by Mayank Tiwari 16 July 2020
Any research or grassroots activism in the field of child rights will reveal that child rights violation isn’t a phenomenon triggered by a single factor but in fact interplay of multiple catalysts. These factors are interlinked, which means that a substantial defence of child rights will require not only comprehensive policy reforms but unprecedented attempts at changing people’s psyche towards the right of the child. The world’s best NGO for charity in the field of child rights, Save the Children, has given new hope to generations of children. The simplest thing you can do today is to support an NGO – every single rupee counts.
- Trafficking of children, particularly for sexual exploitation
With instances where children just “disappear” overnight in some parts of India, as many as 1 every 8 minutes (according to National Crime Records Bureau data), the sordid horror of child trafficking is very apparent. Children are today traded like objects, but the nature of this crime makes it hard to track in India. This is why India is not only a hub but simultaneously a transit point for child trafficking, via Nepal and Bangladesh. At last count, 200,000 Nepalese girls under the age of 16 were found to be actively involved in prostitution in India.
There are 3 reasons behind India’s child trafficking problem:
- Rampant poverty and lack of opportunities: parents sell their children for merely a handful of rupees
- Child trafficking is a highly profitable, albeit illegal business which has buyers from across the world. It is the third most profitable organised crime business, generating billion-dollar revenues annually.
- The vulnerability of the child, and lack of enforcement of child rights
Save the Children, a pioneer in the field of child rights fights the menace of child trafficking through a 3Ps strategy of Prevention, Protection, and Prosecution. The NGO uses a community-based approach to empowering children with education, job skills, and grassroots activism that frees children from labour and other forms of exploitation. India’s most oppressed demographic, marginalized children, therefore, receive a new lease of life.
- Violence against children, including sexual violence
One of the biggest reasons for unreported and therefore largely unaddressed incidence of violence against children, especially sexual violence, is a social stigma. 2012 saw 9500 child and adolescent murders, making India the third-largest contributor to child homicide (WHO 2014, Global Health Estimates), while 1 in 3 adolescent girls between 15 to 19 years-experience violence (physical, sexual or emotional), from their significant others. Child abuse is often unreported when it involves family members or by people in institutions such as schools or government homes, due to the classic family structure practised in rural India.
According to the ‘UN Special Rapporteur On Violence Against Women’, there has been a 336% increase of child rape cases from 2001 to 2011. Neglect is an important component of emotional violence, and it occurs when children are not given enough attention, food, or recreation time.
- Child labour, including working in hazardous conditions
According to a 2015 report by the U.S. Department of Labour, a list of goods produced by child labour or forced labour featured India among 74 countries with “significant incidence of critical working conditions”. Recent legislation regarding child labour has been unfavourable, with permission to children below 14 years of age to work in family enterprises or the entertainment industry. This still includes scope for abuse, especially considering that India is home to the largest child labour population in the world.
It is not rare to find thousands of children toiling in the fields for 14-16 hours a day, in labour-intensive professions like farming, stone cutting sector, mining industry, and zari and embroidery. This is being worsened by the entry of multinational companies into India, to exploit the lack of accountability in labour law and cheap labour. Child labour is reportedly highest among scheduled tribes, Muslims, scheduled castes and OBC children, despite aggressive reservation policies favouring this demographic.
Forced displacement, caused by ‘development’ projects (including Special Economic Zones) migration to urban areas, farmer suicides, and armed conflict is also another cause of child labour. This often results in children being exploited into bonded child labour, a form of slavery. These children become psychologically and mentally disturbed, they thus become dependent on their ‘owners’.
- Discrimination against girls in education and in access to food
There is a saying in Andhra Pradesh “Bringing up a daughter is like watering a plant in another’s courtyard.” While there is extensive research about the socio-economic impact of gender discrimination, the biggest effect is on the mind of tomorrow’s women, Indian girls, who are deeply influenced by the myth of female inferiority. This translates to a generation of women unaware of their rights and capabilities.
Even at birth, India’s masses prefer a boy over a girl. Girls in India are given less food (including access to breastfeeding), fewer healthcare consultations, making anaemia and mineral deficiency common. Despite high female literacy, Delhi, Gujarat and Rajasthan still show discrimination against girls. This is seen in the high dropout rate of girls, who are expected to help with household work and taking care of younger siblings. This worsens the rural gender gap in female and male equality, as girls underperform in school. Depriving a child of their basic rights, just because they are a girl, is a gross violation of child rights.
