“Childhood should be carefree, playing in the sun; not living a nightmare in the darkness of the soul”

How beautiful it seems if you wake up to the laughter of children in your courtyard! As a parent, as an elder, as a grandparent and the million other relationships you can have with a child, you see them as a flower blossoming and enriching the world around in their own ways. But an epidemic has been plaguing this beautiful creation of god at an alarming rate and that is Child Abuse. 

Child abuse can come from various sources and has diverse forms. A parent or a caretaker, any other acquaintance or anybody known or unknown, through any action, physical, verbal, mental or emotional, causing injury, agony, pain or exploitation to a child is child abuse. The various categories of child abuse are namely, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse or psychological abuse and neglect. These can create damage to a child’s health, welfare and safety and often the damage can be irreparable. 

With the world’s development gaining momentum, our aspirations are rising by leaps and bounds. Often we tend to envision our dreams in our children and take it for granted that they would make those come true. When they don’t seem to follow the trajectory, we tend to abuse them in our very own ways, be it physical, verbal, mental or emotional. Often children are exploited for sexual favours by their known or unknown. There are very many cases where a child suffers through a lot of emotional turmoil owing to neglect.  

As per the 2011 Census, more than 470 million people in India are below eighteen years of age and that is equivalent to 41% of the country’s total population. A major portion of this population, the country’s future generation is affected by the various forms of child abuse. According to the latest statistics by the government, in India a child is sexually abused every 15 minutes. As per the report on crimes in India for 2016, released by Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi, 106,958 cases of crimes against children were recorded in 2016. Out of these, 36,022 cases were recorded under POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act.

The harsh reality is very many times the abuser not even realizes the magnitude of harm he is causing to the child. Child maltreatment is a global problem that can have repercussions lasting a lifetime. It is therefore, imperative for us as a society to respond to the wakeup call and awaken ourselves. It is high time we realize how vital grassroots caregiving is and how it can lead to a happier future. Every child is special in his/her own way. Let’s nurture a better tomorrow!

“Dekho raaton ke seene pe ye toh

Jhilmil kisi lau se uge hain

Ye toh ambiya ki khushbu hain baago se beh chale

Kho na jaye ye Taare Zameen Par*”

*Credit Note:

Lyricist: Prasoon Joshi | Movie: Taare Zameen Par