Child Sexual Abuse - India

 http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/society/article3451611.ece How informed is their consent? Vijay Nagaswami Share   ·   Comment   ·   print   ·   T+    Awareness and maturity, not so much the age, play a significant role in helping a teenager decide what's good for him/ her. Although, we have evolved in many ways as a nation, when it comes to sex and sexuality, we rarely fail to get our knickers in a twist. In the last fortnight or so, much controversy has been generated around the age of consent for sexual activity and whether consensual sexual exploratory activity between teenagers should be considered acceptable or not. At the heart of the debate is the issue of “informed” consent. Put differently, if they say “yes” to sex, do adolescents really understand what this would imply? And even if they did understand the implications, are they consenting because they really want t...

http://www.hindustantimes.com/editorial-views-on/Opeds/Silence-is-always-the-ally/Article1-860286.aspx Silence is always the ally Radhika Chandiramani , Hindustan Times May 23, 2012 First Published: 23:06 IST(23/5/2012) Last Updated: 23:10 IST(23/5/2012) The second episode of Aamir Khan's TV show 'Satyamev Jayate' on May 13 successfully brought people's attention to child sexual abuse (CSA). The Rajya Sabha had already passed the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Bill 2012 on May 10 and the Lok Sabha did so too on Tuesday. Those who have been following the process of drafting the Bill felt that it needed not so much a hasty passage as a  review. However, the issue demands that we look beyond the law because legal interventions are about abuse and penalty. The larger question is: how do we prevent CSA? A child's ...

New Delhi: Parliament on Tuesday approved a bill to protect children below 18 from sexual abuse, set up special courts for speedy trial of cases against them and provide stringent punishment extending up to life term for offenders. "The bill is gender neutral. It seeks to protect children from sexual offences...The burden of proof will be on the accused," Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath said winding up the debate in the Lok Sabha on the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Bill, 2011. The bill, which was earlier cleared by Rajya Sabha, was approved by the Lower House by voice vote today. Tirath said all below 18 years would be treated as child and efforts have been made to keep provisions of the bill child-friendly. It contains provisions for in-camera trial of offences, she said. Dismissing concerns over misuse of the law, Tirath said, provisions have also been made to deal with offences of false compla...

http://www.boysdonttell.com/2012/05/thats-my-boy/ I saw something yesterday that I reacted to so strongly that I was immediately incensed. There is a new movie coming out that is based on a thirteen year-old being raped by a teacher. The concept is nothing new. We are reading about this kind of thing on a regular basis in the newspaper. It starts with a child being enamored with a charismatic adult in a position of power. Then comes the empowerment of the child by the attention of the adult (commonly called grooming). After the child’s natural defenses and normal boundaries are lowered the perpetrator moves in and physically seduces them. There doesn’t seem to be anything surprising here for the plot of a drama. The surprising part is that this is beginning of an Adam Sandler comedy called “That’s My Boy”. A thirteen year-old boy is seduced and raped by his “photo-brushed” teacher. They could not have possibly done anything else to make her look like a playboy bunny cuto...

"The ayes have it, the ayes have it, the ayes have it",  http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Bill-to-protect-children-from-sexual-abuse-passed-in-RS/Article1-853867.aspx Bill to protect children from sexual abuse passed in RS PTI New Delhi, May 10, 2012 First Published: 23:12 IST(10/5/2012) Last Updated: 23:15 IST(10/5/2012) Share  Share on facebook Share on linkedin Share on google Share on email more ... 2 Comments          Email      print The Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed a Bill seeking to protect children from sexual abuse with pro...

"You would never cast off a cancer survivor and tell them to get over it once it’s “stopped”, however parents not supporting their own children are leaving them to fend for themselves in a life long cancerous battle"  http://overcomingsexualabuse.com/2012/05/01/wish-parents-understood/ One of the deepest sources of pain for sexual abuse survivors is the lack of support from family members, especially from parents. Over and over again, survivors of abuse have expressed the feeling that as destructive as sexual abuse is, it’s the abandonment and betrayal of their parents that hurt the most. Conversely, when a child is believed and supported in childhood, the effects of the abuse are significantly diminished. Many parents don’t learn about the abuse until their child is grown, but understanding and support remain important even for adult survivors. We asked survivors to share their stories and feelings about their abuse and the rejection of their pare...