- Discrimination against children on the basis of caste, tribe or indigenous background
People belonging to scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled tribes (STs) have faced discrimination throughout generations, and this trend is prevalent even to this day. According to Parliamentary findings, violence against the SC/ST community has increased over the years. An upward graph emerges when seeing the number of cases lodged under the SCs/STs Prevention of Atrocities Act in 1999 (34,799), and 2001 (39,157 cases) a large number of cases of violence against SC/ST are reported in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh has the largest number of atrocities against Scheduled Tribes. Many of these cases are unregistered.
Child abuse is prevalent in Dalit and other tribal communities, and anecdotes of violence, rape, and torture are common. These acts are executed not only by high caste Hindus but also separatists and insurgents. This has resulted in the systematic oppression of the community; Literacy among SC/ST population is incredibly low and states like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal have the lowest SC enrolment and attendance figures.
- Conclusion
With the span of child rights violation in India, it is clear that this is an issue which needs to be addressed at many levels, via a comprehensive programme. The role of both NGOs and Government bodies is imperative. A policy reform can ‘give teeth’ to the police action on those who participate in this heinous crime, only if corruption doesn’t enable cover-ups, and hence erasure of these experiences. Grassroots activism by NGOs like Save the Children is, therefore, vital to be the guiding light to expose this crime, educate both children and adults, and liberate children from a life of suffering. With great tax benefits of donating to charity, a small investment can yield a huge reward when it comes to child rights. All children deserve a chance at a happy childhood and together we can help them get one.
ANALYISIS BY THE UNITED NATIONS
Key facts
- Violence against children includes all forms of violence against people under 18 years old, whether perpetrated by parents or other caregivers, peers, romantic partners, or strangers.
- Globally, it is estimated that up to 1 billion children aged 2–17 years have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence or neglect in the past year (1).
- Experiencing violence in childhood impacts lifelong health and well-being.
- Target 16.2 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is to “end abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against, and torture of, children”.
- Evidence from around the world shows that violence against children can be prevented.
Types of violence against children
Most violence against children involves at least one of the six main types of interpersonal violence that tend to occur at different stages in a child’s development.
- Maltreatment (including violent punishment) involves physical, sexual and psychological/emotional violence; and neglect of infants, children and adolescents by parents, caregivers and other authority figures, most often in the home but also in settings such as schools and orphanages.
- Bullying (including cyber-bullying) is unwanted aggressive behaviour by another child or group of children who are neither siblings nor in a romantic relationship with the victim. It involves repeated physical, psychological or social harm, and often takes place in schools and other settings where children gather, and online.
- Youth violence is concentrated among children and young adults aged 10–29 years, occurs most often in community settings between acquaintances and strangers, includes bullying and physical assault with or without weapons (such as guns and knives), and may involve gang violence.
- Intimate partner violence (or domestic violence) involves physical, sexual and emotional violence by an intimate partner or ex-partner. Although males can also be victims, intimate partner violence disproportionately affects females. It commonly occurs against girls within child marriages and early/forced marriages. Among romantically involved but unmarried adolescents it is sometimes called “dating violence”.
- Sexual violence includes non-consensual completed or attempted sexual contact and acts of a sexual nature not involving contact (such as voyeurism or sexual harassment); acts of sexual trafficking committed against someone who is unable to consent or refuse; and online exploitation.
- Emotional or psychological violence includes restricting a child’s movements, denigration, ridicule, threats and intimidation, discrimination, rejection and other non-physical forms of hostile treatment.
When directed against girls or boys because of their biological sex or gender identity, any of these types of violence can also constitute gender-based violence.
Impact of violence
Violence against children has lifelong impacts on the health and well-being of children, families, communities, and nations. Violence against children can:
- Result in death. Homicide, which often involves weapons such as knives and firearms, is among the top three causes of death in adolescents, with boys comprising over 80% of victims and perpetrators.
- Lead to severe injuries. For every homicide, there are hundreds of predominantly male victims of youth violence who sustain injuries because of physical fighting and assault.
