Migrant working parents are staring at the disconcerting prospect of leaving behind their minor children alone at home exposing them to exploitation, including sexual abuse.
The increasing number of cases being registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in the migrant worker-intense rural areas like Perumbavoor of late perhaps has to be seen in this context.
“Even children too young are being left alone making them vulnerable to sexual advances by other migrant workers and local residents alike not to mention the self-inflicted physical harm on playing with gas stoves, etc. With no other alternative, some working migrant mothers take their children with them to worksites, which further endanger the safety of children by exposing them to high levels of pollution like in the case of plywood factories or brick kilns and freak accidents,” said George Mathew, chairperson, Progressive Workers’ Organisation.
He called for day-care homes or crèches for migrant children, and pick up and drop facilities for them as a potential solution.
“Like anganwadis, the crèches under the Rajiv Gandhi National Crèche Scheme are also remaining closed since the outbreak of the pandemic,” said Sini K.S, District Child Protection Officer. Under the scheme, crèches run by NGOs are being funded on satisfying certain criteria.
Mr. Mathew observed that crèches are too few and far between. “Instead, they should be set up in migrant-intense areas considering the gravity of the problem faced by migrant workers’ families,” he said.
POCSO cases
Meanwhile, the police are staring at a peculiar problem of POCSO cases involving migrants. “Underage marriage is an acceptable custom in many villages from which they hail. But when they come here and then approach healthcare institutions on medical emergencies or treatment, they get reported as it is mandatory for the hospital authorities under Section 21 of the POCSO Act,” said R. Ranjith, Station House Officer, Perumbavoor.
The police then have the additional headache of handing over the cases to police stations in the State concerned going by the technicality of ‘place of occurrence’.
Mr. Ranjith said that considering all these factors, the increase in POCSO cases is not reflective of the crime index as such but more importantly points at the increased reporting of cases.
