System to Preempt Child Abuse

Vinod Kakumanu
April 8, 2019, 5:22 p.m.

We have written about corporal punishment earlier, in this article we are dealing with the critical socio-cultural issue of child abuse. The vulnerability of children en –route to school, in school hours and while commuting back to home has been painfully made evident to us by incidents of child victimization.

There are host of reported incidents from across the country that have raised the specter of child abuse in social consciousness again and again. As a consequence, a general threat perception has come to prevail in parents. For teachers and school management, the possibility of child abuse is a double predicament. The physical and emotional security of the student is at stake as well as the reputation of the school.

To ensure that children’s safety remains inviolable and, that too, not at the expense of the innocence and freedom of the children, Child Abuse Pre-Warning Systems can be installed in the school.

Perceiving child abuse

What behavior or gesture constitute child abuse? There are several scenarios that will qualify as child abuse. There are some instances where abuser has some cultural if not legal immunity, like in corporal punishment in school by teacher or manhandling by a parent or guardian. There are however, certain instances where the violation occurs with deliberation and knowledge of the wrongfulness. The form of abuse that is socially considered the most obnoxious and is gravely damaging is child sexual abuse. Despite the penal severity and social taboo child sexual abuse is disturbingly widespread.

As per the study conducted by the leading child right activist and Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi’s children’s foundation cases of sexual offences against children have risen by 34 percent in the last 3 years.Data also shares that every 5th girl mostly between the age group of 5-9 suffers from some form of abuse or molestation during her schooling days.

A study made by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in 2017, about 53 percent of children surveyed reported having faced some kind of abuse.

India is a signatory to the International covenant on the Rights of the Children and these statistics show that the children are among the most vulnerable section of the population.

Awareness is the first step towards the solution. Now, the schools are making children aware in kindergarten about the so termed ‘good and bad touch’ and this indeed is helping. Being vigilant however is something that is extremely essential given the fragility of the child’s psyche.

For both parents and teachers, it is imperative to have a keen eye to make a diagnosis of an incident of child abuse. These are the most common signs that are perceptible and may be indicative of an incident of abuse, the following apply to both small children and adolescents :

Silent and withdrawn behavior in the school
Resignation from the surroundings
Marked Changes in interaction with friends
Tendency towards self-harm
Absenteeism or reluctance to attend the school
Declining to meet people at an occasional event.
Loss of self-confidence and faith
Extreme complaining and responding aggressively
Lack of trust and belief
Saying big NO for any of the proposed things of his/her interest and throwing unusual tantrums.
Symptoms of depression and/or anxiety.
Signs of alcohol or drug consumption

Technology can help in containing the menace besides the mandatory awareness, many ready to use child safety products are available on SchoolSuperMart.com

It is advised to trigger the Pre Warning/Alarm when the system suspects an incidence of child abuse taking place within the school premises. The installation of this system helps the school management to preclude the abuse and maltreatment with the students in the school premises.

Child Abuse Pre-Warning Solution serves the school leaders by reassuring them of students’ safety and security. This technological device is reportedly dependable as it is technologically advance. Although vigilance in matters such as child safety cannot be overdone, yet this device does not call for an attendee and is easy to manage.

It would not be out of place to recommend systems and apparatuses like ‘Child Abuse Pre-Warning Solution’ to ensure that, all what can possibly be done in this regard is done indeed. We believe in making the safe and secure learning arenas where every single child comes and plays about with a smile and a curious innocent mind ready to imbibe the best of values.