Sex Abuse Against Child: Proactive Awareness.

As I spent my whole off-working day treating my flu,I was watching a movie, "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo",it was a remarkable story about a journalist looking for a missing woman for 40 years.Now,not just the fact that it was Daniel Craig who played as the main character that attracts me the most but theres one side of the issue in the movie that touches me so well,Sex Abuse.A very intelligent girl named Lisbeth in the movie was actually became a girl with personality disordered with some problems related to sex and drug abuse because she was actually been sexually abused by her father that led her to burn her father alive when she was 12.Folks said,there wouldn't be a movie if there wasn't a real story,so I believe that Sex Abuse had become a very common things for us,Malaysians to see it in the newspaper especially when it happened to children. Terribly traumatic and lead to complex causes,it is believed that only 10 percent from the total sex abuse cases are reported due to the victim's family prefer to remain silent in avoiding being ashamed and alienated by the community.This result to tremendous traumatise experience to the victims especially when it happened to a young child that will chased by the nightmare during their whole process of growing.Imagine,in 2009 alone it was reported that there are 313 cases related to chlid's sex abuse happened in a month in Malaysia which brought to 2193 cases in the year alone.Looking at the bright side, even tough the report rises as the year goes by,its actually a good positive sign as the police believe that the community had actually reached the awareness to report on such cases to protect the innocence.Before I continue any further,Child Sex Abuse is actually defined as any sexual act with a child performed by an adult or an older child."  Child sexual abuse could include a number of acts, including but not limited to: 

• Sexual touching of any part of the body, clothed or unclothed;

• Penetrative sex, including penetration of the mouth;

• Encouraging a child to engage in sexual activity, including masturbation;

• Intentionally engaging in sexual activity in front of a child;

• Showing children pornography, or using children to create pornography;

• Encouraging a child to engage in prostitution.

Looking at this matter,I believe that it is not just to the parents that should shouldered the responsibility but its actually to everyone, the whole community should gain the awareness of what should they do to protect the younger generation.Above all the problems that could lead to a disastrous life of a child,I view that Sex Abuse is the most terrible of all.Do the least we can and I am trying to spread this awareness.If you ever happen to deal with this type of situation where a child tells you about they are being sexually harrased then you must know how to;

Be calm.A child may misinterpret your anger at the abuse as disgust for him/her. Staying calm will also help him/her regain his/her dignity, which is often the first to go. Assurances like, “Other children have had similar experiences,” or “Let’s see what we can do,” could encourage the child to open up more.

Be supportive.Talking about the abuse can be as traumatic as the abuse itself. Adults must give the child as much support as possible, especially when the child begins to open up. Reassure the child that you’ll be there for as long as it takes, and that you’ll go through it together.Report the abuseThis is one way to stop the abuse. Moreover, everybody is mandated to report all confirmed or suspected cases of abuse within 48 hours.

Believe.Children rarely invent stories. They hesitate telling because they fear nobody will believe them. Believing a child is a major step in helping him/her overcome the trauma. Statements like “I believe you” or “It’s not your fault” will help the healing.

Be affirming.Abused children are often confused about their feelings, as a result of manipulation by their abusers. They must be allowed and encouraged to say what they feel. And their feelings must be taken seriously and affirmed. “I know this isn’t easy,” and “You’re very brave to be opening up,” convey empathy, concern and support a child’s need.Prepare the child for what will happen nextAbused children feel helpless. They need to know that there are people who can help. They must also be told what they could do, i.e. how to relate the incident, whom to tell, and what support is needed.






Judy.

She threatened to kill herself at school.

Judy is a ten-year-old girl who was referred toFor The Child's Mental Health Program because she locked herself in a bathroom stall at school and threatened to kill herself. Judy has lived in more than twenty foster homes and has been admitted to psychiatric hospitals several times for treatment of depression.

Judy was physically and sexually abused by her stepfather from the time she was a toddler until early elementary school age.

Many of her previous foster placements failed because the foster families could not handle the severity of her mental health problems. Although Judy has many challenges in her life, she has shown definite improvement during her treatment at For The Child. She uses her therapy time well to learn ways of coping with difficult memories and emotions. She was very touched at Christmas by the special gifts she received from For The Child donors, including a beautiful coat and a hand carved wood jewelry box. The best gift of all was sharing Christmas with a supportive foster family.

Brothers, aged 6 and 3, were playing outside when they agreed to help their neighbor search his apartment for the kitten.
Tom was a friend to all of the children in the apartment complex. He was also a registered sex offender, but no one knew. Sammy and Tommy were lured to his apartment with the kitten story, sexually assaulted and tied up. An intense search for the boys by law enforcement and neighbors saved their lives.


I believe that we can be proactive and its not an issue to have this kind of awareness.People should know and learn the least about this.Thank you. :)