Karnataka stands eighth among the states with highest number of crimes against children, shows data from NCRB.
The importance of a child-friendly atmosphere in courts and raising awareness about child rights were the focus of a workshop on child rights.
Child labor, sexual abuse, and other offences against children still lack attention. The government needs to promote better rights for children, Nagasimha G Rao, Director of Child Right Trust at the ‘State Level Workshop on Child Centric Rights for Para Legal Volunteers (PLVs) said.
He was speaking at a the two-day workshop whose focus was ‘All children voices to be heard.’
The workshop was organised by Karnataka State Legal Service Authority (KSLA) in collaboration with Children of India Foundation and Vidhyaniketan, Bangalore.
The workshop focused on providing inputs about child-related laws to PLVs. Topics covered at the workshop will include child rights, the Child Marriage Act and the Devadasis (Prohibition of Dedication) Act. POCSO Act, cyber safety and an action plan to the PLVs will also be discussed.
Mr. Jaishankar, Member Secretary of Karnataka State Legal Services Authority emphasised the importance of fostering a child-friendly atmosphere in courts. He discussed the Victim Compensation Scheme 2011, the increasing incidents of child abuse and POCSO cases and the necessity of raising awareness about child rights among the general public.
Crimes against children have seen a major surge in Karnataka, placing it at the eighth position among the states with highest number of crimes against children. According to data from National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the number of cases of crimes against children increased from 7261 in 2021 to 7988 in 2022 in the state. In the country, 1.62 lakh cases have been registered.
“Children are often considered as weak and meagre and are often exploited,” said Venkatesh, the coordinator of the workshop and Advocacy Coordinator of Child Right Trust.
Mr. Rao raised concern over the lack of awareness about child safety in the society. “The Government of India ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in December 1992. If we analyse the situation of children in the past 31 years it shows little improvement. Child-related concerns, including child labor, child marriage, child migration, sexual abuse, and child abuse, continue to lack the necessary attention and importance in society,” he said.
Further he mentioned the need for advocacy from the government on child issues. “Children make 41 per cent of the country’s population and when we analyse the budget we can find that when Rs.100 is spent on adults only Rs. 30 is spent on children,” Rao commented.
Ezekil, Programme Manager at Children of India said, “Awareness of the punishments and consequences of committing a crime against children has to be made in order to reduce crime against children.”
Aman Kulkarna, a PLV from Bijapur, said that many children now use social media to voice out their concerns and to bring out many crime incidents against them.
However, Nagasimha said that the reporting of cases of crime against children is still minimal. Many people being unaware of the legal proceedings refrain from filing complains. “Now-a-days POCSO cases are coming to light with the confidentiality in their proceedings and the efficient working of helpline numbers.”
NCRB data shows that out of the total number of FIRs related to crimes against children in the Karnataka in 2022, the highest were under the POCSO Act at 3155, followed by kidnapping and abduction. A total of 215 cases were registered under Prohibition of Child Marriage Act in 2022.
