641 child abuse cases in Mizoram

AIZAWL, Dec 7 – A total of 641 complaints on child abuse have been received by Mizoram’s Child Welfare Committee since its formation on September 22, 2005, CWC chairman Lalengruali Sailo said.

“The highest is sexual abuse against children and we have identified 127 child sexual abuses during the past four years,” Sailo said on the sidelines of a programme on Prevention of ChildAbuse. Out of the 127 cases, reported in over four years, a high 107 were incidents of sexual abuse by adults, she said.

CWC, working in coordination with the administration and human rights bodies, has registered 22 cases of physical abuse and two cases of using child labour while there were 18 cases of sexual abuse perpetrated by minors.

CWC Secretary said a high incidence of child sexual abuse was by relatives of the victim like uncles, step-fathers and people close to the family. She felt there could be more cases of abuse as many parents dare not approach the CWC for fear of stigmatisation of the victims.