Article Source : Herald, Goa

Author : Herald, Goa

Date of Issue : May 5 2006

Title of Article : Towards a children friendly Goan society

Details : Those who attended the session of Dr Harendra de Silva sponsored by Children's Rights Goa (CRG), were impressed by the range of his knowledge and enriched by the breadth of his experience. Little wonder then that he has received a galaxy of awards from all over the world for his work.

The genesis of his meteoric rise from an ordinary pediatrician from Galle in southern Sri Lanka to an international figure was inspiring. As a pediatrician he encountered two cases of physical violence on children. Unlike most other doctors, he was not content with treating the symptoms but searched for the causes of such abhorrent behavior of parents on their own children. He soon realized that he had stumbled on, what he calls, "the iceberg phenomenon of child abuse."

The iceberg phenomenon of child abuse.

He describes this phenomenon under two aspects of  'Apparent'  Abuse and 'Hidden' Abuse. "Child Abuse in society has been endemic for generations and is a hidden phenomenon with only a small percentage being apparent." The most obvious cases 'seen'  by society and authorities are the complaints and detection of horrific incidents, by concerned adults. These cases could be denied, or are often dismissed by adults as children's "imagination or fantasy."

But 'hidden' child abuse manifests itself indirectly, usually by violent behavior towards others, refusal to attend school, depression, suicidal tendencies, substance abuse,conflict with the law, overt sexual behavior. They are therefore not recognized as symptoms of child abuse. Other indications are complaints such as abdominal pains or bad dreams. The greatest abuse that occurs in society is not recognized, but actually condoned e.g. corporal punishment with or without injury, child labor, sexual molestation of children and child marriages.

Child sexual abuse reveals the same iceberg phenomenon. It is revealed, as in Goa and Sri Lanka as foreign tourists abusers of children called pedophiles. But what is emerging from below the surface is the increasing number of local sexual abusers of children. These are often male or female caregivers or someone close to the family like a cousin, uncle, even a brother, who is considered a "trusted person." But the deepest level of the iceberg of child sexual abuse is incest, which is more common than what we would like to believe.

At the micro level the victim and the victim's family is silent out of a sense of shame and the stigma attached to sexual abuse. Often the girl child is blamed for provoking the situation. The perpetrator also adopts an attitude of denial that anything happened or protects himself with the excuse of being seduced by the girl child! What is worse is that at the macro level the leaders of society live in denial that sexual abuse takes place, and are dismissive of the possibility of sexual abuse being widespread in society.

The process of cultural change in society

The process of existential change from dismissive denial to pro-active behavior within civil society needs to follow certain definite steps, according to Dr.de Silva. More and more people in society need to pass from pretense and denial that the problem of sexual abuse is prevalent in society. The raising of awareness through the presentation of actual cases confronts the people with the reality of child sexual abuse that forces gradual acceptance that the problem is real. Increasing depth of knowledge about the issue brings about a sense of guilt about society's inaction. A change of attitude occurs.But attitudinal change alone does not lead to committed pro-active action from society.

What alternative ways do parents and teachers have in disciplining the child without corporal punishment? How does society deal with the perpetrator within or outside the home beside recourse to legal action? The process of attitudinal and behavioral change in society is long and tedious.

What happened to SPAC?

The Goa government launched the State Programme of Action for the Child (SPAC) in September 1994. SPAC covered every aspect of the child and children in Goa - early development, education, child protection, childhood disability, migrant children, child mortality and even maternal mortality. Twelve years later, this 89 glossy paged document, sponsored by UNICEF, symbolizing the government's commitment to improve on its past performance in assuring the survival, protection and development of Children in Goa, is a forgotten dream.

In 2003, the Goa Declaration on the Rights of the Child was followed by the Goa Children's Act. Again, this Act again attempted to cover all aspects of the child and all types of children " child labor, street children, children's homes, children's courts, childabuse, child trafficking, even sexual assault. Two years later came the Goa Children's (Amendment) Bill 2005. The number of amendments was equal to the contents of the Children's Act itself!

All these institutions for Child Rights over the last decade, indicate that the number of violations of Children's Rights far exceeds the ability of these institutions to respond effectively to the range and quantum of violations of children's rights. In this regard Dr de Silva's observation is permanent. Make the concerned citizens chalk out the course of action, and get the government machinery to facilitate the action. Political imperatives and vested interests must be made subservient to effective grassroots action.

Forming a Goa State Child Protection Authority (GSCPA)?

A Goa State Child Protection Authority (GSCPA) directly under the Govenor of Goa, who appoints an Executive Director to operate like the Goa State Aids Control Society (GSACS) may be a good parallel. A separate panel of GSCPA consisting of ex officio members of high ranking government officials and bureaucrats would be necessary to facilitate the co-ordination mechanisms of action suggested by the GSPCA would also be necessary.

However, the non-governmental wing of the GSPCA should, according to Dr de Silva, be composed of pediatricians, forsenic pathologists, psychologists, senior laywers and people associated with child protection efforts, especially members of NGOs. Their meetings should enable interdisciplinary interactions with different professional groups and eminent individuals of civil society so that all are sensitized to child protection. The purpose of these interactions should highlight the contribution of each group of professionals to bring out attitudinal and behavioral change in civil society. In this way a continuous ripple effect will gradually transform society from a state of widespread denial to a process of creative pro-active response that contributes towards creating a Child Friendly Goan Society.