Child abuse on increase across the country: NGO

Bangalore, Mar 18 (UNI) Child abuse is on an increase in the country with a study claiming that one in three girls and one in five boys were sexually abused in the Country, a NGO said.

''According to a study by Rahi, a Delhi-based NGO, of 600 English-speaking middle and upper class women in Delhi, Mumbai, Madras, Kolkata and Goa, about 76 per cent had been sexually abused in childhood, and out of them, 71 per cent had been victimised by relatives or family friends,'' Dr Sangeeta Saksena, founder of NGO ''Enfold'' told mediapersons here yesterday at a workshop on the problem.

''To create awareness against child abuse, a working group consisting of the government, NGOs and social activists has been formed to prevent the menace,'' she said, adding that the Indian family, as a social unit, had been largely unsuccessful in containing the problem of sexual abuse of children. ''Lots of children are left alone to deal with the situation. The way children lacked awareness about sexual abuse, as maintaining the family honour was accorded top priority, ignoring the childrens' future,'' Dr Saksena said, charging society, as a whole, with failing ''to provide a safe environment for the child.'' Enfold conducted a workshop inviting people from a cross-section of the society including teachers, physicians, social workers, doctors, advocates and government officials to discuss the problem at length.

Experts, at the day-long workshop, suggested creation of a 'protocol' to be implemented at all schools and the creation of a special environment facilitating children to air their grievances relating to sexual abuse without any fear or hesitation, she said, adding that there was also need to educate the faculty of the schools about tackling the problem.

UNI