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Child Sexual Abuse
Child sexual abuse is the act of engaging a child in any sexual activity that the child does not understand or cannot give informed consent to, with the object of achieving sexual gratification. Contrary to popular belief, children of all sexes are prone to sexual abuse, not just girls, its equally important to care for the safety of your son and your daughter. Child sexual abuse is not only restricted to sexual activities that involve physical contacts such as molestation or rape, but it also includes those activities which do not involve physical contact with the child, this is known as sexual harassment. Under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 sexual harassment includes any verbal exchange, showing any form of pornographic material to the child, any gesture or exhibition of any part of the body or the body of the child with sexual intent amounts to sexual harassment.
In another such case of child sexual abuse, the Allahabad High Court denied bail to a school van driver. According to the statement of the children, the accused would show pornographic videos to children travelling in the van, if they objected, he would burn them with a lighter. He would also touch the children inappropriately and force them to lick his penis. Children due to their tender age are susceptible to sexual abuse, this isn’t a recent phenomenon, child sexual abuse has been around for a long time, we are just increasingly becoming aware of these instances as the world is becoming more and more connected through the medium of news channels, media and of course, the internet.
All of us have a responsibility to protect these children from being exposed to this sort of trauma at such a young age, a victim of child sexual abuse generally carries the psychological injuries of this traumatic incident throughout his/her life. Special emphasis needs to be placed on the words all of us, not just the parents, any trusted or responsible adult can step up and help a child in need, it's important to make this distinction because in some cases, the perpetrators of sexual abuse are the parents or one of the primary caregivers. This is especially hard for us as a society to digest, it's inconceivable for us to think that parents can commit such a heinous offence, but it happens, and more often than not, these cases are not reported.
Educating yourself and your child about child sexual abuse is very important and can prove to be immensely beneficial. In most cases of sexual abuse, the child knows his abuser, and the abuser has earned the confidence of the family members. If your child opens up about an incident of sexual abuse, you must trust your child and show him/her that you are there to protect them and assure them this would not happen again.
Educating your child about sexual excuse may seem like a difficult and unpleasant task, but there are simple child-friendly conversations that ensure the safety of your child-
- No one should see or touch the parts of the body which are covered by underwear, anytime a person attempts to do so, the child should say no and inform the parents or any trusted adult.
- Explain to your child the difference between good and bad secrets, secrets which make the child feel sad, worried, afraid, or frightened are bad secrets, these secrets must not be kept, and the child should share them. However, secrets like a surprise birthday party are good secrets, they may be kept.
- Create an environment for your child where the child knows they can talk about anything that upsets or frightens them, and it wouldn’t land them into trouble.
- Make them understand the difference between bad touch and a good touch.
- These conversations must be had with the child frequently, not just once or twice.
Child sexual abuse is a social evil which is the sad reality for thousands of children out there, spreading awareness on this issue is of utmost importance, statistics on child sexual abuse do not present an accurate picture since in most cases, the perpetrators are relatives or people well known to the family, thus, family members are not inclined to press charges. This article barely scratches the surface, there is a wealth of knowledge at your disposal that you can use to educate yourself and your child to ensure that your child is protected from the trauma of Child Sexual Abuse.
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