Students' Perception of Abuse and Neglect

Although most of the children experience abuse and neglect at home, educational institutions is also a place where they are subjected to caning, slapping, and whipping that result in bruises, cuts, and humiliation and in some cases serious injury or death. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), ratified by nearly every country in the world, obliges governments to protect children from all forms of physical or mental violence. Yet, millions of children continue to suffer violence and abuse. For given the same background, the necessity was felt to carry out an in-depth qualitative study to understand the perception of students in Pondicherry about abuse including verbal, physical and sexual abuse, and neglect, and their awareness and need for child rights. The objective of the present study was to understand students' perception of abuse and neglect. For achieving this objective, four Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), two with boys and two with girls were carried out among school going students aged between 14 -16 years. From the discussion it emerged that corporal punishment still existed in majority of the homes and it is associated with unpleasant emotions. Students shared their expectations from teachers and parents. Both boys and girls were of the view that boys get physically punished and girls are verbally abused. On the context of physical/ sexual abuse, it was found that girls were more aware of the issue. The understanding of abuse and neglect among students and defining these concepts was also done in the discussions. Findings of the present study suggests the need for creating awareness among parents and teachers about negative effects of corporal punishment and abuse, and also sensitizing students about abuse and being on a safer side. The need for psychologist/ counsellors at school for addressing emotional issues was also understood from the discussions.