EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. Project Title: Abuse of Children in schools

2. Organisation: Seva Mandir , Udaipur
3. Reporting Officer: Ms Priyanka Singh
4. Faculty Guide: Prof.S.N.Biswas.
5. Students’ Name: Atul kumar

Objective: (1) To find out the incidences of child abuse happening in schools. (2) To find out the probable
reasons for the happening of child abuse. (3) To help Seva Mandir in understanding the phenomenon as part
of understanding children’s concerns and heir empowerment.
Scope: The study covered a total of 3 villages Ranawada, Sagwada and Balicha in Kherwara block, apart
from the village Ramaj used for the pilot.
Sample: The sample size was 60 consisting of 30 teenagers and thirty children. The sample of 60 included
29 boys and 31 girls. Parents (32) of the children interviewed and 6 teachers were also interviewed.
Sampling used was a mix of quota and snowball sampling
Methodology and Sources of data: (1) Primary sources: Self-designed questionnaire administered to
parents, teenagers, children and teachers after the piloting of the questionnaire (2) Focused group
discussion with parents and informal FGDs with children (3) Unobtrusive observation of children and visits
to schools. Secondary sources: Literature pertaining to the subject, books on transactional analysis,
publications of Seva Mandir.
Limitations: (1) Inability to communicate in the local dialect, (2) Ongoing conflict of Seva Mandir with
teachers.(3) Schools closed in June

Major Findings: (a) Most of the parents (84%) were satisfied with the performance of their child (b) A
majority of the parents (96%) considered the use of stick in schools to be correct (c) Most of the children
(74%) believed that they would be further beaten up by their parents if they reported that the teacher
spanked them today. Some (20%) believed that their parents would do nothing. Very few (6%) believed that
they would go and talk to the teacher (d) Almost half (47%) of the of the respondents felt that whenever
they think about their teachers they become very fearful, while another quarter (27%) believed that they
become fearful. The rest (23%) believed that they felt secure in the company of the teacher. (e) a sizeable
number (40%) of the respondents felt very uncomfortable on seeing the teachers while few (30%) felt
uncomfortable (f) Most of the children (93%) of the respondents said they felt happy going to the school
(g) In the questionnaire administered to children for mapping the degree of fear they felt of teacher a
majority (57%) of the respondents chose the picture of a black cobra, very few (14%) chose picture of
black panther, even lesser (10%) chose that of tiger but a sizeable number (20%) chose a beautiful horse.
(h) The teachers often ask the children to do their personal works and also threaten them not to tell it to
anybody (i) Teachers often forbid students from telling at home that they have been beaten up.

Conclusion: Parents play a major role in determining the degree of the abuse of child. If the parents
continue to believe that physically abusing the child is a necessary part of education then very little can be
done to prevent the incidences of child abuse. They tend to justify physically spanking the child by
correlating it with the fact that they also experienced the same. The physical and emotional abuse of the
child therefore continues at home after retuning from school. The parents need to free themselves of the
hangover of their childhood and be more sensitive to their own child. They need to consider their child as a
human being and not as some property that is expected to bestow a superior status on the parents.

Recommendations: (a) Make the parents aware of the rights of the child to a life without abuse and ask the
parents to delay their need of personal gratification from the child (b) make the parents aware of the need to
provide a healthy atmosphere at home for the complete development of child (c) make the teachers aware
of alternative means of establishing discipline among students (d) educate parents about the need to
establish a relationship of trust with the child (e) parents should realize the need to make the child aware of

ii
his/her bodily rights and also impart sex education to prevent his/her abuse (f) need to involve the common
man in all these efforts.

iii