Children are the foundation of the society who ensures a progressive future. Any crime committed against children is an attack on the humanity which challenges the very core of our existence. In a country like India where children are considered as epitome of innocence, the increasing crime against children is disheartening. Crime against Children has shown an increase of 5.3% in 2015 over the year 2014. Among all the cases reported under crime against children, cases of sexual offence against children are highest only after kidnapping and abduction (NCBR report, 2015). The figures are alarming given the fact that sexual abuse as well as crime against children is one of the most under reported crimes in India
CSA has been in the society for ages in the form of child marriage, child prostitution, virgin
cleansening myth, pederasty etc. It is one of the most heinous crimes against children that leave
the deepest scars in the souls of the victims and is the biggest hurdle in the way of dream
mentioned by Pam leo.CSA is a negation of everything we stand for in a civilized society
(Maher, 1987). It happens because the system of silence around the act perpetuates it and
encourages some men to want it to happen; and so the political, societal, cultural and religious
attitudes which serve to underestimate the child, creates a climate in which abuse can thrive
(Virani,2000).
Fear, aggression, inappropriate sexual behavior, poor self- esteem, guilt, somatic complaints, low
concentration, anxiety, depression, dissociation, sexual problems, drug and alcohol use, hostility
towards parents, men and others, sleep disturbances, feeling of isolation and eating disorders etc.
are consequences of child sexual abuse(finkelhor,1988). Child Sexual Abuse represses children;
which is unlikely to create a flourishing society, economically, emotionally or spiritually
(Virani, 2000).CSA brings in psychological trauma from childhood which may disturb a person
in her/his everyday experience of both herself/himself and others and restrict her/his possible
thoughts, actions and feelings if not supported and healed at the appropriate time.This nuanced,
multifaceted issue, thus, has to be brought in the forefront as it operates via a complex matrix of
behavioral, emotional, social and cognitive factors(Between the lines: An Analysis of Media
reporting of child sexual abuse,2014).
The ways in which a particular society reacts to the incidents of CSA is very significant. In
country like India that is characterized by underlying currents of shaming and blaming the
victims, as well as family secrecy and protection of family‟s good name ,children may be
particularly vulnerable to various forms of intra familial sexual abuse and exploitation. Further,
changes in extended family relationships, coupled with a changing moral landscape due to
influences such as the Internet, mass media, and even movies and television, may help to create
family and social environments in which children become more vulnerable to all types of
exploitation, including sexual abuse (Carson, Foster and Chowdhury, 2013). CSA in the Indian
context is likely to be different than in other countries of the world due to a number of factors
that include poverty, crowded and unhygienic living conditions in many families, extended
family living arrangements, multiple caregiving of children, children living on the street and in
some areas the lack of enforcement of child labor laws, a lack of recreational facilities and
opportunities for families, and a host of other factors (Carson, Foster and Tripathi, 2013). Thus,
CSA is a complex process involving attributes of the participants' cultural settings, individual
sexual development and familial and inter personal dynamics (Hodson and Skeen,1987).
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