Sixty-Six Children Reported Concerns Directly to Ministry in April

In April, 66 children self-reported complaints to the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

According to the data released by the ministry on cases filed with them last month, they received a total of 2,150 complaints through the ministry’s helplines. They said out of these, 1,778 complaints were received via the child helpline 1412. 

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Apart from the self-reported cases by children, the ministry received 1,198 complaints by adults and 514 anonymous complaints. The ministry also received 280 complaints through the social service helpline 1421.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Social and Family Development released its statistics on the cases filed with the ministry in the previous month. An in-depth breakdown of the data is provided below:

 35 Self-Harm Cases and 32 Family-Related Complaints

Additionally, 35 cases related to self-harm or attempted suicide were recorded, involving 26 women and nine men.

The Ministry received 32 complaints related to family issues in April, with child care concerns topping the list at 13 cases. Other family-related reports included eight cases linked to custody, six involving child visitation disputes, and five regarding non-payment of child-related expenses. The reports were evenly split between genders, with 16 cases each involving girls and boys.

Surge in Behavioural and Child Rights Complaints

Children’s behavioural concerns also featured prominently in the report, with 21 complaints recorded. The most reported issue was children running away from home (7 cases), followed by refusal to go to school (5 cases). The remaining nine complaints involved various behavioural issues. Boys accounted for 16 of these cases, with girls comprising the remaining six.

In addition, the Ministry noted six complaints of child rights violations. These included three cases of refusing to send children to school, two cases of insufficient school supplies, and one case involving refusal to vaccinate children. Four of these complaints concerned girls, and two involved boys.

Nearly 100 Child Abuse Cases Reported

The Ministry recorded a total of 98 child abuse cases in April, highlighting a persistent and troubling issue. Neglect was the most common form, with 32 reports, followed by 21 cases of sexual abuse, 18 cases of physical abuse, and 12 incidents of emotional abuse.

Other notable incidents included:

• Four cases of children witnessing domestic violence
• Three cases of cyberbullying
• Two cases of bullying
• Two cases of harassment
• One case each of offline and online sexual grooming
• One case of child abandonment
  

Gender-wise, 51 victims were girls and 47 were boys.

Caregiving Challenges and State Custody Updates

The Ministry also handled 15 complaints related to caregiving, including nine cases involving persons with disabilities and six concerning senior citizens. The complaints were relatively balanced in gender, with eight involving men and seven involving women.

In the realm of state custody and foster care, four children (two boys and two girls) were removed from state custody in April. By the end of the month, 146 children remained under government care, comprising 83 boys and 63 girls. One child in foster care was transitioned to a foster family, while four children in state custody were offered employment or internship opportunities.

Alarming Cases of Violence Against Women and Men

The Ministry received 44 reports of violence against women and men in April. A significant 28 cases involved physical violence, while eight cases were classified as psychological or verbal abuse. Other incidents included:

• Five cases of intimidation
• Two cases of sexual assault
• Two cases of unlawful restraint
• Two cases of rape 
• One case involving property seizure and damage
  

Of the reported incidents, 40 involved female victims and four involved male victims, underlining the disproportionate impact on women.