All children have right to protection from abuse, neglect, violence and exploitation. Physical and humiliating punishments, neglect, torture, forced labour, forced prostitution, child marriage, trafficking, involuntary servitude, sexual abuse and exploitation are the commonly prevalent forms of violence.
These right’s are enshrined in UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) ratified by all South Asian countries. Most countries have developed a national plan of action and formulated laws and policies to protect children, however, the implementation remains weak. In the absence of policy guide, adequate referral system, efficient investigation and monitoring mechanism, and public awareness violence against children is often underreported and true magnitude of the problem underestimated.
Significant achievements have been made over the last decades in child survival and access to basic education yet more children are poorer today than a couple of years ago. In Nepal 41%, Bangladesh 27%, Afghanistan 24%, Pakistan 14% and India 11% of the total 10-14 age group are involved in child labour indicating the level of economic and educational deprivation. Economic disadvantage, political marginalisation and social exclusion aggravated by gender, disability, caste, ethnicity, age, and the inherent vulnerability of children traps them into the cycle of poverty, violence, oppression and exploitation.
Despite its wide prevalence, violence against children remains hidden and is accepted in society. There are many places in the region where guilt, stigma and shame are the reasons why violence is under reported. Family ‘honour’ is placed above the safety and well-being of children, particularly in cases of rape or other forms of sexual violence. Children are often afraid to voice out instances of sexual abuse fearing disbelief and retribution. The perpetrators of violence are usually persons in positions of trust and authority including parents, family members, teachers, caretakers and law enforcement authorities making any action difficult.
Physical and psychological abuse and punishment
Physical and other cruel and degrading forms of punishment are the most common form of violence experienced by boys and girls. Such violence is widely prevalent in the home, school, institution and religious settings. In India 65% of children in 15-18 age group reported being beaten at school. In Afghanistan, 82 % of children interviewed reported being slapped, kicked and caned in their schools. In Nepal 54% of school dropouts can be attributed to fear of teachers. The widespread legal acceptance of physical and other cruel and degrading punishment represents the low status given to children in the judicial system and in society. While adults, are protected by law from violence and assault, children are lawfully assaulted and humiliated daily in the name of punishment and “discipline”. The UN Study indicates that violence is quite prevalent in institutions including police stations and security facilities, remand centres, penal institutions and residential homes for vulnerable children.
Sexual Abuse
The most hidden and under reported form of violence against girls and boys is sexual abuse. Sexual abuse very often happens in the home or in the community and is often perpetrated by someone familiar to the child. It is seldom reported because of a lack of child protection standards and services, awareness in the community and because of the stigma attached to sexual abuse. Girls in particular are afraid of being blamed, labelled, or ostracized. Many more boys than was previously assumed are also sexually abused. When reporting these crimes, boys also face shame, stigma and labelling.
Exploitation
Economic and sexual exploitation of children has increased many folds in the region. Millions of children in the region are forced to work with or without minimum payment and are often engaged in worst forms of labour. They are at risk of physical, psychological and sexual abuse and violence. There has been a rise on commercial sexual exploitation of children including child prostitution, sex tourism, child pornography, internet pornography and trafficking. The victims of physical (sexual) violence are also at high risk of HIV, hepatitis, STDs/STIs. Trafficked children end up in prostitution, bonded labour and other forms of hazardous works. Estimates suggest that there are more than 2 million women in commercial sex work in South Asia and 25 % of them are believed to be children. Children without birth registration and identity proof are trafficked and tracing them becomes extremely difficult.
Harmful Traditional Practices
Many countries in the region still have many traditional practices that are harmful to children’s mental growth and health. Honour killing, bondage, female genital mutilation, early and forced marriage, abduction, dowry related abuse and violence, acid throwing, cleansing and initiation abuses and using young girls as sex slaves for priests/pilgrims are examples of very harmful traditional practices. Communities may socially sanction these practices even when the country’s national laws prohibit them.
Street Children
The UN has estimated that there are 25 million street children in Asia. Poverty, family disintegration due to death, neglect, abuse or abandonment and social unrest are all common triggers for a child’s life on the streets. Street children for whom street, unoccupied dwellings and wastelands have become homes or source of livelihood are inadequately protected or supervised by responsible adults. These children are also exposed to prostitution, drug abuse, and underworld crime as they struggle to survive amidst fear and violence. Children’s life on the street is characterised by discrimination and stigma, as well as problems of harassment which includes illegal detention or being detained on false charges, beating and torture.
Protecting children Online
With the mushrooming of net-cafes in the region child protection/rights organizations have voiced their concerns that children are being exposed to different kinds of abusers such as paedophiles, pornographers and child traffickers who may not easily be traced. Social interaction in cyberspace can have an influence on the perceptive and developing minds of children and young people.