Child sexual abuse/harassment has become a taboo for the Indian society and is rapidly increasing day by day. Over half of the population of children in India is sexually abused in some or other way by their known persons such as uncles, cousins, relatives, teachers, neighbours or others. Since small children are so innocent and they could be misguided easily, they have become vulnerable today. If we see the statistics or the past reports we would be shocked to know that one in three children in India is a rape victim or sexually abused every day. Particularly in the Indian society that advocates its old established belief of maintaining a silence over such issues leads to worsening this very problem. Sexual harassment of children is still being seen as a matter that must not be disclosed to anyone, since it is a shame for the family and the victim and that is why also most of the child abuse cases in India are left unreported. This is quite saddening to know that the small child who has been sexually harassed and mentally tortured does not get heard and any justice. People are not fully aware about this crucial issue, especially the illiterate people are more prone to such cases because they neither raise their voices nor do they feel right to disclose such matters in the public. At the other hand in the urban cities also sexual abuse of children is becoming a regular issue, children are not at all safe in their own families. They do face awkward situations where their known persons try to sexually abuse them, they are also mentally tortured not to disclose these activities to their parents or family. But this is certainly not a matter that should be kept behind the walls rather the parents must educate and counsel their children in advance about such activities. Children must be given proper information at schools and also at home; about how to determine such activities, how to identify a person who tries to abuse them sexually and also to immediately discuss and tell about it to their parents. Awareness and education, parental guidance and open discussion must be advanced in order to stop such heinous activities.
