VISAKHAPATNAM: Child abuse cases continue to be reported in the district especially from rural and tribal areas. Children under trauma are dropping out from school. Six cases were reported last month.
According to officials of One Stop Centre, there are many traumatised children who are scared to inform their parents and shun school.

In a recent incident, a schoolgirl, who was abused by a known person, did not inform her mother until the latter came to know that her daughter was pregnant. Her mother took her to KGH for abortion. Doctors at KGH referred the girl to the One Stop Centre for counselling and filing a case against the accused. This is only the tip of the iceberg. There are many cases of children not informing their parents about abuse out of fear. Some of the parents do not want their children to get into trouble.

According to the One Stop Centre statistics, most of the abused girls are in the 14-15 age group and the culprits are family members, neighbours or unknown persons who resort to the crime while their victims travel from school to home.    

“In many cases, psychologically depressed children do not want to go to school. Besides, parents are not aware of compensation, filing cases and shelter homes. They stop their children from going to school. But, after counselling, we ask parents to join their children in government hostels and file a case against the accused for compensation,” said Padmavathi, administrator of the One Stop Centre.

Though the number of cases reported is less, many cases go unreported for fear of social stigma.