Sexual abuse of children has become on of the most pervasive social problems faced by Indian society. Its impact is profound because of the sheer frequency with which it occurs and because of the trauma brought to the lives of victims. Even though most of these crimes happen randomly & are distinct from each other, there are certain commonalities. Most of the abused children belong to poor families living in slums. They are largely the people who have migrated to cities for better opportunities. Analyse this problem and explain : What behavioural problems migrants face upon coming to city and how these problems lead to anti-social behaviour ? What steps can be taken to stop this heinous crime against children ? (250 Words / 15 M) (GS-4 Case Study )

Approach:

1. Introduce the crux of the case.
2. Mention the behavioural issues faced by migrants.
3. Delineate the steps to prevent crimes against children.
4. Conclusion.

The above case study pertains to a social crime, i.e., sexual abuse of children, especially that of the vulnerable sections.

Migrants face several behavioural issues when they relocate to cities:

• They are likely to face depression due to physical and financial stress.
• They feel relative deprivation. They feel alienated in cities.
• They are subjected to prejudice leading to discrimination.
• Most migrants suffer due to overcrowding, restricted movements and unhygienic conditions.
• Also, there is negative behaviour conditioning in slums which breed criminals.
• Children in slums are deprived of proper schooling, lack parental care and often a dysfunctional family.
• All these create emotional upheavals in them.

To protect the children from sexual abuse, the following steps can be taken:

• In the short term:
• Organise awareness camps to increase the knowledge of law among people.
• NGOs can be included to reach out the slum people.
• Workshops can be conducted in slum areas for parents to ensure the ways of safety of their children.
• Increase vigilance in the vulnerable areas.
• Strict law enforcement and use of media to highlight the cases.
• Proper legal aid in juvenile delinquencies.
• In the long term:
• Provide them social security to prevent them from falling victims to crimes.
• Ensuring proper schooling to children in slums.
• Rehabilitating those who are victims to sexual or substance abuse by mainstreaming them into the society.
• Developing affordable urban housing for slum dwellers.
• Integrating concerns of vulnerable migrant groups in urban planning.
• Attitudinal changes through persuasion.

Uncontrolled emotions are the key source of such problems. They should be taken into consideration during socialization of all individuals.