Children falling easy prey to criminals!

The gruesome stories that unfold each day about the cruelties inflicted upon children will make mankind feel ashamed. The story of innocent girls being sexually abused and brutalized by villainous human beings is becoming a common place in our so called civilized society. Just a few days ago, it was another tragic story of a 14-year-old girl, a grade-9 student, who had gone missing from her home; allegedly being taken away by her stepfather. When the mother found out that her daughter was missing, she alerted the police, and later it was discovered that the dead body of the missing girl was lying on a bed in an abandoned house.

We have seen how vulnerable these children are, especially the young girls, who either are employed as domestic aides or being lured into the sex trade by paedophiles and perverts. These helpless children are being exploited either due to poverty or being neglected by their parents and guardians. We have the many Rights Groups that make a hue and cry about the atrocities that are inflicted on humanity at various times, but regrettably no prompt deterrent action seems to be forthcoming. The judicial mechanism to address these crimes perpetrated against the innocent children needs to be overhauled,if necessary.the legal proceedings in relation to these crimes must be set in motion expeditiously to convict and mete out the maximum punishment to the offenders, with wide publicity given in the media.

It would also be the responsibility of parents and guardians, especially children of single parents and working mothers to be extra vigilant, to avert the potential danger of children being victimized by unscrupulous elements in our society. In the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, with no formal schooling for children, online education has become indispensable.the ease of access to social media, and the likely exposure to gaining morally degenerating information, has also had a devastating influence on the young and unpolluted minds of children. The younger generation are tech savvy and have adapted themselves to the new normal trend with online education, which could be secretively misused to indulge in seductive activities and fall easy prey to criminals.