Chandigarh: Close on the heels of the case of a 10-year-old girl becoming pregnant after getting raped by her maternal uncle, it has come to light that over 400 children were sexually abused in last three years in the Tricity Figures from the police departments show that 418 cases were registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences ( POCSO ) Act from January 2014 till date in Mohali, Panchkula and Chandigarh.Of all these cases, more than half (221) were reported from Chandigarh alone, making the city most vulnerable for kids.In Mohali, 97 children were sexually abused. Ninety cases were registered under POCSO Act in different police stations of Panchkula.However, according to police officers and child right experts, these figures are just the tip of the iceberg as most such incidents go unreported."We have seen that in most of the cases victims belong to a poor background. Most cases are not reported to the police for a slew of reasons, including shame and fear. The true picture is more horrible," said Anjitha Chepiyal, DSP, women and child unit of the UT police. "Hundreds of cases do not come to light every year," Chepiyal added.According to experts, the big area of concern is that maximum number of children were sexually abused or exploited by close relatives or people known to these families.According to Rajesh Gill, PU professor at sociology department, sex education for children should be made compulsory to save them from predators."Sex education for children is a must. Children should be taught from an early age about friendly and unfriendly touch of their relatives and friends. Parents should also build confidence in their wards so that they don't fear to share anything with them," said Gill."If a child reports anything to their parents, it should be immediately dealt with the people concerned. Don't feel shy to report. In maximum cases, families do not report such matters to because of social stigma," Gill added.Another reason behind the rise in such cases in the society is children get sex education from wrong people like peer groups, friends and Internet at an early stage. If they get the education from their mother, doctors they would never be victimized. Children should be sensitized about these issues by schools and family first, experts said.According to Pam Rajput, a woman rights activist, schools and parents will have to share the responsibility of saving the children from sexual abuse "To protect our children from sexual abuse and get exploited school and parents will have to come forward. Parents and school teachers should build their confidence so that they do not hesitate to share about any exploitation by people known to them," said Rajput."POCSO Act must be implemented very effectively and the role of child right commissions is very crucial to protect children," she added.Old casesApril 22, 2014 | Police booked Bal Niketan supervisor Manish Kumar for sexually abusing, assaulting, beating and threatening 16 girls. The accused was sentenced to seven-year imprisonment in January 2015.May 13, 2015 | Police arrested a 23-year-old conductor with a school bus of a private school for molesting a five-year-old girl student. The accused was sentenced to five-year imprisonment in September 2016.July 11, 2015 | Police arrested Zulfiqar Khan, director, Theatre Age, for allegedly sodomising children of his NGO.

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