Approach:
- Introduce the crux of the case.
- Mention the behavioural issues faced by migrants.
- Delineate the steps to prevent crimes against children.
- 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.