India has no laws to deal with parental abuse of children

Mumbai: Family law expert Flavia AgnessaysIndia doesn’t have laws that specifically deal with child abuse and parental neglect. Apart from criminal laws dealing with sexual abuse and serious sex crimes where the accused may bethe victim’s father, there is no general law to punish parents for abusive or neglectful parenting.
    Thelegallandscapeisdifferent in western nations. Laws define child abuse and neglect, offer parenting-resource training. Neglect is difficult to define,for there are noclear crossculturalstandardsfor desirable or minimally-adequate child rearing practices, say experts. They add that research shows neglect often exists with other forms of abuse and adversity.
    Neglect usually refers to absence of parental care and thechronicfailureto meetchildren’s basic needs. Defining those needs hasn’t been straightforward. Child neglect (also called psychological abuse) is abuse that occurs when someone intentionally denies a child food, water, shelter, clothing, medical care, or other necessities. Forms of child neglect include: Allowing the child to witness violence or severe abuse between parents or adults, ignoring, insulting, or threatening the child with violence, not providing the child with a safe environment and adult emotional support, and reckless disregard for a child’s well-being.
    In the US child abuse is broadly defined as any cruelty inflictedupon a child,including mental abuse, physical harm, threat of physical harm, neglect, sexual abuse or exploitation,even assaultof a childwho is under 18.
    Child abuse laws in Europe prescribe punishments ranging from fines and custody to removal of the child to a foster home. In UK, the Children Act of 1989 prescribes duties to a parent and provides for action against abusive parents that could include putting a child in a foster home.
LEGAL LANDSCAPE India doesn’t have specifi c laws to deal with child abuse
Criminal laws deal with serious sex crimes where accused may be victim’s father
No general law to punish parents for abusive parenting
In US, child abuse broadly defined as any type of cruelty inflicted on child
Alaska has exemptions for religious reasons for parents’ failure to get medical aid for kids
Laws in Europe prescribe punishments ranging from fi nes and jail terms to placing children in foster homes 

source:

Swati Deshpande | TNN