Violation of Child Rights at School: A Study on Corporal Punishment and Sexual Abuses with Special Reference to Juvenile Girl Under Pocso Act

Abstract

Corporal Punishment and Sexual Abuses are the two most significant risks faced by the children today at school or any institutions. These offences are the clear indication of violation of child rights. Both the offences create result in long term and short term harm including physical, social, psychological, mental effects which in later life it causes to depression, poor self-esteem, anxiety disorders, school dropout, suicide etc. Thus, the school is the one social institutions outside family where nearly all children have consistent, ongoing contact. The reports indicate that child sexual abuses and punishment are mostly done by people working in schools or teachers are highest in trend. However, the tragedy is not that the punishment and abuses took place under the hands of protection system but by the fact that schools often try to make silence over the matter. Therefore, there should be Children Protection Policy in school to safeguard children along with Child Welfare Committee to prevent and protect from harm. The sexual abuses mainly face by a girl child who is below 15-18 years of age. It is the girl who is victimized and requires special need and care. The researcher in this paper tries to understand the gaps in existing provisions of POCSO ACT 2012, JJACT 2015 AND RTE 2009 implementing to protect children from all forms of violence. Hence, the researcher carries out the work through descriptive study and also from secondary sources like internet.