‘Parents and teachers both have a role in child protection’
In order to protect children, educators and parents both need to know what works. Equally important, they need to know how to accomplish this end without compromising the children’s emotional well being. Also, preventive measures and mechanisms must be in
Children are a precious gift from God and human life is sacred as God is its Author. It is God’s magnanimity that having created them in his own image and likeness as male and female, he has chosen human beings to be co-creators of the human race with him. Parents having received this gift in that act of conception, have a duty to accept, preserve, protect, bring forth and educate the child in a loving ambience of the home. Teachers help the parents and the society at large in educating children.
However, there are umpteen instances of negligence of this God given duty of protecting and educating children. Cases of abuse are increasing. Child abuse constitutes all forms of physical and emotional ill treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity. Child rights are universal, interrelated, interdependent, indivisible and inalienable. The safety and security of children should be of the prime importance.
Sexual abuse and sexual offences at home and in schools is not a new malady. However, thanks to the newfound awareness , it is more frequently highlighted now.
Although schools have a key role to play in the fight against abuse, we should not forget that the problem must be confronted at many levels. Ultimately, the greatest challenge may lie in attempting to alter social attitudes and conditions that foster or tolerate the sexual abuse of children. A clear conception of the problem is the starting point for effective prevention. In schools, the most likely problem will be abuse among students themselves.
This is because there will usually be many more students than staff, and particularly during teenage because many students will have reached or be approaching puberty and will not yet have established adequate behavioural controls. Sexual teasing, bullying and ‘initiations’ have historically been common in schools. In order to protect children, educators and parents both need to know what works. Equally important, they need to know how to accomplish this end without compromising the children’s emotional well being.
Instances of sexual exploitation or harassment are usually rare in an all boys’ school but that doesn’t imply that preventive measures and mechanisms are not in place to avert any such misdeeds in the future. An important step is educating children how to protect themselves from being sexually abused through school-based prevention programmes which is a viable tool that has been used in our fight against child sexual abuse.
The staff must always be vigilant as long as there are students on the campus. Students need to be observed in their behaviour in classrooms, games field, assembly ground or during free time. Separation of senior students from the juniors must be ensured . A student alone should not be allowed to go out of the class, he should always be accompanied by another student.
The staff must be educated in a culture of extended guardianship where the responsibility for prevention of any mishap is seen as a responsibility of all teachers. Mentoring and support should be provided for children experiencing personal problems through a trained counsellor. Rules about staff- student relationship should be made clear
and unambiguous, widely disseminated during teacher seminars and our staff meetings where one of the key points of focus is on personal-professional boundaries.
Apart from creating awareness among teachers and students alike regarding the menace of sexual exploitation through seminars and moral science lessons, practical steps
such as installation of cameras at almost every vantage point and all classrooms is a big deterrent for offences of any kind. Thus providing care, support and services to the children in a spirit of accompaniment, supportive supervision and in a friendly family –like atmosphere is the need of the hour.
FR. ALWYN MORAS