Child Sexual Abuse

Child Sexual Abuse is one of the most heinous evils rampant in our society today. It is an issue that needs to be acknowledged in our houses and our systems if it is to be fought properly. Child sexual abuse refers to situations where a child is exploited sexually, tricked into involvement in sexual activities. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) as “the involvement of a child in sexual activity that he or she does not fully comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to, or for which the child is not developmentally prepared and cannot give consent, or that violates the laws or social taboos of society…”. The perpetrator is usually someone who the child knows well and has been around the child in places considered safe. The dynamics involved in such situations are very different from similar abusive cases involving adults and thus need to be treated differently.

Child sexual abuse includes both physical and non-physical activities between two individuals one of whom is a minor for the sexual gratification of the other person who is older than the minor. Rape, penetrative sexual activities, touching of breasts or genitals, forcing the child to watch porn or engage in harmful sexual activities, taking pictures and videos of the child, etc all come under child sexual abuse. It is not usually a one-time event but a continuous process that usually becomes more invasive and destructive with time. Child sexual abuse is a crime inflicted on a minor who is unable to give consent or process what is done to them. It leaves lasting effects that stay with them as they grow up and even cripples their ability to engage in everyday activities. It destroys them mentally, emotionally, and physically making many of them struggle with their experiences as adults. Self-doubt, fear, and repulsion of their own bodies is a common byproduct, as are PTSD, suicidal thoughts, and depression. Child sexual abuse leads to the devastation of entire families and individuals precisely because of its particular nature and the vulnerability of children.

Child sex trafficking rings and kidnappings are large scale industries which profit from sexually abusing children, but we need to be aware that this does not happen only in such spaces but inside our own homes as well. It thrives because the child is often unable to fully articulate or communicate what is being done to them. Even when they know or feel that something is wrong, they tend to not voice it, particularly when the perpetrator is someone they trust. This delay in identifying abuse also lends itself to aiding the abuse to continue for extended periods of time, even years. Another reason is the lack of awareness on the part of parents or guardians who miss the signs of abuse or take the expressions of the child as silly when they try to say that they don’t feel safe or comfortable with certain people. Indian cultural standards that often attribute respect to elders and never dare to question them becomes an ally to such practices since parents are more likely to scold than listen to their children when they say that someone in their own family makes them uncomfortable. Listening to the child and not invalidating what they are saying can greatly aid in identifying instances of abuse faster. Increased anxiety, health disorders, physical signs of abuse, or use of force are all pointers to the fact that something may be wrong. Being a watchful adult and being a friend to the child will often allow them to open up to us.

The National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) recorded that in 2018, at least 109 children were victims of sexual abuse every day in 2018. One has to keep in mind that this statistic is solely based on cases that were reported. The number of cases increases every year and particularly now with a pandemic and everyone being forced to be shut inside their own homes, the cases have severely spiked. The urgency of the issue has to be understood and addressed not just by the law but the common citizen since she is the one who is most likely to be able to identify, intervene and stop it in the least amount of time.

For help: CHILDLINE – Call 1098 (Ministry of Women and Child Development)