Child Victims of Violence and Need for Child Protection Services

Abstract

The aim of this module is to learn about violence against children and the need for child protection services. It first recapitulates the conceptual framework of violence against children, with reference to concepts and causes of abuse and commercial exploitation and child rights to protection from violence. It then identifies how the absence of child rights orientation in the justice systems leads to revictimisation by the systems that are supposed to protect child victims. It focuses on rights of child victims of violence in the justice systems with reference to the right to be informed, to effective assistance, privacy, safety, reparation, special preventive measures, etc., and review these rights in India. It finally facilitates learning about the child protection services such as identification of child victims of violence, their rescue, interim residential care and protection, providing first-line support to the child, facilitating child’s disclosure of violence, initiating protective mechanisms for the child, medical and psychosocial assessment, counselling, legal aid and empowerment, assistance in the justice process, investigate and prosecute perpetrators of violence and rehabilitation.