Abstract

Children are vulnerable individuals who need protection, affection, shelter, love, and care from parents, society, and other caregivers to grow and develop well. Conversely, children are not safe in public and private spaces from sexual abuse. Therefore, cases of child abuse can ruin a child’s childhood and adversely hamper his/her physical and mental health. Social workers and caregivers play an instrumental role in identifying and addressing child abuse cases. Various human rights organizations (domestic and international) and committees in India are established to support children’s rights and their protection. However, enough training and preparation is not provided to social workers and caregivers when child sexual abuse needs to be reported. It is necessary to understand the signs and risk factors required for legal and ethical considerations when reporting child abuse to law enforcement bodies and agencies. Various services and programs are available for affected kids and families. However, providing a safe and compassionate disclosure environment focusing on the child’s safety and the person reporting these kinds of acts during the process is crucial. The main reason behind less reporting of child sexual abuse is the fear of involvement with government agencies like police and personnel threats to the reporter’s life. In India, caregivers are not given proper protection by institutions working to protect human rights, and no specific law protects people serving as caregivers. These caregivers mainly belong to poor sections of society, so they are also not aware of their rights and children’s rights. That is why they often ignore the reporting of child sexual abuse. As crucial persons in a child’s life, caregivers should be protected and made aware of the laws and rights available to them. Developing a more skilled and prepared system of supporters for social workers and caregivers is vital to reducing and eliminating child sexual abuse in the Indian setting. Methodologically, the paper will follow the doctrinal methods of the study. This paper will compare India's existing legislation and policy framework concerning the protection and safety of the social worker and caregiver with those of a few Western nations. This paper will propose a framework for the adequate protection and safety of the social worker and caregiver.