WHAT IS CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE? Child care 1098

When we bring our children into this world, we make every special effort to make it safe and secure for them. However, today’s grim reality is that India has the world’s largest number of sexually abused children. Sample this :

• One in every 10 children is sexually abused at any point of time
• A child below 16 years is raped every 155^th minute
• A child below 10 years is raped every 13^th hours

Most of these cases go unreported because victims are too scared to speak out or aren’t aware of what to do in such a scenario.

It is commonly believed that Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) happen only with girls. However, out of every ten children abused, seven are girls and three are boys, according to a nationwide study by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India. Experts on the subject have also found that abusers are not strangers but ‘trusted’ people the child knows such as family members, neighbours , visiting relatives and people who have unquestioned access to the child. Abusers can be both men or women or even other children. As parents, we normally assume that our children can never be victims of CSA, but the fact is : every childs need to be protected. One reason why 53% of children in India have been sexually abused is because children and parents are unaware of what constitutes sexual abuse. How to protect oneself from abuse, and what to do in the case of abuse.

WHAT IS CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE ?

Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) is the use of a child by a person in a position of power for their own sexual gratification. It can be physical, verbal or visual in nature. For Children this is referred to as a ‘Touching Problem’.

• Physical : Sexual intercourse (oral, anal or vaginal), fondling of genitalia (directly or on top of clothing), sexual kissing, making the child fondle the abuser’s genitalia, making children sexually interact with each othr, or attempted intercourse.
• Verbal : Imparting age inappropriate knowledge about sexual activities, talking about conducting sexual acts with the child, using obscene language, or telling vulgar jokes.
• Visual : Showing the child ault images or blue films, exhibiting genitalia to children, watching children while they change clothes or bathe, taking pornographic pictures of children , conducting sexual acts in the presence of children.

CSA can have many devastating effects on children . Their traumatic experiences give them a distorted sense of values and a negative outlook towards people and life in general. They may have low self-esteem, feel inadequate and mistrust others. These children are also highly vulnerable to substance abuse, physical violence, STDs, HIV/AIDS and unwanted pregnancies.

WHAT YOU CAN DO AS A PARENT

· Be informed : Always know where your children are going, who they are with, what they doing and when they will be back. Ask them about what they do when alone with other adults or friends in a non-threatening manner.

· Be Supportive : Encourage your children to talk to you. Belive your children when they tell you about a child sexual abuse incident. Let them know that they do not need to keep secrets about touching. Let them know that you will not be angry or upset with them for telling.

· Be Aware : Recognise warning signs of abuse such as changes in your child’s behavior and fear of a particular person or place. Children express sexual abuse incidents through various mediums such as drawing, playing and writing.

· Be Alert : Child Sexual Predators often use grooming techniques such as paying special attention to a child, approaching you about your child under false pretences (offering to pick up children from school, or to baby-sit, or to tutor your child) and scouting areas frequented by children like gardens, playgrounds or schools.

· Inform your Children : Talk to your children about safe touch and unsafe touch. Teach them the correct vocabulary about private body parts-like penis and vargina. Remember this is for their safety – you will not be encouraging sexual behavior.

WHATYOU SHOULD NOT DO AS A PARENT

• Do not get angry or upset if you child tells you about a ‘touching problem’
• Do not have the child confront the abuser or confront the abuser in front of the child
• Do not make the child repeat the incident for family members or otherwise. Respect the child Privacy.
• Do not ignore the problem or take it lightly; it will not go away.
• Do not blame your child. Removing the child from the home/ school is not a solution. Though initially you have to remove the child from the abusive environment, you also have to solve the problem.

IF YOUR CHILD DISCLOSES A TOUCHING PROBLEM :

· Medical attention may be needed. Consult your family doctor or any public medical facility. Medical facilities are bound by confidentiality.

· Contact t the authorities in the school or the police to report the incident.

· Call CHILDLINE on 1908 if you need any assistance.

CHILDLINE is India’s first 24- hour, free, emergency phone service for children in need of care and protection. You can dial 1098 the toll-free number to access services from any mobile or landline phone. They have received over 18 million calls to date. They not only respond to the emergency need of children but also link the to service for their long-term care and rehabilitation. We have reached out to over four million children across the nation through such calls.

The child Sexual Abuse Awareness Program for Schools

In an attempt to create awareness and help children protect themselves, CHILDLINE India Foundation (CIF) has initiated a CSA Awareness Program. This program is aimed at helping prevent child sexual abuse and encouraging children to report incidents to a trusted adult. The program is carried out by trainers are mostly parents and teachers of Parent Teacher Association (PTAs) from schools across Mumbai, though there are also trained volunteers. We have partnered schools on the initiative so that your child is in a protected environment at all times.

Through story telling and Q&A sessions, children learn about safe touch, unsafe touch and what to do in case of a touching problem. The program is NOT about sex education or a discussion on sexual relationship. Children will be guided on how to react if anything uncomfortable or unsafe happens to them.