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NEW
DELHI: Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Chowdhury
said today that she was holding discussions with the National
Commission for Protection of Child Rights with regard to recommendations
relatihng to the media in the 'Study on Child Abuse: India
2007' prepared by her Ministry.
Mrs
Chowdhury told indiantelevision.com on the sidelines of a
conference with school principals in the wake of recent incidents
of child violence in schools, she said that she would pursue
the matter with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry
after she has finished deliberations with the NCPCR.
The
Minister appreciated the fact that indiantelevision.com had
been the only medium to have highlighted the recommendations
relating to the behaviour of the media, particularly the news
channels reporting cases of child abuse.
Agreeing
that the recent cases of child violence including that of
a Gurgaon shooting dead another child with his father's gun
could have been the result of excessive scenes of violence
in Indian films and television, she said her Ministry would
shortly hold discussions with the Central Board of Film Certification
in this regard.
Earlier
addressing the principals and educationists, she said that
she was considering a proposal for an online site for sex
education. She said the aim was not to teach children about
the sex act, but to make them aware of what constituted sexual
abuse, and to explain the biology of the human body.
She
said there had been a spurt in teen pregnancies only because
of lack of correct information.
She
said children should be seen by the teachers at the putty
which they can mould to turn out masterpieces.
Dr
Loveleen Kacker, Joint Secretary (Child Welfare) under whose
guidance the study had been conducted said it was clear that
the recent cases were the result of depiction of violence
and sex on television and on the internet. However, she said
that the Internet was a great tool for education if handled
properly.
The
study presented in April 2007 had stressed the necessity of
avoiding disclosure in the media of the name of a child who
is victim of abuse to prevent trauma or re-victimization.
The study, which revealed that almost every second child in
the country is being subjected to some kind of emotional or
sexual abuse, recommended that the Information and Broadcasting
Ministry and media self-regulatory authorities should take
necessary action to develop ethical standards for the media
and implement them.
The researchers have said that while media coverage of child
protection issues was desirable, it is essential that the
coverage is done in such a way that it prescribes to high
ethical standards of reporting, such as avoiding disclosure
of the identity of the child victim. It is also essential
to obtain informed consent of the child in cases of reporting.
All these measures will protect the child from the stigma
attached to the abuse and prevent sensationalization of the
issue, the study says.
At the same time, the study points out that the media should
be used to spread awareness on child rights. Debates and discussions
with participation of children can be a regular feature on
the electronic media in order to enhance people’s knowledge
and sensitivity on child protection issues.
The study has also prescribed Ethical Guidelines for research
which clearly state that children should only be interviewed
in the presence of a friend or in groups. At the same time,
children who have been victims of abuse should not be repeatedly
interviewed by journalists, researchers, police, medical staff,
psychologists etc.
The report also says that children should not be asked leading
questions and has given a list of typical questions that journalists
or researchers generally ask, pointing out the proper manner
of phrasing these questions to cause the least trauma to the
children.
The voluminous report revealed that two out of every three
children were physically abused, and 53.22 per cent of the
children interviewed for the study reported having faces some
kind of sexual abuse.
Every second child reported facing emotional abuse and 48.4
per cent of the girls wished they were boys. About 65 per
cent of the children reported corporal punishment, 62 per
cent in municipal or government schools. More than half the
children reported they had been forced to work seven days
a week.
A total of 12,447 children, 2324 young adults and 2449 stakeholders
were interviewed in thirteen sample states for the study,
conducted by a team headed by Dr Kacker under the overall
jurisdiction of Ministry secretary Mrs Deepa Jain Singh.
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