- Impair brain and nervous system development. Exposure to violence at an early age can impair brain development and damage other parts of the nervous system, as well as the endocrine, circulatory, musculoskeletal, reproductive, respiratory and immune systems, with lifelong consequences. As such, violence against children can negatively affect cognitive development and results in educational and vocational under-achievement.
- Result in negative coping and health risk behaviours. Children exposed to violence and other adversities are substantially more likely to smoke, misuse alcohol and drugs, and engage in high-risk sexual behaviour. They also have higher rates of anxiety, depression, other mental health problems and suicide.
- Lead to unintended pregnancies, induced abortions, gynaecological problems, and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
- Contribute to a wide range of non-communicable diseases as children grow older. The increased risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and other health conditions is largely due to the negative coping and health risk behaviours associated with violence.
- Impact opportunities and future generations. Children exposed to violence and other adversities are more likely to drop out of school, have difficulty finding and keeping a job, and are at heightened risk for later victimization and/or perpetuation of interpersonal and self-directed violence, by which violence against children can affect the next generation.
Risk factors
Violence against children is a multifaceted problem with causes at the individual, close relationship, community and societal levels. Important risk factors are:
Individual-level:
- biological and personal aspects such as sex and age
- lower levels of education
- low income
- having a disability or mental health problems
- being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender
- harmful use of alcohol and drugs
- a history of exposure to violence.
Close-relationship level:
- lack of emotional bonding between children and parents or caregivers
- poor parenting practices
- family dysfunction and separation
- being associated with delinquent peers
- witnessing violence between parents or caregivers
- early or forced marriage.
Community-level:
- poverty
- high population density
- low social cohesion and transient populations
- easy access to alcohol and firearms
- high concentrations of gangs and illicit drug dealing.
Society level:
- social and gender norms that create a climate in which violence is normalized
- health, economic, educational and social policies that maintain economic, gender and social inequalities
- absent or inadequate social protection
- post-conflict situations or natural disaster
- settings with weak governance and poor law enforcement.
Prevention and response
Violence against children can be prevented. Preventing and responding to violence against children requires that efforts systematically address risk and protective factors at all four interrelated levels of risk (individual, relationship, community, society).
Under the leadership of WHO, a group of 10 international agencies have developed and endorsed an evidence-based technical package called INSPIRE: Seven strategies for ending violence against children. The package aims to help countries and communities achieve SDG Target 16.2 on ending violence against children. Each letter of the word INSPIRE stands for one of the strategies, and most have been shown to have preventive effects across several different types of violence, as well as benefits in areas such as mental health, education and crime reduction.
The seven strategies are:
- Implementation and enforcement of laws (for example, banning violent discipline and restricting access to alcohol and firearms);
- Norms and values change (for example, altering norms that condone the sexual abuse of girls or aggressive behaviour among boys);
- Safe environments (such as identifying neighbourhood “hot spots” for violence and then addressing the local causes through problem-oriented policing and other interventions);
- Parental and caregiver support (for example, providing parent training to young, first time parents);
- Income and economic strengthening (such as microfinance and gender equity training);
- Response services provision (for example, ensuring that children who are exposed to violence can access effective emergency care and receive appropriate psychosocial support); and
- Education and life skills (such as ensuring that children attend school, and providing life and social skills training).
WHO response
A May 2016 World Health Assembly resolution endorsed the first-ever WHO Global plan of action on strengthening the role of the health system within a national multisectoral response to address interpersonal violence, in particular against women and girls, and against children.
According to this plan, WHO in collaboration with the Member States and other partners, is committed to:
- Monitoring the global magnitude and characteristics of violence against children and supporting country efforts to document and measure such violence.
- Maintaining an electronic information system that summarizes the scientific data on the burden, risk factors and consequences of violence against children, and the evidence for its preventability.
- Developing and disseminating evidence-based technical guidance documents, norms and standards for preventing and responding to violence against children.
- Regularly publishing global status reports on country efforts to address violence against children through national policies and action plans, laws, prevention programmes and response services.
- Supporting countries and partners in implementing evidence-based prevention and response strategies, such as those included in INSPIRE: Seven strategies for ending violence against children.
- Collaborating with international agencies and organizations to reduce and eliminate violence against children globally, through initiatives such as the Global Partnership to End Violence against Children, Together for Girls and the Violence Prevention Alliance.