The most unsafe place for a child in Kozhikode district is Kozhikode city corporation, says a study conducted on vulnerable locations in the district by Childline Kozhikode and the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA).
The list was prepared on the basis of cases reported at the Childline Intervention Unit in the district from 2015 to 2017 and open forums held in all local bodies as part of the two-year-long Balasuraksha Yatra. The corporation has numero uno position in cases reported under all listed categories such as child labour, child beggary, child marriage, child abuse of all sorts, neglect, drug abuse among children, missing / runaway children, school dropout rate, and denial of education.
With the city being home to 40% of the district’s population, the figures are not alarming though.
The corporation has recorded the maximum number of child labour cases, 25, which is six times more than Feroke municipality, where four cases were recorded. As far as child beggary is concerned, 51 cases were recorded in the city, while Vadakara municipality recorded eight cases.
There were 73 child physical abuse cases in the city, while Koduvally municipality recorded 18 cases. As many as 55 cases of emotional abuse and 64 sexual abuse cases recorded in the city which is five times more than those recorded in the local bodies. The city recorded 120 cases involving missing / runaway children, while 16 cases of drug abuse among children were reported from the city.
The Balasuraksha Yatra, organised by Childline and DLSA in all local bodies in the district, had played a major role in tracking the extent of problems faced by children in the district. A vulnerability map of the district was prepared based on the findings made during the Yatra. The map along with a detailed report of activities in all local bodies was submitted to District Collector U.V. Jose on Monday.
As for panchayats, a total of 848 cases under various categories were reported, with child sexual abuse cases being the most prominent, with as many as 211 cases reported in the category. Balusseri grama panchayat, with 11 cases of physical abuse and 14 cases of sexual abuse, topped the list.
Meanwhile no major atrocities were reported from Thurayur grama panchayat, except for a case in which parents refused to vaccinate a child, making it the safest place for children in the district.
