I have been associated with Smile India Trust NGOs for the past few years.

The world is a wonderful place to live. It is the best present, which is given to humans. As a result, it is our responsibility to safeguard our planet’s elegance and honesty. Childhood is a fortunate aspect of both human life and the world.NGO Smile today is discussing about child abuse horrifying wound on these innocent heart.

Children are not only the hope for the future,  but also instrumental for maintaining our present happy status. These young minds are the source of betterment and newness in the world today and the time to come. Well, each one of us knows the value of children and respects their individuality.

However, few sick-minded peoples’ ill-treat children and take undue advantage of their credulity. They not only make these children work under unhealthy conditions, but also load them with hard work. It is looking at these dark truths of the society that governing bodies passed certain laws to protect children’s rights. These rights stand against any act that supports child abuse or affects mental or physical health.

Childhood is the most important stage of life. It has no concept of worry or anxiety, of good or evil. This is a period of both carelessness and pureness.

Ngo Smile, a foundation for children, is working on a holistic approach where the main focus is to provide care, help, and development for them.

NGO Smile: What is Child Abuse?

Child abuse is a criminal offense committed by those who are dissatisfied with their personal lives. A child’s exploitation is as severe as assassinating an individual since a child is naturally gentle, as well as any abuse he or she suffers in childhood leaves a permanent lasting impression on its mind.Our society is filled with despicable monsters, with the exception of one place where saints and happy people adore spreading the message of adoration and oneness.

Others are solely concerned with their own personal advantages. These really are self-centered individuals. One annoying offense done by money-hungry behemoths are involving small children in labour actions. They force these youngsters to work in mining areas, crackers, or building sites.

These people burgle such children of their innocence. Numerous individuals also coerce children into sexual, having to beg, or house cleaning activities. They rob kids of their innovation and naiveté and take control of their daily lives.

World Health Organization on Child Abuse

World Health Organization formed with the motive to protect vulnerable class divided child abuse in four types. Which we will discuss further in the article. Firstly, we will tell you about the definition of child maltreatments.

World Health Organization defines Child treatment, as “It is an abuse which children under the age of 18 years face. This has an adverse effect on health, survival, development, and dignity of a child.

World Health Organization defines Sexual Violence as  “Sexual violence is any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act, or other act directed against a person’s sexuality using coercion, by any person regardless of their relationship to the victim, in any setting. It includes rape, defined as the physically forced or otherwise coerced penetration of the vulva or anus with a penis, other body part, or object.”

World Health Organization defines Child Abuse as “the involvement of a child in sexual activity that he or she does not fully comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to, or for which the child is not developmentally prepared and cannot give consent, or that violates the laws or social taboos of society”.

Child Abuse a Major Problem in Modern Era

A significant issue is that the judicial framework somehow doesn’t adequately protect kids from any further harm by the abuser. WHO also usually released while its reported incident is put on trial. This is extremely serious whenever the child required to recognize the abuser. Child abuse creates a variety of issues for children. The child is at direct risk of being severely killed or injured. Most molested kids, even so, suffer more emotional damage than physical injury. Abuse victims have lower academic performance (and are also more likely to drop out) and increased rates of youth crime .

They are more likely to use drugs and alcohol and have associated issues, as well as have much increased rates of mental health issues such as depression, anxiousness, and thoughts of suicide. Child sexual abuse can have long-term physiological, cultural, and psychological consequences.

Types of Child Abuse Innocent Heart Face

Pounding, punching, or strangling is examples of physical abuse. For most territories, any act, which causes bodily harm to a child. It  considered child abuse and is punishable under the law. This could involve cuts and bruises, fires, a skeletal injury, a head trauma, or vital organ harm.

Slurs, snide remarks, and moniker are examples of psychological and emotional abuse. It also contains disregarding the kid or making threats against the child. Once children are eyewitness to “act of violence or neglect among grownups, this type of cruelty can occur concurrently with domestic abuse.

Another variation is threatening to harm or kill a child’s mother, siblings, or pets, as well as a parent threatening to kill him or herself.

Sexual abuse includes any sexual intercourse that a child cannot understand or consent to, such as pleasuring, oral-genital contact, sexual relations, exhibitionism, and pornographic exposure.

Neglect can include threatening to withhold basic needs (food, clothing, shelter) as well as social and emotional necessitates or medical services for the child.

The crime against children around the India is increasing in pace According to NCRB data the crime rate against increased to 16.2% during 2020-2021.  You can probably imagine how serious the problem is where only 1.5 lakhs cases registered all over India.  Delhi the capital of India has registered most criminal cases as Union Territory.

You can probably imagine how many such incident happen, which are not register with concerned authority due to parents so called izzat. This is the main reason crime against children is increasing day by day. 

Seeing this cruelty increasing against these innocent hearts Government of India formulated some law to protect them. Recently, the case of child abuse is talk of the town. Many actions taken to eradicate crime against children. 

Juvenile Justice Act (Care and Protection) 2015

Juvenile Justice Act 2015 repealed JJA 2000 after the massive outrage in the Nirbhaya case, which became the talk of the town around the globe. At the time, juveniles were a few months younger than 18 years old.

 In 2014, an act passed in which the Minister of Women and Child Development stated that 50% of juveniles deliberately participate in criminal activities, but they get rid of them due to the umbrella of the law, which now reduced to 16 years. If a child between the ages of 16 to 18 years commits a heinous crime, he or she considers an adult.

Another amendment made in 2021 where both heinous and non-heinous crimes. This will now fall under the same criteria.  Where the maximum sentence is 7 years and there are no criteria for the minimum sentence. Now NGO Smile will further, discuss the law that is there to protect children.

Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) 2012

The POCSO Act implemented to protect children from any sexual offence like harassment, assault, and pornography and this lead to formation of Special Courts for the trial.

India is the home of 444 million children the state’s protection of children, assuring  Indian citizens by an expanding reading of Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. It also require by India’s standing as a pledge to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Prior to the enactment of the POCSO Act, only one particular part of child abuse law was indeed the Goa Children’s Act of 2003.

As the law is made,  but there are many loopholes when it comes to protecting male children in IPC.

• IPC 354- The punishment in this is very law and it doesn’t protect the modesty of male children
• IPC 375- Which cover Rape it, doesn’t protect a male child or anyone except traditional penetration.

Ngo Smile founded to protect children holistic development and opportunity to grow. It  establishes  in 2017 to help children and working on our vision “A world where it should never hurt to be a child”.Though India’s law provides many ways to protect them in various ways.

For any kind of guidance or support, you can write us at [email protected]. Visit our website to understand our work in detail. Click on https://smileindiatrust.org/ to know more about us. Follow us on various social media platforms. We are available on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter