in a position of trust and responsibility and most children did not report the matter to anyone. The UNICEF and Save The Children, which were also associated with the survey, also found that over 50 per cent children were subjected to one or the other form of physical abuse and more boys than girls were abused physically. Out of those children physically abused in families, in 88.6 per cent of the cases, it was the parents who were the perpetrators. While the number of under-privileged juveniles in India has been pegged at one million, only about 60,000 are being taken care of by various NGOs and State Governments. Prayas was established in 1988 with 25 children, victims of a devastating fire in Jehangirpuri, one of the largest slums in the Capital. It now runs 35 non-formal education centres, 14 vocational training centres, 12 children's libraries and three shelter homes (Jehangirpuri, Delhi Gate and Tughlaqabad) for 5,000 homeless and destitute children in the age group of six to 16 years. In 1998-99, Prayas covered about 30,000 marginalised children. The NGO also runs childline, a free telephone helpline for children in distress. Besides, it has been promoting HIV/AIDS awareness in slums and among public and school children. It has also contributed towards women empowerment by running a handicrafts training-cum-income generation programme for poor, migrant women of the slums of South Delhi.
-April 10, 2007    

Previous File               Current File