Rights group faults India on child sex abuse

February 08, 2013 - An international rights group says India's government has failed to curb the rampant sexual abuse of children, including in state-run child care facilities. In a report released Thursday, New York-based Human Rights Watch says child sexual abuse is disturbingly common in homes, schools, and residential care facilities in India. The 81-page report says government responses are falling short in protecting children from sexual abuse and in the treatment of victims of abuse. It urges the government to ensure rigorous implementation of child protection laws and strict monitoring of child care facilities. It calls for an end to traumatic medical examinations and insensitive treatment by police and other authorities, which subject victims to further distress. The rights watchdog said the inspections of state-run child facilities were inadequate, with many facilities not registered with the government as mandated by the law. ``Shockingly the very institutions that should protect vulnerable children can place them at risk of horrific child sexual abuse,'' said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director, Human Rights Watch. While the government in 2012 passed a comprehensive law to protect children from sexual offenses, its efforts to implement the law remained poor or nonexistent, activists say. While child abuse is a problem elsewhere, in India it is further aggravated by poorly trained police officers who refuse to register complaints or encourage the victims to seek a settlement. Convictions are rare and cases can languish in the country's sluggish criminal and judicial process for years, if not decades.