SAMVAD(Support, Advocacy & Mental health interventions for children in Vulnerable circumstances And Distress), Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences, India.
Krea University.
Asian J Psychiatr. 2023 Mar;81:103464. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2023.103464. Epub 2023 Jan 13.
In India, legal response to a sexual offence, namely, punishment of the perpetrator,relies nearly entirely on mandatory reporting provisions in child sexual abuse law.Mandatory reporting forms an important first step in the medico-legal processes of CSAwork, because it leads onto other legal interventions in CSA cases. However, social, stigma, perceived harassment, rampant gender stereotypes, the unwillingness of, family, disbelief of the victim, and threats by the perpetrator are a few of the many, barriers to mandatory reporting in the Indian context. One particularly insufficiently, addressed critical barrier in the global and Indian literature on CSA and law stems from the reluctance of children to allow child protection and mental health professionals to report to relevant authorities. There are few guidelines or practical strategies available,on how to engage children in mandatory reporting processes. This article uses a childcentric lens to propose the need to balance children's rights to participation and decision-making with the mandatory reporting law. It proposes a conceptual frameworkthat acknowledges the imperatives and challenges of the mandatory reporting law and its implementation, whilst also recognizing children's barriers to abuse disclosures andtheir rights to make decisions and provide consent on reporting issues. It culminates in a guideline for child mental health and protection service providers, offering step-bystep support on navigating the challenges and dilemmas of mandatory reporting through suggested scripts that engage children to enable more effective reporting ofCSA to child protection systems and relevant legal authorities.
在印度，对性犯罪的法律反应，即对犯罪者的惩罚，几乎完全依赖于儿童性虐待法中的强制报告规定。强制报告是 CSA 工作医学法律程序的重要第一步，因为它导致 CSA 案件中的其他法律干预。然而，在印度背景下，强制报告存在一些障碍，如社会耻辱感、骚扰感知、猖獗的性别刻板印象、家庭的不情愿、对受害者的不信任以及犯罪者的威胁等。全球和印度 CSA 与法律文献中很少有充分解决的一个特别关键的障碍源于儿童不愿意让儿童保护和心理健康专业人员向相关当局报告。关于如何让儿童参与强制报告程序，几乎没有可用的准则或实用策略。本文使用以儿童为中心的视角，提出需要平衡儿童参与和决策的权利与强制报告法。它提出了一个概念框架，承认强制报告法及其实施的必要性和挑战，同时也认识到儿童在虐待披露方面的障碍以及他们在报告问题上做出决定和提供同意的权利。它最终为儿童心理健康和保护服务提供商提供了一个指导方针，通过建议的脚本为他们提供逐步支持，以应对强制报告的挑战和困境，使 CSA 更有效地向儿童保护系统和相关法律当局报告。
