Monster house: A grim, feary tale
KOCHI: A look into the media reports from the past couple of weeks unfolds a sordid story of shame. Three kids lost their lives following domestic abuse in the state, in just over a month’s time and the spate of this kind of incidents has become a blot on the face of Kerala which enjoys a top position in social development indices and child empowerment initiatives.
The latest in this series was in Alappuzha where a one-and-a-half-year-old was killed by her mother. In the last week of March, a seven-year-old boy lost his life after being tortured by his mother’s partner in Thodupuzha, and earlier this month, a 3-year-old boy died in Aluva after being allegedly tortured by his parents who are migrant labourers.
As per the figures available with Childline authorities, the Ernakulam centre itself reports more than 150 cases related to atrocities against children every month.
Figures with the Kerala Police show a spurt in the incidence of crimes against children during the last decade in the state. A comparison of data indicates that 549 offences against children under all categories were recorded in 2008, while the number shot up to 4,008 in 2018. In 2017, the number of cases was 3,543 and 2,881 in 2016. This includes both serious and other offences.
According to social activists, there is a slew of reasons behind the rise in atrocities against children, including social and economic issues. “Drug abuse among the parents and relatives is a major reason. The Thodupuzha incident is the best example of this. Last week, we received a call via our helpline number from two children who were brutally assaulted by their father under the influence of liquor. The father, a drunkard, used to assault the kids every night. They had undergone treatment in hospital for a week as their injuries were serious,” said Abhilash T A, Childline Ernakulam District Centre co-ordinator.
According to him, the case of migrant workers is different as they are unaware of child rights.
“As this is not an organised crime, the identification of it is a difficult task. We have to enhance our grass-root level mechanism to identify the children surviving in these circumstances,” said Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights member Nazeer Chaliyam. Officials are citing the spurt is due to increased reporting of crimes because of better awareness. “It could not be said the crimes against children are increasing in the state.
Unlike previous years, more cases are being reported and discussed widely now, hence the cases have shot up,” said Kerala State Commission For Protection Of Child Rights chairperson P Suresh.
K S Arun Kumar, vice-president of Ernakulam District Child Welfare Committee, also echoed the same view. “There is a feeling that authorities intervene effectively in cruelty against children and hence many come up with complaints,” he said. According to him, the cases of torture by relatives are being reported from all classes of society dismissing that this kind of instances is occurring in the section belonging to the poor economic background.