Kerala children unsafe even at own homes

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 2: It might be a shock for all that India's most literate state, Kerala today has turned out to be as one of the most insecured states for schoolchildren. A 'helpline" for government and aided schools set up by the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and the Kerala Mahila Samakhya Society (KMSS) has revealed widespread physical and mental abuse of schoolchildren in the state.

A survey and probe conducted by SSA and KMSS revealed that over 300 child abuse cases in Kerala. In nearly 95% of the cases, the violators are the protectors themselves — parents, teachers and relatives.

More than 40 children, who were found unsafe in their homes, have been placed in the protection of Mahila Shikshan Kendras. The helpline set up for 1,500 schools received an average of two calls a day in the last one-and-a-half years, said KMSS director Seema Bhaskar.

The cases reveal a shocking perversity latent in the society. Sample these. A seventh standard girl in Thiruvananthapuram is regularly abused by her uncle. She attempted suicide twice.

In another such example, a class seven girl in Kottayam is pushed into prostitution by her own mother. Every weekend the mother drives her to houses where she is doped, made to watch porn videos and taken advantage of by men.

OneIndia News