Tamil Nadu govt school teachers reluctant to speak on child sex abuse to parents

CHENNAI: In the wake of many sexual harassment cases reported across Tamil Nadu, the Directorate of School Education (DSE) informed the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) to conduct a meeting on Pocso Act and safety of students in all state-run schools on March 26.

However, the meeting did not take place at many aided schools in the city, and also in government and aided schools in the remote regions of all districts.

With several cases of sexual harassment reported within and outside the school campuses over the years, the DSE has been taking a slew of measures to address the concerns and to prevent such untoward incidents in the future. So early this month, the department directed all schools to conduct PTA meetings to create awareness on the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), helpline numbers and student safeguarding advisory committee among others.

When DT Next contacted several government and aided schools in Chennai and other districts, it was noted that the government schools and Corporation schools in the city have largely conducted the PTA meeting. But, most aided schools have not.

One of the reasons why such a meeting did not take place was the hesitation among teachers to address the issue. This calls for a campaign to sensitise teachers before extending the same to children and parents.

A teacher of a government school in Chennai said, “Teachers hesitate to speak about this issue due to an acute lack of understanding regarding the subject. With many teachers accused in sexual harassment cases in recent times, they also have a misguided sense of loyalty and hesitate to speak against ‘their own’.”

However, stakeholders like child right activists and educationalists have stated that teachers should understand that the whole community is not liable for a few bad apples. At the same time, they also have the responsibility to create awareness in the society to ensure prevention.

A Devaneyan, a child rights activist, pointed out: “There is immense political interference in the PTAs operating in all State-run schools. It’s likely that those meetings that were held did not do justice to addressing sexual harassment issues inside/outside of the school premises. The education department must select one teacher per school and train them on POCSO Act to learn the nuances of addressing sexual harassment to children.”

Devaneyan also stressed that hesitation among teachers to speak on POCSO and sexual reproductive health was concerning, which called for sensitisation to the teaching community. “Teachers are one of the primary stakeholders a child interacts with every day. So, they should not hesitate to address the issue or observe and report an incident that unfolds inside/outside the school,” he opined.

Subsequently, a city-based educationalist urged for the need of an “expert community to tackle child sexual abuse within the education department”.

Suggestions

· Form a state-level expert committee with point persons in departments like District Child Protection Unit (DCPU), Child Welfare Committee (CWC), JJ Board, Tamil Nadu State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) among others

· Conduct routine awareness with officials of DCPU, CWC and SCPCR

· Conduct exposure visits to 1098 and 14417 helpline centres

· Bringing in officials from DCPU, CWC and SCPCR to address concerns