The survey was conducted by nearly 9,500 volunteers from 24 universities and educational institutions in Assam.
The U-Report survey was launched on 18 July 2022 by the Governor of Assam and was developed to support the Assam State Commission for Child Rights Protection (ASCPCR) campaign called Suraksha, which aims to raise awareness information on forms of violence against children. and repair mechanism.
As part of the survey, 35 percent shared experiencing corporal punishment at home, 25 percent at school, and 14 percent in other settings such as private classes and sports fields. While 26 percent experienced it in all three settings. The most common form of punishment was being hit or slapped on the hand, arm, or leg (67 percent), while 16 percent followed with yelling, yelling, or yelling. About 60 percent of these young people said it affected their social relationships, 24 percent caused stress, anxiety and fear, and 17 percent reported physical injuries.
Given the Government of Assam’s drive to create an enabling environment for youth to grow and prosper, UNICEF Assam has been working with the youth of Assam, especially those from the most vulnerable communities. Between 2020 and 2021, our focus was on understanding how COVID-19 had impacted their lives, said Dr. Madhulika Jonathan, Chief of UNICEF Assam.
In 2020-21, the NSS Directorate for the North East Region and UNICEF Assam joined forces to work on the issue of child protection in all eight states as part of the mandate of a national partnership between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Y UNICEF India. Through a series of online workshops to understand the impact of COVID-19 on young people that were facilitated with civil society partner, the We Are Young (WAY) Foundation, NSS volunteers highlighted corporal punishment and cyberbullying as two critical problems.
Currently, 19 percent of Assam’s 3.1 crore population (2011 census) is in the 15-24 age group. The NSS cohort was an appropriate sample group to understand youth issues in the state, said Deepak Kumar, NSS Northeast Region Director. Together with the volunteers, the SEN Regional Directorate will adopt a new calendar of activities that incorporates child protection as a thematic area. In addition, volunteers have carried out Social Action Plans at the university/college level in the form of campaigns, street theater, conference cycles, among others, to inform and influence their peers.
Incidentally, 68 percent of the volunteers expressed awareness of redress mechanisms, of which 57 percent recognized the Assam Police as the most popular support system available. Of them, only 18 percent knew about the 1098, 11 percent about the cybernetic cell and 1 percent about the Special Police Unit for Minors.
According to 19 percent of young people, reparation mechanisms were not easy when reporting an incident, and 24 percent expressed a lack of acknowledgment and discussion about these issues in schools, colleges, and at home, due to fear of social stigma.
About 60 percent felt that it is essential for parents to work with educational institutions to create a safe and secure environment to end this form of violence. While 94 percent demanded mass awareness of the problems stemming from cyberbullying, especially among parents, community members, and educational institutions.
Regardless of the form of violence a child is exposed to, their experience can have serious and lifelong consequences. Violence only has a lifelong impact on young people, families and nations, but it also carries severe social and economic costs (direct and indirect) in the form of lost potential and reduced productivity.
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