Increasing number of cases of child abuse in the city have prompted the paediatric department of the state-run JJ Hospital to start the Child Rights Protection Cell.
Will help abuse victims cope with trauma with legal, medical and emotional support
MUMBAI: Increasing number of cases of child abuse in the city have prompted the paediatric department of the state-run JJ Hospital to start the Child Rights Protection Cell, the second in the city, to help victims cope with emotional, physical or sexual trauma.
The cell, expected to be operational by January-end, will provide medical help and counselling to the abused and if required, to the abuser. Medico-legal services will also be extended to the child and the family.
According to a National Human Rights Commission report released in November, 2007, India has witnessed a four per cent increase in crimes against children below 18. Cases of child rape have gone up by 14 per cent over the past one year.
“An abused child, who is already traumatised, first comes in contact with either doctors or the police,” said Dr Sandhya Khadse, head, paediatric department at JJ Hospital. Members of the cell will comprise heads of the forensic, psychiatry, surgical, obstetrics and gynaecology departments, a lawyer and a policeman.
“The cell will have investigative powers and if required, may initiate legal proceedings against the abuser,” said Khadse. Doctors will be trained to detect suspicious cases and forward them to the cell. The cell also plans to make private practioners in the city aware of child abuse and refer such cases to the cell.
A similar cell is functioning at the BMC-run Nair Hospital’s forensic department since July, 2006. Apart from looking after abuse cases, it also conducts age determination tests for street children. “We have handled more than 50 cases till date. There is an urgent need for more such centres,” said Dr Shailesh Mohite, head, forensic medicine at the Nair Hospital. His department has made a proposal to the BMC about the requirement of such centres in the western suburbs. “Hospitals like Cooper or Bhagwati can house a child protection cell,” he added.
A recent, multi-disciplinary National Research on Child Abuse revealed that a startling 88.6 per cent cases of child abuse are by parents, 62 per cent in the form of corporal punishment in schools and 53.22 per cent is sexual abuse.
Doctors recommend that children should be taught in schools to differentiate between ‘good touch’ and ‘bad touch’. “In India, parents do not talk to children about sex or related issues. This is largely responsible for children being abused by their family members,” said Mohite.
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