EPIDEMIOLOGY, SOCIO-LEGAL DIMENSIONS, AND POLICY RESPONSES TO CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IN INDIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i4.2024.4927Keywords:
Child Sexual Abuse, Epidemiology, Socio-Legal Framework, Policy Responses, Pocso Act, Victim ProtectionAbstract [English]
Child sexual abuse (CSA) is widespread in India, which poses a critical public health concern of profound epidemiological, socio-legal, and policy relevance. The exorbitantly high rates of prevalence of CSA have been reported to range around 48% for boys and 39% for girls in some of the southern states of India. Yet, the reported incidence could be lower than the actual due to existing societal stigmas, poor awareness, and cultural taboos about sexuality. The findings of this study confirm that risk factors for abuse tend to overlap with socio-economic factors, family relationships, and community organization, highlighting the complex nature of CSA as shaped by patriarchal societal norms and power relations. Combating the epidemic of CSA in India needs to be addressed by an organized effort involving effective legal frameworks, public awareness, community engagement, and ongoing reforms to facilitate successful prevention and rehabilitation. Gap-filling between awareness, removal of socio-cultural stigmas, and introducing effective training programs among the police and judiciary personnel is a crucial step towards eliminating CSA and creating a safe environment for children
References
Abbas, S. (2021). Child sexual abuse in Pakistan: evidence-informed policy framework. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-418887/v1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-418887/v1
Aswadi, A., Suriah, S., Stang, S., Jafar, N., Ibrahim, E., Amiruddin, R., & Syahrir, S. (2022). Edutainment as a strategy of child sexual abuse prevention: literatur review. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 10(F), 141-145. https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2022.7670 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2022.7670
Bailey, C., Powell, M., & Brubacher, S. (2017). The attrition of indigenous and non-indigenous child sexual abuse cases in two Australian jurisdictions. Psychology Public Policy and Law, 23(2), 178-190. https://doi.org/10.1037/law0000119 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/law0000119
Barth, J., Bermetz, L., Heim, E., Trelle, S., & Tonia, T. (2012). The current prevalence of child sexual abuse worldwide: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Public Health, 58(3), 469-483. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-012-0426-1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-012-0426-1
Belur, J. and Singh, B. (2015). Child sexual abuse and the law in India: a commentary. Crime Science, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40163-015-0037-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40163-015-0037-2
Boakye, K. (2009). Culture and nondisclosure of child sexual abuse in ghana: a theoretical and empirical exploration. Law & Social Inquiry, 34(04), 951-979. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-4469.2009.01170.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-4469.2009.01170.x
Chiabi, A., Sama, J., Meten, E., Tchouamou, A., Nolna, S., Dongmo, F., … & Mbu, R. (2021). The epidemiological and clinical profile of sexually abused children: a hospital-based study. Asp J Pediatrics Child Health, 3(1), 33-39. https://doi.org/10.36502/2021/asjpch.6166 DOI: https://doi.org/10.36502/2021/asjpch.6166
Choudhry, V., Dayal, R., Pillai, D., Kalokhe, A., Beier, K., & Patel, V. (2018). Child sexual abuse in india: a systematic review. Plos One, 13(10), e0205086. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0205086 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0205086
David, N., Ezechi, O., Wapmuk, A., Gbaja‐Biamila, T., Ohihoin, A., Herbertson, E., … & Odeyemi, K. (2018). Child sexual abuse and disclosure in south western nigeria: a community based study. African Health Sciences, 18(2). https://doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v18i2.2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v18i2.2
Deb, S. and Mukherjee, A. (2011). Background and adjustment capacity of sexually abused girls and their perceptions of intervention. Child Abuse Review, 20(3), 213-230. https://doi.org/10.1002/car.1153 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/car.1153
Fernandes, G., Fernandes, M., Vaidya, N., Souza, P., Plotnikova, E., Geddes, R., … & Choudhry, V. (2021). Prevalence of child maltreatment in india and its association with gender, urbanisation and policy: a rapid review and meta-analysis protocol. BMJ Open, 11(8), e044983. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044983 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044983
