Psychologists and sociologists want schools to have stricter norms to safeguard students
If a three-year-old boy is not safe at a nursery in the city, than it is a major reason to worry – say a number of experts including psychologists, sociologists and leaders of local parents’ association. Schools and nurseries must have tighter surveillance to protect kids, demand experts.
Engaging educated security staff on campuses, keeping tight tabs on workers at schools, installing CCTV camera at requisite spots as well as organising psychological and physical examination of students and staff at schools are one of the few measures that experts advise that the schools must adopt to curb this menace.
“Child molestation is an extremely serious issue,” says Psychologist Dr Prashant Bhimani. “Adults who are deprived of healthy sex life sometimes develop abnormality and develop tendency of Pedophilia and it is crucial to keep tabs on psychological conditions of the staffers who handle children at the schools. There must be regular checks over staffers to observe behavioral abnormalities than only this menace can be tackled.”
Experts also think that this one incident is just a tip of an iceberg and more hidden cases of child molestation at schools can come to light and be treated if parents maintain a tight vigil on children and notice their behavioral changes, identify them and address them.
Psychotherapist Dr Vinod Goyal says, “Adults either male or female frustrated from deprivation of sex can turn abnormal and exploit the children. This incident cannot be singled out as an aberration. This is just one incident that has come to light. We must see this as a timely alert and develop tight surveillances to curb such practices on campus and parents and school authorities need to join hands and involve experts to protect children.”
Expressing parents concerns over the matter, Shailesh Sheth, vice president of parents’ association says, “Parents association will follow up on this alarming incident. We will write to the school authority which is responsible to act a watchdog over the staffers who molest or exploit children. Many NRI kids are sent back to Gujarat to gain cultural exposure and as schools in our city are considered safer. We need to develop tighter measures to protect children at schools.”
Psychologists and sociologists also warn parents to focus on children and understand their behavioral and mood changes which can help them de-code if their children are sexually exploited at schools. “Understanding the need of the hour, we request parents to devout time to the kids,” says adolescent psychologist Dr Param Shukla. “Parents must carefully observe the child’s behaviour. Some children who are being sexually molested avoid mixing with others, become silent or mimic actions of sexual foreplay. These are alarming signs that need to be treated properly,” says Shukla. Similarly sociologist Dr Gaurang Jani says, “To protect children from abnormal pedophiliac parents and school authorities must work closely. They must take every question child has seriously and minutely understand their complaints. To curb the practices of child molestation at campuses, intermediate checks on both kids and staffers should be made compulsory for a healthy social development of children.”
