Abusing children is an evil act.
The World Health Organization describes child abuse and maltreatment as "All forms of physical or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child's health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power."
A study on Child Abuse in India 2007, conducted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, revealed that young children in the 5-12 year group are at a high risk of abuse and mistreatment; this consists of physical, sexual, and mental abuse. They also uncovered an alarming statistics, wherein among the 12,447 children interviewed, more than half (53%) reported experience of sexual abuse, which is defined as “sexual assault and over 20 % reported severe sexual abuse.
Abuse has far-reaching effects on children. Children who have experienced abuse and neglect are highly susceptible to several challenging developmental, physical, and mental health outcomes, including problems with attention span and deficits in decision-making functions, problems relating to a social group, internalizing symptoms, and externalizing symptoms, and post-traumatic stress disorder. As adults, these children continue to display increased risk for psychiatric turmoil, substance use, severe medical illnesses, and poorer economic productivity. Child abuse is a prevalent issue that needs to be acted upon and resolved immediately. For if this continues without consequences, the lives of many children will be jeopardized.
Undoubtedly, taking this responsibility on, Save the Children has credited itself to have transformed the lives of over 10 million underprivileged children ever since its inception in 2008. It is rightly called the advocate of children’s rights. It has served the community by providing all socio-economically backward and vulnerable children with access to education, protection, healthcare benefits, and a chance for rehabilitation. It has also helped in protecting them against abusive and harmful environments. Working on a global scale in more than 80 countries, Save the Children works towards a better and brighter tomorrow, making this world a better place for our children!
We must unite to fight child abuse in India. Many children face these atrocities for years. We are responsible for each child in this nation; let us, for that reason, join forces with Save the Children in their plan to end child abuse.