Mental health research of “Children in Conflict with the Law”: A Conceptual Analysis of some Ethical Issues in the Context of Child Sexual Abuse

Authors: [1] Kalpana Purushothaman [2] Tripathi S K

Pages: 11-15

Abstract:

Abstract: While the broad ethical principles guiding researchers conducting research with human or animal subjects can still be applied to research with children, some additional safeguards may be required to ensure that the rights and vulnerability of children, and especially those of ’particularly vulnerable ‘children like those in conflict with the law are respected. There is very little research on the mental health issues, including child sexual abuse of children in conflict with the law in India. There are also no clearly defined set of guidelines for conducting any mental health research with children in conflict with the law. Research exploring any aspect of mental health of children in conflict with the law is very likely to explore or reveal a history of child sexual abuse in this vulnerable population. An attempt has been made to discuss the need for specific guidelines to be followed by a researcher in the face of disclosure of sexual abuse by a research participant (i.e a child in conflict with the law) during any mental health research study. The paper also examines the challenges before the mental health researcher thrown up by the legal obligations of mandatory reporting (mandated under Section 19, Chapter V of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012).