By IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, 26 Feb 2015: UNICEF and the Indian Medical Association (IMA) have joined hands to strengthen the response of medical practitioners in identifying, reporting and treating cases of child sexual abuse (CSA).
Announcing the special partnership here on Wednesday, UNICEF India and the IMA said that they will equip medical practitioners with a detailed understanding of diverse facets of child sexual abuse (CSA), along with relevant legal provisions. Medical practitioners are often the first point of contact in a child sexual abuse case, and are required to take prompt action to ensure immediate and effective treatment of the child.
CSA is a widespread phenomenon and can cause lifelong consequences on the physical and mental health of a child. In India, 4.5% of girls aged 15-19 have been subjected to sexual abuse. Boys are also exposed to sexual violence but usually to a less extent.
In 2012, India adopted the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, a comprehensive law which defines a child as any person below the age of 18. The Act applies to all cases of sexual assault on a child. It defines sexual offences as penetrative sexual assault (Section 3), (non-penetrative) sexual assault (Section 7), sexual harassment (Section 11) and use of a child for pornography (Section 13).
Addressing a press conference David McLoughlin, UNICEF India Deputy Representative, said, “Violence against children is all too often unseen, unheard and underreported. This partnership with the medical fraternity of the country will play a key role in strengthening the care for child survivors and in bringing new ideas and expertise to support our mission in generating awareness among medical and allied professionals”.
“Medical professionals have a critical role to play in the prevention, detection and response to sexual offences against children. They are often the first point of contact who come across a child abuse case and are required to take prompt action to ensure immediate and effective treatment of the child,” said Padma Shri Awardee Dr A Marthanda Pillai National President and Padma Shri Awardee Dr KK Aggarwal, Honorary Secretary General IMA in a joint statement.
On the occasion, a video capturing voices of UNICEF celebrity Ambassadors and advocates was screened.
Launched by UNICEF as a global initiative, the ‘End Violence against Children’ campaign builds on the growing consensus that violence against children can no longer be tolerated and that serious attention and collective action are required to reduce violence against children.
