Eight districts in the State will soon have Collaborative Child Response Units (CCRU) in hospitals, which will ensure sensitive and timely medical and psychological assistance to sexually abused children, said Sashikala Shetty, Project Director, Karnataka State Integrated Child Protection Scheme.
She was speaking at the inauguration of the third CCRU in Bangalore at the Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, the first two being at the Bangalore Baptist Hospital and M.S. Ramaiah Hospital.
Ms. Shetty said the other units would be set up in hospitals, and the Department of Women and Child Development would bear the cost of the training. “The aim of the CCRU is to have a multidisciplinary approach to the care of sexually abused children. We want to involve the different stakeholders in the process,” said Ms. Shetty.
Shaibya Saldanha, founder, Enfold Proactive Health Trust, said the medical examination procedures of victims sometimes tend to be worse assaults than the original crime.
Speaking on the guidelines for media reportage of child abuse, Bageshree S., Senior Assistant Editor of The Hindu, said the volume of child abuse cases reported had increased because of greater awareness and a perception that they grab reader attention. She warned that newspapers and television channels have to be guarded, not allowing for sensationalism. She also spoke about the challenges reporters face since the “best interest of the child” is not always obvious.
