JOIN USPervs may have been sexually abused
As more and more small children face sexual abuse in schools, especially by their teachers or instructors, psychiatrists say institutions should conduct a through psychological analysis of the candidates before recruiting them.
Men indulging in such heinous crimes are likely to have psychological problems or personality disorder.
According to Dr B Kapur, senior consultant psychiatrist at Lake Side and Columbia Asia hospitals, such people are extremely coward and suffer from psychological disorder.
Fearing consequences, they do not lay their hands on adults, but make children victims of their manly frustrations because they know that children cannot vocally express themselves. They get full control over children and hide their weakness. Thus, psychological profiling of teachers while recruiting them is one solution, apart from police verification and background check.
Kapur concedes that schools would find it an expensive affair to psychologically analyse the candidates. But it is still plausible and even if a remote sign of abnormality is noticed, the person should not be recruited, he says.
Dr B R Madhukar, consultant psychiatrist, St Martha’s Hospital, says it has been observed that nobody indulges in such acts suddenly.
The person would show similar signs earlier, like touching children inappropriately, talking in a bad manner or showing obscene material.
Following such cases, complaints should be registered and the person concerned should be removed from school.
Schools, during background verification, should not hide such details or else such people would become more confident, Madhukar added.
The method of teaching has also changed. Earlier, the teacher-student ratio was 1:40 or less, but now it has improved to 1:25 or even 1:10. One way, this is good because it helps children get confidence and improve their performance. But it also makes them more vulnerable.
Taking revenge
Another reason why people indulge in such crimes, according to Madhukar, is because they have been victimised in their childhood and now look at children to take revenge. Thus, apart from psychological analysis, legal system should be strengthened.
Fear of law is stronger than societal fear. Fast-track courts should be set up and no leniency should be shown to the culprits. Such people should be given severe punishment, because if a single person is punished, other prospective culprits will mellow down, fearing similar consequences.
Dr P Satish Chandra, director, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Nimhans), says such cases occur because many people now watch pornographic material on smartphones which are so cheaply available.
In the past, children would move in groups, but now they explore unknown places independently and fall victim to such perverts. Besides conducting psychiatric check on teachers, children should be taught good and bad touch at an early age, Dr Chandra added.
No single-line answer
But in the opinion of Dr Shyamala Vatsa, psychiatrist at Hosmat and Sagar hospitals, there is no single-line answer why men commit such crimes.
“It is a complex issue. You cannot usually know that something wrong is going to happen before a man commits such a crime, thus there is no point in psychological lectures because it is not lack of knowledge making men rape. And these incidents have been happening but never reached general public in the past,” the doctor added.
DH News Service