The child (who is abused), at their tender age, are unable to find words to voice their experience. Child can be abused at various levels. Child abuse has become ubiquitous in every part of world and India is no exception to the same. To add-up one of the major difficulties in study child abuse is to get responses from children on such a sensitive subject because of their inability to fully understand the different dimensions of child abuse and talk about their experiences. A survey conducted had found and estimated that 40 million children between 0- 14years of age suffer from abuse or neglect and are in serious needof health and social care2. Child abuse or neglect has been defined as “Act, by parents or care taker or any stranger on a child resulting in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or that present an imminent risk of serious nature”.As to world health organization (WHO) child abuse can be formally divided in four parts:
- Physical abuse
(Inflicting bodily injuries like burning, hitting, kicking, beating etc.) - Sexual abuse
- (Fondling genitals, intercourse, incest, rape, sodomy, pornography etc.)
- Emotional abuse
- (Verbal abuse, mental abuse, psychological maltreatment, using derogatory terms, rejecting etc.)
- Neglect
- (Abandonment, not providing adequate food, cloths, education, protection, medicines or medical
- facilities etc.)
- As to Indian context definition of child abuse is “intentional, non- accidental injury, maltreatment of child by his parents ,caretaker, employers or others including Governmental or Non-Governmental bodies which may led to temporary or permanent impairing of their physical, mental, psycho-social development, disability or death”3
- Basically in India, most of the forms of child abuse can be blame on the harmful traditional practices like child marriages, caste system, discrimination against girl child, child Labour, devadasi etc…. many a times these traditions impacts negatively on child and increase their vulnerability to abuse and neglect. Apart from these traditions rise in poverty, lack of adequate nutrition, poor access to medical and educational facilities, breakdown of family, beggaring,etc.. Had increase their vulnerability and exploitation.
