Tuesday, March 5, 2013

ABUSE

Schoolchildren falling prey to abuses in Kerala

14th March 2011 04:06 AM



THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The shocking incident in which girl students were sexually abused by a lottery agent in Kasargod is not an isolated one. Numerous girls, aged between 5 and 15, are falling prey to sexual and substance abuses in schools. A documentation of the cases attended by the helpdesk which was started recently for girls in government schools by the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Kerala Mahila Samakhya Society (KMSS) is a testimony to this.
It was only a few weeks ago that members of the KMSS had to pass through a tough time when they received a call to their helpline from a teacher in a government school in Kozhikode. The teacher had found strange marks on the arm of a class IX student, whose head was drooping and was showing mental uneasiness. It was a typical case of substance abuse. The girl, when questioned by the KMSS and the police, revealed the names of 20 other victims like her, all girls, studying in various government schools in Kozhikode. The police was able to trace some of the drug peddlers. ‘’It was possible because of the pro-active teacher who sensed the danger. This is the change that gender education for teachers has brought in. Teachers are not only ready for action, but also eager to take the risk,’’ says Seema Bhaskar, state coordinator of  KMSS.
The helpdesk was launched in the second half of 2010. Though a toll-free number was conceived, it is yet to materialise. As of now, it’s the KMSS office phone numbers that act as helpline numbers. So far, more than 23 cases were documented by the KMSS in which either arrests were made or the girls were rescued and rehabilitated.
In another incident in Kozhikode, a class IX student who was being abused by her father was rescued. In Kannur, a Plus-II student was being sexually exploited with the silent knowledge of her mother who led a wayward life. The girl is now in the safe hands of KMSS and pursuing her studies in Thiruvananthapuram. It was the Ernakulam DPO who alerted the KMSS activists of a case in the Aralam farm in which a class XI student was pregnant. She was also shifted to a safe refuge in the capital.
In Thazhekode, Perinthalmanna, school drop-outs in a tribal area who were being forced to prostitution were rescued by KMSS members last week. The victims were girls in the age group of 5-15. It was from Kannur that the lone case involving boys was reported. The boys, along with girl students, were being sexually harassed by their teacher. So far, helpdesks have been started in 1,712 schools across the state.
For the KMSS members, it’s a continuation of what they have been doing for the past three years. Even before the setting up of the help desk, the KMSS had begun its struggle to create awareness on the importance of gender education in school curriculum, especially gender sensitisation to teachers.
It was in 2008 that the gender education programme of KMSS was started. Modules for the programme were prepared and submitted to the Education Department to reach a consensus in various levels. District Resource Groups, which included BRC trainers, Social Welfare Department officers, high school teachers and the like were formed.
However, it was after joining hands with the SSA that the programme assumed its present form.
‘’We cannot go forward without addressing the fact that our boys and girls in schools are facing several mental and physical problems. If teachers cannot recognise and identify the problems, it is a major shortcoming of our educational system which should be rectified. Gender education is the best tool for this,’’ said a state programme officer of the SSA. SSA is also planning to launch online training on gender education for teachers for which modules are under preparation.

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