Published: Jul 28, 2010 23:52 Updated: Jul 28, 2010 23:52
WE often ask this question hoping we will be able to succeed in applying it. It should also be remembered that a 1,000-km journey starts with a single step.
The issue of sexual abuse against children is very old. The problem is also widespread. Those cases that remain unreported are many more than the ones that are reported and even more gruesome.
Why is it we donât unravel the hidden cases? Why donât we start with guiding children and enlightening them with simple advice that suits their age? At the same time, we should ring a warning bell to lure them to cooperate with mothers and families.
We need a carefully studied plan and should involve qualified male and female teachers to make them more capable of dealing with children who are abused.
A statistical report issued by the Human Rights Commission (HRC) in the Eastern Province, which covered cases of physical and verbal abuse, found that 17.4 percent of sexual abuse against children was committed by close relatives while strangers are responsible for 14 percent of the cases.
The study surveyed a random segment of youths under 20 who said 32 percent of them were sexually abused while 68 percent of them denied anything of the sort.
The tragedy is that most sexual abuse is committed by close relatives such as fathers, brothers and uncles. Who is closer to children than these individuals? From whom does the child expect protection other than these people?
What happens to the child if he is abused by his own close relatives whom he trusts? The child will definitely be psychologically shocked, and will be terrified and lose the sense of security. He or she will fear the future and all men. A number of complexes will gather in these young hearts.
My mailbox is replete with such stories which we only reveal when it is too late. After many years a young woman will say she has been molested when she was a little girl. She will admit that the molestation has changed her life forever.
My question to her: Why did you keep silent all these years? Why didnât you look for help at the time?
Children often shy away from talking about these things for fear that their parents may not believe them or that they may cause a scandal in the family. For this very reason we should start enlightening them at schools through syllabuses for sexual education.
We should also qualify men and women teachers to be able to deal with children who may carry signs of sexual abuse. The media also has a role to play in this respect. It should intensify its awareness campaigns against sexual molestation.
Parents should keep an eye on their drivers and housemaids. They should also provide their children with books and publications that would help them in this.
We should all cooperate to uncover these immoral practices. It is not shameful to uncover cases of sexual abuse but the shame is in burying our heads in sand fearing a scandal. ¬
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