Awareness, accessibility & transparency needed in the enforcement of child protection guidelines

by our Special Correspondent

The sexual harassment claims lodged against PSBB teacher G. Rajagopalan has inspired several students to come foward with their own grievances. The New Indian Express reports that the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) is making inquiries at three schools after receiving complaints from their respective students and alumni. The TN Minister of School Education Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi has also announced moves to establish a monitoring committee to regulate online classes and set up a student helpline to report harassment.

While these are undoubtedly steps in the right direction, it simply isn’t enough. Chennai’s chronic problem of child sexual abuse is arguably larger than a handful of schools or just the online teaching medium. A 2006 report titled ‘Research on prevalence and dynamics of child sexual abuse among school going children in Chennai’, jointly published by Save the Children Sweden and Tulir, says that of the 2,211 children surveyed in it’s study, 42 per cent reported sexual abuse in some form or the other. Also important is its observation, “…with regard to showing children pornography, is the very high percentage of individual and family acquaintances such as friends, neighbours, teachers, drivers and domestic help etc.” This report is, of course, a generic one. Curiously, even though children spend the bulk of their time at educational institutions, we don’t have enough vetted studies on the situation at schools and coaching classes. However, that is exactly what is needed to build an efficient, systematic framework to uphold child rights at teaching centres.

Some of the glaring lacunae in the existing system is clearly identifiable from the events that unfolded with the PSBB case. That the issue was brought to light through social media is one. Students contend that past complaints to the dean had gone unnoticed, even though the school released a statement that it has received no written complaint. Even assuming that the school has acted in good faith, this shows (a) unfamiliarity among students about the official process of registering such complaints if any, and (b) a mire of red tape loopholes, unjustifiable given the nature of the complaint. It is regrettable that it took a viral social media post to move on the student’s grievances – what about others who may not be equipped with privileged social platforms or influencer networks?

The second issue is the lack of transparency around acknowledging and investigating such a complaint. It is notable that the student whose message started it all had stated that she was trying to gather more information from others with similar experiences so that her group could embark on legal proceedings on their own. That the students were driven to take matters into their own hands points to weak support and communication systems within the school. The fact that the accused teacher had also held a post on the school’s sexual harassment committee is bitter irony, suggesting barriers to student communication and a dismissal of their concerns. It is safe to conclude that the school was simply not transparent about the receipt and investigation of past complaints.

The third issue is lack of awareness around child rights among children, adults and institutions alike. For instance, the law necessitates the reporting of sexual offences against children and failure to do so is a punishable offence – an important piece of information that empowers children and their guardians to demand redress, if only they knew of it. While child rights are enshrined in law, the regulatory framework to weed out offences is left to the adults in charge. It appears that not much effort has been put in to either learn about the law and recommended guidelines or seriously implement it. The lack of child participation in these matters is an issue as well – after all, these regulations exist to protect them. Children must be educated on their rights and channels of redress and given their due space to engage with their concerns.

Tamil Nadu has earmarked a budget for Child Protection Services. According to a Centre for Policy Research report, in FY 2018-19, Tamil Nadu, alongside West Bengal, had the highest percentage of such spending as a share of GoI releases. The state was also reported to have the highest number of Child Care Institutes (221) that offer ‘care, shelter and rehabilitation to both children in conflict with the law and children in need of care and protection.’ It is high time that the state takes on the auditing educational institutions across the spectrum in this regard, too. A narrow focus on a couple of schools or teachers risks trivializing the issue, leaving us with no long-term solution.

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