User:Melissa monteiro99/sandbox

Violence against girls in schools in India

The Human Rights Watch (2013) has published reports of numerous cases of sexual harassment, molestation and abuse of girls in schools by school staff, teachers and even school watchmen. A national survey was conducted for children aged 5 to 18 years. Of the 5,987 girls and 6,460 boys, the report revealed that around 50% of the girls were victims of at least one form of physical, emotional or sexual violence. The UN Secretary-General interviewed students in India and found that 13.5% of girls had experienced molestation, rape or verbal harassment from their male peers. In Goa, a study conducted in 2001 revealed that one-third of girls studying in Std. 11 among the 811 students were subject to at least 1 form of sexual abuse in the past year.

Highlighted below are certain cases of sexual abuse and violence against girls in schools. Although sexual abuse against women is rampant in India, the fact that it is permeating into school spaces, which are meant to be secure spaces for children to grow, is heart-breaking.

On September 24, 2019, The Times of India reported the incident of sexual abuse that occurred in New Delhi, where a 5-year-old student was raped by a sweeper. This crime caused parents of 3 other young girls alleging that their children were abused by the same sweeper. The sweeper has been arrested for his crime. But the real question is whether schools conduct background checks before it hires individuals in the school.

In Maharashtra, 15 girls belonging to a residential hostel dedicated to educating tribal children reported having faced sexual abuse. They were drugged and sexually abused on multiple occasions. Similar cases of abuse have been reported from other residential schools in Maharashtra. This specific case was reported only when 2 of the 15 girls (between the ages of 8 and 13) were admitted into a hospital. Four people were arrested for this crime, however, the owner, who happens to be a local politician has been let off scot-free. 13 of the 15 girls tested positive for sexual abuse as well as drugs which indicate that the students were drugged and then sexually assaulted. Another report from 2016 into residential schools in Maharashtra revealed that nearly 1,500 students had died in these schools in recent times. In most of these cases, the cause of death was unrecorded or unknown. Accountability of residential schools must be higher as students can be threatened easily and are more vulnerable than day scholars.

In an attempt to curb the number of sexual abuse cases, the West Bengal government has stated that it will include courses on ‘bad touch’ and ‘good touch’ within the school curriculum beginning from the next academic year. The school education department is working alongside with Child Relief and You (CRY) and the CII (Confederation of Indian Industries) to complete the project. I think it is important for all cities in India and across the world to have courses on sexual education for all students. This will help them identify the indicators of sexual abuse so they can report it. It also helps future individuals to be sensitive to the rights of other genders and to see the human being in each one instead of objectifying them.

UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA). (2016). VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN IN EDUCATION SETTINGS IN SOUTH ASIA: A desk review April 2016. UNICEF.

Bullying and its Impact on Young Minds. (2018, August 31). Retrieved from Live Love Laugh Foundation: https://thelivelovelaughfoundation.org/bullying.html

Court case reveals shocking details of abuse in tribal residential schools in India. (2019, December 2). Retrieved from Survival International: https://www.survivalinternational.org/news/12284