THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 13 November 2019 (Treat the disease (The Hindu))

Treat the disease (The Hindu)

Mains Paper 2 : Health
Prelims level : Paedophilia
Mains level : Government step towards eliminate Paedophilia disease

Context

•  In matters of sexual crime and criminals, where there is an understandable social revulsion towards the perpetrators, the law tends to be blunt and the public discourse vitiated by a collective desire for revenge.

About Paedophilia

•  Paedophilia has been classified by the World Health Organisation as a disease.
•  Over 300 people suspected of having paedophilic tendencies have reached out to a network of psychologists and psychiatrists based in Mumbai and Pune, seeking help.
•  There are severe legal consequences for those who sexually assault and target children under the POCSO Act.
•  But doctors in Mumbai attempt to treat paedophilia through counseling and anti-depressants.
•  This is especially those who are “at the lower threshold of the disease” and have not been booked under the Act.
•  According to Klaus Beier, director of the Institute of Sexology and Sexual Medicine in Berlin’s Charité University, at least 1 per cent of the male population suffers from paedophilia.
•  Given India’s population, that’s too sizeable a number to leave unaddressed and untreated.

Significance of this move

•  The initiative to open the door to those who want to deal with their paedophilic tendencies is welcome.
•  The fear of the stigma that comes with articulating such feelings keeps them bottled up, leading to horrifying consequences.
•  That a section of mental health professionals is taking a series of steps — from anonymous helplines to expanding the number of doctors capable of managing the disorder — to make a conversation possible is welcome.

Conclusion

•  No society can leave the well-being of its children outside the ambit of the law, and once acts of sexual violence are committed, they must be prosecuted.
•  But it is also important to deal with those who seek treatment, before the worst happens, with compassion and sympathy.
•  It is important to treat the disease, not merely punish the diseased.

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Prelims Questions:

Q1. With reference to the Nanak Naam Lewa (Nanakpanthi), consider the following statements:
1. Any person who believes in Guru Nanak and follows his teachings in life, irrespective of belonging to any religion is a Nanak Naam Lewa or a Nanakpanthi.
2. Guru Nanak had spread the message of oneness and the core value of his philosophy was “Sabhna jiya ka ik daata” (There is only one giver of life, one God).

Select the correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: C
Mains Questions:
Q1. What is Paedophilia disease? How government will helping those with paedophilic tendencies before they harm children is a welcome and necessary move?