A sexually abused child undergoes physical, psychological and emotional stress and should be dealt with utmost care so that the victim is not traumatised further.

A two-day workshop on “The role of child mental health professionals in child and law issues” that concluded at the Central Institute of Psychiatry (CIP) in Ranchi on Tuesday cautioned the participants saying the same and emphasising the need for keeping the victims’ tender age in mind.

The workshop was organised jointly by the Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CCAP) of CIP and Support, Advocacy and Mental Health Interventions for Children in Vulnerable Circumstances and Distress (Samvad) of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (Nimhans), Bangalore, and was conducted by professor Shekhar Sheshadri of Nimhans and his team comprising doctors Sheela Ramaswamy and Kriti Tikko.

While “Child sexual abuse and understanding and implementation of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act 2012” was discussed on Monday, “Children in conflict with law” was the topic for the concluding day.

“Children comprise a large part of our population but mental health services made available to them are still meagre,” CIP director Dr Basudeb Das told The Telegraph while explaining the need for such discussions.

Unfortunately, many cases of child abuse go unreported as the perpetrators in such cases are well known to the victims, if not close relatives, he pointed out, adding the victims are not only shy of reporting but also afraid in many cases.

“In many cases, the mothers of the victims are forced to keep silence as they don’t have economic independence and as such can’t muster courage to go against the powerful male relatives or providers,” he explained.

But the crime can be put in check only if the case is pursued well under the provisions of the Pocso Act, Dr Das further said, adding that would be possible only if the psychiatrists who are involved know the Act well and make string reports.

That was why the participants were advised to understand the Pocso Act well and document such cases carefully, informed Dr Nishant Goyal who is in charge of CCAP at CIP.

“Psychiatrists should behave with the victims in a friendly and informal way so that they feel confident and open up for discussing the cases,” he said, adding that would help document such cases in a convincing way.

Psychiatrists are often invited to assess such cases and give expert opinion, Dr Goyal said, adding they could do the job better if they know the law well and make an assessment accordingly, he further said explaining why they should understand the legal obligations.

“It’s the same while dealing with children in conflict with law,” said Dr Das, adding in that case the psychiatrists have to be conversant with the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act 2015.