Child Sexual Abuse in India: Prevalence, Consequences and Barriers to Reporting

This paper examines the issue of child abuse and the barriers that prevent a victim from speaking out against sexual abuse as well as the prevalence of a plethora of policies, laws and legislations in society to protect the rights of children.

Running head: Sociology
Sociology
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

SOCIOLOGY 1
INTRODUCTION:
Every 15 minutes a child is sexually abused in India (Seth, 2015). According to reports,
between 2014 and 2015, the number of sexual abuse cases that was reported rose from 8.904 to
14.913 in India (Seth, 2015). Child abuse is a crisis and a major problem in India. Shockingly,
the perpetrators of child abuse are the relatives of a child and someone they know. Child abuse
can be defined as “the involvement of a child in sexual activity that she or he does not fully
comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to or for which the child is not developmentally
prepared and cannot give consent, or that violates the laws or social taboos of society ” (WHO,
2018). There are different ways or methods of sexual abuse such as fondling, physically touching
or exhibitionism, involving a child in prostitution or sexually explicit materials, and online
trafficking of children. This paper will examine the issue of child abuse and the barriers that
prevent a victim from speaking out against sexual abuse as well as the prevalence of a plethora
of policies, laws and legislations in society to protect the rights of children (Rees, Al‐Hussaini
and Maguire 2017).
DISCUSSION:
India has 40% of children in its population, yet India is ranked as the 6th most unsafe
country in the world for children (Sanghera 2017). Child sexual abuse is a pertinent human right
issue in India. Child sexual abuse causes actual harm to the health of a child, has a detrimental
effect on the development of a child and harms of dignity of a child in terms of a relationship of
trust, responsibility and power (Saini 2014). Sexual abuse entails a plethora of sexual activities
including fondling, inviting a child to touch one’s body parts or be touched in a manner that is
sexual in nature, exhibitionism, intercourse, involving a child in pornography and prostitution or

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the luring of children by online sexual predators (Sanghera 2017). Child sexual abuse has
extremely negative consequences on a child. Child marriages, that is prevalent in some parts of
India and is rooted in their culture also contributes to child abuse. Child abuse has a very
detrimental and a scarring effect on children. It scars them both physically and emotionally and
has a negative effect on the development and growth of a child. It causes psychiatric disorders,
which includes obsessive-compulsive disorders, depression and suicidal behaviours. The victims
of child sexual abuse also have a heightened risk for temperamental problems, lack trust in
others, lacks social skills, and has insecure relationships with parents. It also causes a plethora of
negative health behaviours, poor physical, social, and mental health outcomes during the lifespan
of a child. Child sexual abuse can also affect the neuro –biological systems (Choudhry et al.
2018). Children suffering from sexual abuse are more likely to grow up to be adults who indulge
in domestic violence, exhibit violent behaviour and sexual predators who commit the heinous
crime of sexual abuse (Seth 2015).
Increased attention on the prevalence of child abuse in India led the Government of India
to pass ‘The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences’ Act in 2012 (Subramaniyan et al.
2018). According to this Act, a person committing rape, harassment, exploiting a child for
pornography is punishable by law (Seth 2015). However, most unfortunately the pertinent issue
of child abuse is considered a taboo in India and is hushed up behind closed doors. It is
enveloped in secrecy and an aura of silence pervades the subject (Chowdhury 2018). The
children know most of the perpetrators who abuse them, with many of the perpetrators being
members of the family.
In the year 2007, the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare, which was supported by
‘Prayas’ and ‘Save the Children’ undertook a study to comprehend the magnitude of the problem

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of sexual Abuse in India, and found that 53.22% of children faced one or more than one forms of
sexual abuse. The study further showed that the number of boys who were sexually abused was
52.94% (Sanghera 2017). The reason why boys who are sexually abused remain silent is due to
patriarchy, which is forcing boys who are victims of child abuse to remain silent. Patriarchy
further acts a barrier for boys to reach out for psychiatric help. In addition to being sexually
abused, boys are also more likely to be physically abused. Children do not report instances of
sexual abuse because they are afraid of the repetition of the act and also fear that they will be
blamed for it. At time, some parents also falsely presume that being a boy, makes the child more
resilient (Sanghera 2017).
CONCLUSION:
One needs to protect children from sexual abuse and sexual predators. The reason why
children hardly report cases of sexual abuse is because of the hegemony of the patriarchal
system. Trained personnel who specialize in such cases should interview victims of child abuse.
Special courts need to be established to address the cases of child abuse. When a child is sexually
abused, he or she undergoes a lot of trauma, which needs to be properly addressed in order to
alleviate the trauma and reduce its scathing effects. One should impart sex education to children
and impart knowledge to them about their sexuality in order to prevent them from being victims
of child abuse. Parents should encourage open dialogue and discussion with the child and any
changes in behaviour should not be left unnoticed. It is essential that parents, teachers and
educators protect children so that they are able to lead happy, healthy and carefree lives without
being scarred physically, emotionally and mentally that results from child abuse.

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