Haroon, A. and Ali, K. (2024). Assessment of knowledge and attitude about pocso act among medical interns: a questionnaire based study. Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, 18(2), 5-8. https://doi.org/10.37506/hvpzys06 DOI: https://doi.org/10.37506/hvpzys06
Kumar, B., Prasad, I., Priyambda, P., & Goel, N. (2022). Child sexual abuse laws in india; failure of implementation – a case report. Medico-Legal Journal, 90(4), 234-237. https://doi.org/10.1177/00258172221114991 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00258172221114991
Maity, S. and Chakraborty, P. (2023). Implications of the pocso act and determinants of child sexual abuse in india: insights at the state level. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-022-01469-x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-022-01469-x
Manyike, P., Chinawa, J., Aniwada, E., Patricia, U., Eke, C., & Chinawa, T. (2015). Impact of parental sex education on child sexual abuse among adolescents. Nigerian Journal of Paediatrics, 42(4), 325. https://doi.org/10.4314/njp.v42i4.8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/njp.v42i4.8
Ojha, R. (2021). A study to assess the knowledge regarding sexual abuse among school-going children. Indian Journal of Youth and Adolescent Health, 8(4), 28-30. https://doi.org/10.24321/2349.2880.202117 DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/2349.2880.202117
Pittenger, S., Pogue, J., & Hansen, D. (2017). Predicting sexual revictimization in childhood and adolescence: a longitudinal examination using ecological systems theory. Child Maltreatment, 23(2), 137-146. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559517733813 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559517733813
Seth, R. and Greenbaum, J. (2023). The behavioral health sector response to child sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking: a call to action. Journal of Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 19(3), 258-262. https://doi.org/10.1177/09731342231220479 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09731342231220479
Shafe, S. and Hutchinson, G. (2014). Continuous influence of cultural practices and sexual abuse: a review. West Indian Medical Journal. https://doi.org/10.7727/wimj.2013.246 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7727/wimj.2013.246
Shirley, S. and Kumar, S. (2019). Awareness and attitude of mothers of primary school children towards child sexual abuse in tamil nadu, india. International Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics, 7(1), 191. https://doi.org/10.18203/2349-3291.ijcp20195752 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18203/2349-3291.ijcp20195752
Shukla, S., Tiwari, P., Datta, A., Agaarwal, S., Goswami, D., & Galoria, D. (2024). Legal complexities of adolescent relationships: a study of protection of child sexual offense cases in india. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.60475 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.60475
Silva, W., Ribeiro, F., Guimarães, G., Santos, M., Almeida, V., & Barroso-Júnior, U. (2018). Factors associated with child sexual abuse confirmation at forensic examinations. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, 23(2), 599-606. https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232018232.04932016 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232018232.04932016
Singh, A., Rani, A., Menon, P., Rani, A., Thennarasu, K., & Jaisoorya, T. (2022). Lifetime child sexual abuse assessed at age 18. Industrial Psychiatry Journal, 31(1), 172-176. https://doi.org/10.4103/ipj.ipj_201_20 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/ipj.ipj_201_20
Thi, A., Zimmerman, C., Pocock, N., Chan, C., & Ranganathan, M. (2021). Child domestic work, violence, and health outcomes: a rapid systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(1), 427. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010427 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010427
Tyagi, U., Chougule, V., Devanna, R., Anand, R., Alessa, N., Jain, A., & Wadhwan, V. (2024). Knowledge and awareness of child sexual abuse related to pocso (protection of children from sexual offences) act among medical and dental professionals in India: a cross-sectional study. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 13(11), 4880-4884. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_430_24 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_430_24
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Vidya V V, Dr. B Venugopal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
With the licence CC-BY, authors retain the copyright, allowing anyone to download, reuse, re-print, modify, distribute, and/or copy their contribution. The work must be properly attributed to its author.
It is not necessary to ask for further permission from the author or journal board.
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
