Child Abuse – Let’s talk Prevention

In modern India, for the last few years, child abuse cases are becoming so prominent that in a daily newspaper you will find one per day. Though some big-budget channels are trying to spread awareness among the people about these types of fresh cases daily through their shows nothing much could be achieved. A child is neither safe inside a home nor outside the home. In India, these cases are hidden phenomena as very few parents feel safe to tell people about what actually has happened to the child in school. In India we have bills on this type of rape case known as “Protection of children against sexual offenses 2011”; still, our children are not safe. Many cases pertaining to sexual harassment by the school teaching or non-teaching staffs have been to the fore but the question arises why such the scenario of a civilized society is?

Even after so many years and education, we are not able to control these cases and their adverse effects on the victim. Are there any loopholes in the schooling system of our society?

In 2007, the Ministry of Women & Child Development (MWCD) reported that 150 million girls and 73 million boys under the age of 18 have been subjected to forced sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual violence. A Global School-based study found that 20% and 65% of school-going children reported having been verbally and physically bullied. Let me first tell you what exactly is a child sexual abuse?

Child Sexual Abuse is an act of engaging a child in any sexual activity that he/she doesn’t understand or cannot give informed consent for or is not physically, mentally or emotionally prepared for. Abuse can be conducted by an adult or another child who is developmentally superior to the victim. This includes using a child for pornography, sexual materials, prostitution, and unlawful sexual practice.

These types of incidents in a child’s life can affect the normal development of a child impairing their mental, social and physical being. Somewhere in some extreme cases abuses of a child can result in death. According to WHO these types of incidents are very harmful to a child’s entire health, survival & dignity.

Now the question arises that after so much of education, bills and modern ideas why these types of cases are still prevalent? Where the flaws lie in?

The loopholes are there in our system and as well as in our schooling system. Though in schools we can find some psychologists appointed still the issues persist. Why so? It is because in schools the psychologists are mere designated employees without much functionality. They don’t get many facilities to aware of parents and teachers; neither the students. These days we need to be more focused on psychological training and psychological assessment of the teachers along with students by a psychologist. The government should appoint a group of psychologists in every school where they can train teachers, non-teaching staffs and students psychologically. Yearly mental health reports of teachers and other school staff are necessary to maintain proper balanced mental and physical health.

Parents need to be more concerned about their children and on their learning. Psychological training on healthy parenting is also important. This is the way we can have a much more balanced environment in schools.

I have heard many people used to say that in modern days girls wear revealing dresses that make them victims. But the question is why school children are the victims of rape then, especially preschoolers? They don’t have any concept of physical attraction, neither do they have cleavage to show nor do they have that type of body to provoke. Then what incites a rapist to rape or sexually molest a minor.

This type of perversion where an adult has a sexual interest in children and the expressed desire for immature sexual gratification with a pre-pubertal child is known as Paedophilia. Paedophilia is associated with social disapproval and have a history of severe psychosocial deprivation during the perpetrator’s own childhood, which often includes sexual abuse.

How can we help the victim to overcome the situation? Through continuous psychological support like counselling, psychotherapies, family counselling, parental counselling and psycho-education a child should be monitored for his or her mental balance and normalcy.

Parents should create some parents’ association so that they can stand beside those children who are the victims. Parents can educate their children about bad touch and good touch and how to save from this type of incident. Parents’ association can stand against this type of problem and can force the school to have all these undersaid things to start.

So what’s needed?

1. Psychological training on sex education by a psychologist.
2. Yearly psychological evaluation of the mental health of the teaching and non-teaching staff of schools along with students by a group of Psychologists.
3. Psychological awareness program for parents.
4. Mental health camps.
5. Rather hiding your pain or problems go to a counsellor either online or offline.

To have a better life we need to generate a change in our own self so that we can create a change in our society. Don’t hide be bold and open up.