As cases of suicide and schoolchildren going missing rise in city, activists say counselling and proper parenting need of hour
As cases of suicide and schoolchildren going missing rise in city, activists say counselling and proper parenting need of houru00a0
With the number of crimes against adolescents on a rise, addressing the issues related to victim as well the accused, who in this case happen to be children, is becoming a serious concern for parents, teachers and activists working in the field of child rights.
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Recent incidents of suicides of two school kids after they were scolded for their misbehaviour, lack of counselling of victims of sodomy and witnesses refusing to come forward to help rape victims indicate lack of knowledge.
"When juvenile crimes happen, the matter should be looked into seriously. It is beyond the scope of regular policing to handle issues of adolescence," says Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone IV) Sanjay Jadhav. "I am apprehensive about my 12-year-old son when he is glued to the laptop surfing different websites on the Internet. Proper parenting is needed in this age," DCP Jadhav says.
"Policemen need to be trained about adolescent issues and to deal with children who are victims or accused.
"The police are an important component of the society who deal with several issues including child abuse.
Although senior officers are quite sensitive to issues related to children, lower rank officers and constabulary need regular orientation and training," says Anuradha Sahasrabuddhe, Juvenile Justice Board member and Chairperson of Dnyandevi Childline. "Children are sexually active at an early stage. Children from urban areas are not getting enough attention from their parents. Sex education, seen as a one-time activity in schools, is imparted improperly. We have been demanding to increase the number of counsellors in schools, but it is far from done," she added.
CWC member Jaywant Sarode said, "Addiction of whiteners, petrol and other tobacco products is a result of children imitating adults."
Case studies
Chetan Bhalerao (16), a standard X student of the Nutan Madhyamik Vidyalaya in Keshavnagar was allegedly beaten up by his school principal Gorakh Bhong (44) and teachers Yunus Shaikh (41) and Manoj Gaikwad (34) because they suspected him of having a relationship with a female schoolmate. Chetan committed suicide by throwing himself in front of a speeding train at Mundhwa late on Dec 7 night and his body was found on the tracks by the government railway police the next morning. The principal and the two teachers were arrested along with the girl's uncle after Chetan's father, Sunil, lodged a complaint against them.
u00a0A 12-year-old Dinesh Shinde, who was studying in class VII of the same school went missing and was later found dead under suspicious conditions on the railway track in Mundhwa. He succumbed to his injuries on Saturday.
Krishna Vitthal Gorad (16), studying in class 10 at the Nutan Madhyamik Vidyalaya in Keshav Nagar at Mundhwa, has gone missing since January 1. Krishna is the third child missing from the same school.
An eight-year-old boy was sodomised in December. He underwent surgery at Sassoon hospital, but he was not given proper counselling.
Nimrao Mane, an eyewitness in the rape of an eight-year-old girl, was beaten up in Yamuna Nagar of Nigdi allegedly by some women activists of Shiv Sena and neighbours and relatives of the victim after he refused to come forward to give statement against the accused in September 2010.
(With inputs from M Pavitra)
