Convention of Schools Against
Child Sexual Abuse
On
12th November 2016, Principals, counselors and senior teachers from
various schools from Delhi NCR region gathered at IIT Delhi, to get more informed
about the guidelines set by the Delhi government to avoid cases of sexual child
abuse and exploitation in schools. The six hour meet had eminent speakers like
Dr. Amit Sen, Founder of Childrens First, Ms. Michelle, an eminent lawyer who
specializes in child abuse cases, Principal of Sun Beam School, Ghaziabad and a
member of Delhi Commission for
Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR).
Delhi Commission for Protection
of Child Rights
(DCPCR) took upon itself the task of formulating the guidelines which focus on
child abuse of various forms. The POSCO Act of 2012 was discussed at length and
also the new E Box, through which a child can directly file a case against an
abuser without the hassle of the middle man. The DCPCR guidelines that were
discussed at length in the meet included proper guidelines that the schools
should follow on transport facilities, picnic and trips, online safety and also
to establish a feedback system. The meet was also designed to help schools
better understand their legal responsibilities to report suspected child abuse
and neglect and to assist them in understanding the child protective services
for the initial assessment process in a better way.
A
lot of enthusiastic teachers also questioned if there was any safeguard
provided for the teachers who deal with the children? Many cases of incest were
also presented and discussed how to deal with them and how limited is the
school’s role in such cases. Cases that were cited as examples made the
presentation more meaningful and influential.
Signs
and indicators of child neglect were also discussed in detail by Dr. Sen, an
eminent psychiatrist. A few of the indicators that were mentioned were- missing
a specific subject class, bunking school or crave attention by conduction of
negative attention seeking behaviour and physical abuse would include body
burns or marks from electric cords. Therefore certain guidelines are introduced
to help schools understand physical sexual and emotional abuse.
The
meet concluded with tea and a promise to stay in touch and spread awareness.