Girl child abuse is prevalent in India at an alarming level of frequency. Abuse can be defined as any physical, mental, emotional or psychological form of exploitation or neglect. It brings with it a high risk of seriously harming the health, welfare, and safety of a child.
Child abuse is a heinous act that is punishable by law. Unfortunately, it takes place in both urban and rural areas. In order to take strong action against this evil, and in order to help prevent it, we must come together as a society to formulate preventive and prosecutorial strategies.
Sexual abuse of children, particularly of young girls in India, takes place at a high rate in our society. According to the National Crimes Records Bureau, the percentage of rape of minor girls increased by 82% in 2016 as compared to 2015. Shockingly in a majority of these cases, the rapist was not a stranger to the child, but often a friend, family member or a neighbour.
Child abuse has a devastating impact on affected children. It causes the child to experience both physical and emotional trauma, which can result in a life-long psychological trauma as well. The survivors are also more vulnerable to mental health issues as adults.
There must be several stringent laws put into place when it comes to child abuse. Parents must educate children on the subject and create awareness about the idea of ‘good touch’ and ‘bad touch’. There is a desperate need to eradicate girl child abuse in India. NGOs like Save the Children are dedicated to creating a safe environment for vulnerable children worldwide. We run programs engaging parents, teachers, children, and communities in order to educate them better about this pertinent issue that destroys the lives of many. Save the Children is also dedicated to fighting child abuse, and also extending the rehabilitation provisions to its survivors.
Discrimination has always existed in India against the girl child. This refers to the prejudice faced by young girls when they are denied equal opportunities as boys on the basis of gender. In India, women are subjected to various inequalities as a result of a patriarchal society. Most women are denied their freedom and many remain unaware of their rights. Girls are often thought of as a financial burden, due to many social evils such as dowry, illiteracy poverty, etc. This often leads to other social problems such as child marriage and female foeticide.
Save the Children dedicatedly believes that all forms of discrimination against young girls must be eradicated socially as soon as possible. Through our many initiatives and programs, we aim to root out harmful social practices that negatively impact women – practices such as child marriage, female foeticide, female infanticide, the sexual exploitation of young girls and child abuse.