Let's join hands to #ProtectOurChildren
- According to official records, Uttar Pradesh leads in India with 3,078 such cases. It is followed by Madhya Pradesh (1,687 cases), Tamil Nadu (1,544 cases), Karnataka (1,480 cases) and Gujarat (1,416 cases).
- While creating awareness among parents and children is one thing, taking action against the perpetrators is something that needs even more attention.
- Under the POSCO Act, sexual offences and kidnapping account for 81% of the crimes against minors.
FollowThis pledge to protect the innocence and childhood of our children is not merely a vow to act against human trafficking and rape, it is a clarion call to end everything that comes in the way of providing children with a healthy environment to grow.
The determination to act and stand by this pledge grows stronger when we consider the recent statistics of child abuse (2016), released by Save the Children Foundation. The fact that cases registered against child abuse raised from 8,904 in 2014 to 14,913 in 2015 is alarming in itself. Moreover, under the POSCO Act, sexual offences and kidnapping account for 81% of the crimes against minors. [Sign the petition]
According to official records, Uttar Pradesh leads in India with 3,078 such cases. It is followed by Madhya Pradesh (1,687 cases), Tamil Nadu (1,544 cases), Karnataka (1,480 cases) and Gujarat (1,416 cases).
However, what is even more disturbing is the fact that children as young as 3-4 months are being kidnapped and trafficked. They are sold in brothels and are brought up by the owners so that they can be pushed into the trade when they grow a little older. Children, both girls and boys, as young as 6-years-old are filmed performing sexual acts, which are sold for billions on the Internet. Girls as young as 10 are administered hormonal injections to look older for their customers.
While creating awareness among parents and children is one thing, taking action against the perpetrators is something that needs, even more, attention in the above-mentioned cases. And this is exactly what #ProtectOurChildren campaign is all about. Initiated by Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the cause of the campaign is clear- to stop the syndicated crime of child abuse and flesh trade.
Speaking on the agenda of the campaign, he says,"I am a Rajya Sabha MP and a father of two. It horrifies me to hear stories of children being snatched away from their mothers and being sold into prostitution. But what makes me angry is that there are men in the country who go to brothels and seek sex with children. I started this petition asking the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the Woman and Child Development Minister to collectively implement an action plan to bring an end to this horrific crime."
The action plans designed by him are rooted in the statistical records pertaining to child abuse and exploitation in India. They are not mere imaginations of the mind but are practical measures to end the horrendous trend of child abuse that the country is showing off late. While he welcomes people from all walks of life to join the campaign, he also urges the government to establish a judicial system that will instil fear in the minds of paedophiles and rapists.
He urges the government to implement the following action plans:
1. Proactive policing: Appropriate and timely arrest and action against customers so that they are punished promptly. Naming and shaming of customers forms an important step in deterring these men.
2. Quick intelligence sharing: National Level intelligence sharing through a National Childgrid to synergize country’s databases for tracking child sex offenders and their swift prosecution and conviction.
3. Establishment of exclusive courts under POCSO: Exclusive children's courts need to be established in every state. Exclusive courts need to be set up whenever a city or a state registers an increasing number of child abuse cases. All metro cities should be rounded up for the cause.
Justifying his initiative to fight for the cause of children, Chandrasekhar says,"The government agencies and ministries need to come together, adopt and enact this action plan. This is a big fight. Join me in this fight to bring an end to this horrific crime and save lakhs of children across the country who are being sexually exploited. Let's ensure a safe childhood for them."
Join the cause, make a difference.
