INTRODUCTION:
Child abuse is a serious and distressing issue that involves the mistreatment, neglect, or harm of children, typically by parents, caregivers, or other individuals in a position of authority or trust. Various forms of child abuse are physical abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. Child sexual abuse is a deeply distressing and pervasive social issue that involves the exploitation and violation of a child's physical, emotional, and psychological boundaries through sexual acts or activities. When a child or young person is sexually abused, they are forced or tricked into sexual activities. The children may not understand what is happening. WHO has declared child sexual abuse as a silent health emergency. Important thing is the negativity which affects the victims, fellows, families and then the society1. The incidence of child sex abuse has become an unresolved issue and is increasing dramatically nowadays2.
DEFINITION:
Child Sexual Abuse means any form of maltreatment inflicted on a child including penetrative sexual assault, aggravated penetrative sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, sexual harassment and use of a child for pornographic purposes.
Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO)Act, 2012.
Types of Child Sexual Abuse:
There are two types of Child Sexual Abuse:
Contact abuse:
· Sexual touching of any part of a child’s body, whether they are clothed or not
· Using a body part or object to rape or penetrate a child
· Forcing a child to take part in sexual activities
· Making a child undress or touch someone else
· It also includes touching, kissing and oral sex
Non-contact abuse:
· Exposing or flashing
· Showing pornography
· Exposing a child to sexual acts
· Making them masturbate
· Forcing a child to make, view or share child abuse images or videos
· Making, viewing or distributing child abuse images or videos
· Forcing a child to take part in sexual activities or conversations online or through a smartphone
Facts about Child Sexual Abuse:
According to National Crime Records Bureau data from
2020, approximately 28.9% of the entire child population experienced some form
of sexual crime. But only 65.6% were reported.
The common perpetrators are males.
It can happen anywhere – in person or online3.
It can happen to both girls and boys 3.
1 in 6 boys and 1 in 4 girls experience some form of
sexual abuse before they turn 18.
A common myth is that the Child Sexual Abuse is
perpetrated by strangers and pedophiles. But most people who sexually abuse
children are our friends, partners, family members and community members.
Causes of Child Sexual Abuse:
Ø Taboo around discussing sex and sexuality
Ø Tolerance to gender-based violence
Ø Culture that believes and values adults over children
Signs of Child Sexual Abuse:
The signs can be
Physical signs:
§ Bruises
§ Bleeding, discharge, pains or soreness in their genital and anal area
§ Sexually Transmitted Infections4
§ Pregnancy
Emotional / Behavioural signs:
§ Sudden decline in communication or overall talking
§ More compliant or rebellious than usual
§ Clinging to certain people more than usual
§ Sleep disturbances5
§ Excessive discussion, curiosity or knowledge about sexual topics
§ Losing interest in school, friends and hobbies
§ Eating disorders
§ Not wanting to be left alone
§ Reluctance to change clothes or partake in activities that require changing
Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse:
v The prevention of Child Sexual Abuse requires maintaining emphasis on adult accountability while additionally imparting protective skills to children.
v Participate actively in the kid’s life. Find out what they are doing and who they are engaged with.
v Keep a watch for signs of potential issues.
v Keep an eye out for grooming actions from adults who interact with the child and finding methods to spend time alone with the child regularly or giving them gifts or money on unrelated occasion. These are all potential warning signs.
v Assure the children that they can discuss about anything that disturbs them.
v Teach the kids about body parts and “good touch” and “bad touch”.
v Educate the kids to take care of their own bodies.
v Allowing children age-appropriate privacy and teaching them to say “no” when they don’t want to be touched or touch in anyway, even non sexually.
v Monitor children while using social networking sites.
v Remain calm, pay close attention and do not blame the child when he or she tells you that they had been abused. Thank the child for informing you.
v Report any abuse immediately to the concerned authorities.
v Trust your instincts.
v Do not leave the child with someone if you are uncomfortable doing so.
v Facilitate community support4.
v Aware the child about the toll-free child help line number 1098.
POCSO Act 2012:
POCSO Act, 2012 deals with all forms of sexual abuse of child remind the principles to handle the child in a systematic way and it is the most detailed law regarding this problem6. This act may be called the Protection of Children from Sexual offences Act 2012. It came into effect on 14th November 2012. It extends to the whole of India, except the state of Jammu and Kashmir. With the abrogation of Article 370 and the transition of J&K from state to Union Territory, the central POCSO act 2012 was extended to the J&K also. According to this act, child means any person below the age of 18 years.
Anyone can report child abuse. Reporting abuse can protect a child and help the family. Any person who has knowledge that an offence has been committed has a mandatory obligation to report the matter. Punishment for failure to report or record a case is imprisonment which may extend to 6 months or fine or both. This penalty is not applicable to a child. The police are required to report the matter of Child Sexual Abuse to the Child Welfare Committee within 24 hours of the report being received.
CONCLUSION:
Multidisciplinary and collaborative approach helps in addressing child sexual abuse. By raising awareness, fostering dialogue, and promoting proactive prevention measures, society can work together to create safer environments for children and combat the silent epidemic of child sexual abuse. The parents and the educators play main possible roles in the educational success of students1. Parents education level has direct correlation, highly qualified mother father has positive attitude toward child sexual abuse prevention education7.
REFERENCES:
1. Ramesh Murlidhar Shinde, Vaishali Tendolkar. Child Sexual Abuse: Is it an ordinary problem in the Society? Asian J. Nursing Education and Research. 2019; 9(1): 27-34. doi: 10.5958/2349-2996.2019.00006.5
2. Ponnambily Jobin. Why have I been touched badly? A 22 years follow-up research study on factors influencing Child Sex Abuse and Solutions to stop it. Asian J. Nursing Education and Research. 2019; 9(1): 9-16. doi: 10.5958/2349-2996.2019.00003.X
3. Vartika Gouraha. Sexual Abuse. Asian J. Nursing Education and Research. 2019; 9(2): 278-281. doi: 10.5958/2349-2996.2019.00060.0
4. Deepika C Khakha. Essentials of Mental Health Nursing for B.Sc Nursing Students. 1sted. New Delhi: CBS Publishers and Distributors Pvt. Ltd. 2023
5. R Sreevani. A Guide to Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing. 3rd ed. New Delhi: Jay Pee Brothers Medical Publishers. 2010
6. Kadu, S., Shinde, A., and Mhaske, S. N. Assessment of Knowledge and attitude about POCSO Act amongst Medical Practitioners. Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology. 2021; 14(4).
7. Batham, Y., Koreti, S., and Gaur, A. Are parents and children aware of child sexual prevention education? International Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics. 2019; 6(6). https://doi.org/10.18203/2349-3291.ijcp20194183
Received on 19.01.2024 Modified on 17.02.2024
Accepted on 08.03.2024 ©A&V Publications All right reserved
A and V Pub J. of Nursing and Medical Res. 2024; 3(2):76-78.
DOI: 10.52711/jnmr.2024.17