High level committee constituted to monitor safety protocols in schools: Maneka Gandhi
New Delhi, September 19: The Centre has decided to form an inter-ministerial committee to monitor implementation of safety measures in its schools across the country in the wake of the brutal killing of a student in Gurugram and the rape of a girl by a school peon in the national capital.
Gandhi told reporters after the meeting that a committee of six secretaries will be constituted to monitor the implementation and progress of the guidelines. The meeting reviewed the existing measures and new suggestions placed for implementation.
She said, suggestions include making female staff mandatory in school vehicles. The Minister said a committee of six secretaries will be constituted to monitor the implementation and progress of suggestions made for the safety of school children.
Children are among the most vulnerable groups in the country and around the world. A survey conducted by humanitarian aid organisation, World Vision India revealed in May this year that one in every two children is a victim of sexual abuse.
The survey was conducted across 26 states of the country and covered 12-18 years age-group. It is estimated that children below 12 may have higher abuse rate as they are more vulnerable.
In July 2015, a UNICEF report highlighted four major areas of concern about the safety of children in India. It said that majority of abuses of children was reported for the age group of 5 to 11 years.
Secondly, more than 48 per cent girls wished they were boys so that they could escape abuse. But, the study also found that boys (over 54 per cent) were at equal risk of abuse as girls. And, fourth, persons in trust and authority, including parents, were major child abusers.
According to NCRB records, total 89,423 cases of crime against children were reported in 2014. The number increased to 94,172 in 2015 and 1,05,785 in 2016. Uttar Pradesh reported the maximum number of crimes against children in 2016 - overtaking Maharashtra.
Between 2014 and 2016, the number of crimes against children under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSOA) went up from 8,904 to 35,980 - a four-fold increase in just two years.