As the increasing cases of sexual abuse in schools set alarm bells in the country, the HRD Ministry is in talks with the NGOs and other civil society groups to chalk out a strategy for dealing with cases of child sexual abuse at school level. The move comes following the alleged sexual assault of a four-year-old girl in a prominent Delhi school by a classmate.
“There are several rules and guidelines in place but still several cases are reported where children are sexually abused. This issue needs to be tackled beyond the usual good touch-bad touch lessons,” a senior HRD Ministry official said.
“Discussions have been initiated with several NGOs and civil society groups and we hope to have some suggestions soon to see how the problem can be addressed at the school level,” the official added.
The role of school authorities has come under scanner where last week a girl’s mother had approached the police and alleged that her daughter was “inappropriately touched” by a classmate. According to the mother, when the girl returned from school she complained of pain in her private parts. She was taken to a hospital where doctors confirmed sexual assault.
Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister Maneka Gandhi and her counterpart in HRD Ministry Prakash Javadekar has held high-level meetings to develop a protocol for educational institutions to ensure safety of students following incidents of child sexual abuse in schools. Officials of the WCD, HRD as well as representative of the National Commission of Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), CBSE, NCERT, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan have been asked to coordinate at frequent intervals.
The decision comes against the backdrop of the murder of a Class II student inside Ryan International School in Gurgaon for allegedly resisting sexual assault and the rape of a five-year-old girl in a private school in Shahdara.
The two Ministries together will develop a set of guidelines and protocols for schools to ensure that children are “protected from any kind of abuse or physical and mental harm,” a HRD spokesperson said.
Further, to strengthen the security apparatus of the schools, the Central Industrial Security Forces CISF has written to the schools in the country offering professional consultation and advice on security measures.
“Safety of school going children was a matter of paramount concern in the country. It is important to note that the central force has only offered advice and would not extend its services to providing security forces to the school,” HRD Ministry official confirmed.