Mumbai Paper Clip: ‘Most parents feel children are safest while in school’
Four out of five parents in Mumbai feel that their child is completely safe in school, according to the survey. Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal New Delhi 201117 Four out of five parents in Mumbai feel that their child is completely safe in school, according to the survey. Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal New Delhi 201117
EVEN AS several incidents of violence against children are being reported from schools, a large number of parents in the city still feel that their child is safest in school.
Child Rights and You (CRY) conducted interviews with 122 respondents in the slums of Kurla, Colaba and Kalina. Another 89 parents were interviewed from “privileged backgrounds” from all over the city. The survey tested parents’ perception of risks in schools, public spaces and modes of transport.
Four out of five parents in Mumbai feel that their child is completely safe in school, according to the survey. Most parents also believed that their children were at greater risk of being in an accident than of being intentionally harmed by someone who might abuse, exploit or abduct them. Less than two per cent of parents from slums could conceive of a non-accidental risk to their child at school. Among parents from more privileged backgrounds, less than 20 per cent acknowledged that their children faced non-accidental risks at schools.
However, parents from both sections of society identified physical and sexual abuse as the biggest threat to their children. While in slums, a large number of parents saw kidnapping as a threat, other parents felt their children could face unpredictable risks.
The study ‘Parents’ Perception of Child Safety’ by CRY was undertaken to understand the risks perceived by parents, to assess the mechanisms and practices adopted by them and to understand what parents desire from the government in terms of the safety of their children.
Around 60 per cent of respondents from slum areas and 39 per cent of parents from other areas perceived risks to their children during their travel. Strikingly, more number of parents in slums felt their children were at no risk at home compared to those from more well-to-do localities, where only 25 per cent believed their child was at no risk at home.
Parents were also asked about the existence of potential accident-causing dangers such as open balconies/terraces, swimming pools/ponds, railway tracks, fire, electricity hazards and poisons. In the slums, 57 per cent of parents said their children faced such safety hazards.
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