Cases Of Child Sex Abuse Are On The Upsurge In Dakshina Kannada

Seven incidences of sexual abuse among teenage girls have been registered in Dakshina Kannada district within last seven days. A victim was assaulted by multiple people in one case, whereas a two-year-old baby was the targeted in another instances. According to women's and children's welfare and police personnel, predators made contact with youngsters in 70-80% of such incidents via mobile phone or social networking sites. They claim that during the Covid pandemic, sexual abuse accusations against kids increased dramatically as parents were pushed to acquire or offer their children's mobile phones and devices for online courses.

A majority of the sufferers used their smartphones to open profiles on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media sites, that were used by certain adolescents and miscreants to develop connection with the victims under the pretense of friendship.

Deekshit, who works for the Child Helpline, claimed that in some instances, parents initially learned of their daughters' sexual assault after they got pregnant. The occurrences revealed to the police are only the top of the iceberg, since numerous parents are afraid of social stigma if they register a police complaint. He noted that when the FIR has been registered, some victims and their family wanted to withdraw their charges, presumably owing to communal pressure.

Renni D'Souza, Chairman, Dakshina Kannada Child Welfare Committee, stated that such cases have increased since the pandemic, with the majority of the victims being between the ages of 12 and 17. However, he believes that, in comparison to the past, a greater number of victims and their families are filing complaints.

Meanwhile, as per a senior police officer, rapid convictions might put a stop to such incidents,, but POCSO special tribunals have failed to do so. Since majority POSCO crimes are perpetrated by family members or people familiar to the victims, the longer the case is delayed, the more probable victims may become hostile.