Are there are any guidelines to check child abuse?
28 Jun, 2013An application was filed with the Gurgaon district administration under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking to get information about the steps taken to safeguard children from crimes like sexual abuse.
The reply to the application, provided by the state directorate of school education, states that it hasn’t received any guidelines from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) or the central government with reference to Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Bill, 2011.
Child abuse comprises emotional, physical and mental torture, and maltreatment of the child. But, as there is no defining law in place for the offence, no separate records are being maintained by the Gurgaon police concerning child abuse cases. Experts feel that there is an urgent need to devise a policy regarding child abuse in the wake of growing incidences of the offence. Also there is little awareness among the people about Section 377 of the IPC which deals with child abuse cases. Lack of guidelines is one of the reasons for the inability of the Police to maintain records of child abuse cases.