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in news links Aware Parents, Caretakers and Children Can Help Prevent Child Sexual Abuse Aware Parents and Caretakers Can Better Help A Sexually Abused Child Recognizing that the child has been sexually abused Helping the child talk about abuse Seeking professional support to help the child heal Understanding, Preventing and Coping with Child Sexual Abuse - A Short Recap Myths and Facts about Child Sexual Abuse Statistics of prevalence of Child Sexual Abuse in India Laws on Child Sexual Abuse in India Resources Available Related Links Glossary Also visit Arpan's blog on Child Sexual Abuse http://arpancsa.blogspot.com/
Child sexual abuse is ANY ACT directed at a child by an adult or older person for the sexual gratification of the adult or older person. It includes:
Emphasise that they must say "NO " to any action/touch that causes discomfort or unease to them. If the child is feeling uneasy about anybody giving them a hug, don’t pressurise them to do so. Respect the child’s liking/disliking to touch and hugs.Most importantly you must teach them RULES FOR PERSONAL SAFETY RULE NO. 1 • It is NEVER all right for someone to TOUCH, LOOK or TALK about one’s private body parts except to keep them clean and healthy.It is never alright for someone older or bigger to ask the child to TOUCH, LOOK or TALK about their private body parts.RULE NO. 2 • If someone tries to break this rule, say "NO" and RUN AWAY.RULE NO. 3 • TELL someone you trust and KEEP TELLING until you get the help you need.
Give this information in
an age appropriate manner.
Sometimes, despite our best efforts, our children become victim of sexual abuse. We need to help our children through this by the following: Step 1: Recognizing that the child has been sexually abused Step 2: Helping the child talk about abuse
Step 3: Seeking professional support to help the child heal
Important: These behavioural changes MAY be indicative of sexual abuse, but are NOT necessarily a result of sexual abuse, there could be other factors as well. Step 2:
Rule # 1: Remember that the child is not at fault. Rule # 2: Make sure the child understands Rule # 1. Always keep the above rules in mind whilst talking to the child. However before encouraging the child to talk, it is important to first understand why they don’t talk about sexual abuse themselves, and what enables them to talk about it sometimes later.
Create an understanding and open environment to help the child talk about the abuse. When children finally do talk about abuse, it’s very important to handle it carefully. Rules in handling disclosure… • Keep calm• Believe the child• Listen to the child• Answer the child’s questions honestly• Respect the child’s privacy by not telling other people• Give positive messages: "I know you could not help it" or "I am proud of you for telling"• Report the abuse• Arrange a medical exam• Get professional helpIt is of utmost importance to keep open communication channels and have a good constant rapport with the child. DON'T
Remember, disclosure is difficult for children. It may be days, months, years or even never, for a victim to talk about sexual abuse. Be patient and supportive. Step 3:
Sexually abused children often feel guilt, anger, sadness, shame and confusion.
Child sexual abuse is NOT the child’s fault – but the child doesn’t understand that. Professional counselling helps the child: • Realise that abuse is NOT his/her fault • Get rid of the shame and guilt • Feel accepted, safe and secure • Rebuild their self esteem and confidence • Minimise focus on the traumatic past, heal and move on • Come to terms with the consequences about the abuser when reported and action is takenThe family also needs counselling to cope with the abuse situation and help the child heal.
How Arpan can help
Pushpa Venkatraman,
Counsellor, Arpan,
M.A. in Psychology has had more than
20 years of experience in the field of child sexual exploitation. She has dealt
with several cases of Child Sexual Abuse and has conducted numerous prevention and training programs on Child Sexual Abuse.
She will be glad to guide you
based on her experience.
Phone: +91.98190.86444
• Sexual Abuse affects children negatively, yet most children don’t report it.• Aware parents, caretakers and children can help prevent child sexual abuse.• Teach children about Safe and Unsafe Touch and to say "NO" to Unsafe Touch.• Teach children Personal Safety Rules "NO", RUN, TELL, KEEP TELLING.• Aware parents and caretakers can better help a sexually abused child by >> Step1 Recognizing that the child has been sexually abused >> Step2 Helping the child talk about abuse >> Step3 Seeking professional support to help the child healIt is very important to remember and remind the child that Sexual Abuse is NOT the child’s fault. Parents need to be compassionate, patient and encouraging.
The first ever National Study on Child Abuse in April 2007, covering 13 states in India and a sample size of 12,446 children was released by Minister for Women and Child Development showing these stark reality figures: • More
than 53% children report facing one or more forms of sexual abuse • 50% of sexual offenders were known to the victim or were in positions of trust (family member, close relative, friend or neighbour). • Onset of abuse is from 5 years of age. • Boys
were equally at risk as girls.
Tulir- CPHCSA’s
study in 2006, conducted among 2211 school going children in Chennai,
indicates CSA prevalence rate of 42%. Children of all socio economic
groups were found to be equally vulnerable. While 48% of boys reported
having been abused, the prevalence rate among girls was 39%. 15% of both
boys and girls had been severely abused. In a survey with 350 school girls in New Delhi by Sakshi in 1997, 63% had experienced CSA at the hands of family members; and 25% of the girls had either been raped, made to masturbate the perpetrator or engage in oral sex. Another 1997 study on middle and upper class women from Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Goa by RAHI revealed that 76% of respondents had been sexually abused as children, with 71% been abused either by relatives or by someone they knew and trusted. Samvada’s 1996 study on students in Bangalore states that 47% of the respondents had been sexually abused; 62% of whom had been raped once and 38% of whom had suffered repeated violations.
by Pushpa Venkatraman According to The Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 1 defines “the child” as “every human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier”. In the Indian legal system, the child has been defined differently in the various laws pertaining to children. The Indian Penal Code defines the child as being 12 years of age, whereas the Indian Traffic Prevention Act, 1956 defines a ‘minor’ as a person who has completed the age of 16 years but not 18 years. Section 376 of IPC, which punishes the perpetrators of the crime of rape, defines the age of consent to be below 16 years of age, whereas Section 82 & 83 of the IPC states that nothing is an offence done by a child under 7 years, and further under 12 years, till he has attained sufficient maturity of understanding the nature of the Act and the consequences of his conduct on that occasion. There are very few sections under the Indian Penal Code that deal with child sexual abuse. Some terrible home truths are:
How do
we apply section 354, on outraging the modesty of women, with respect to
children? The gravity of the offence under section 509, dealing with obscene gestures, is less. Yet even in such cases, the child’s psyche may be affected as severely as in a rape.
Status There also exists a differential definition for “boys and girls”. This is clearly seen in the Juvenile Justice Act, which defines a male minor as being below 16 years and a female minor as being below 18 years of age. In the Indian context the age of an individual in order to be determined as a “child” is NOT uniformly defined. The consequence of this is that it offers various gaps in the legal procedure which is used by the guilty to escape punishment. In cases of rape the burden of proof is on the victim of rape, however if the victim is a minor, the question of giving consent does not arise, as consent of a minor is not concerned as consent in the eyes of the law. In cases of CSA, at present the law that is referred to is section 376 of the IPC, where the age of consent is above 16 years.
Urgent
Action
Current
Status in 2007 One positive development in this regard has been the preparation of a draft by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The Offences Against Children Bill, 2005, in circulation since January this year, is hailed by child rights activists as a landmark document; it is the first time that a law specifically aimed at protecting children's rights has been under debate. "So far there was not a single law aimed at safeguarding children and protecting them against abuse. Offences against children were so far booked under laws under the IPC, which at times failed to result in prosecution and conviction simply for the reason that crimes involving children need to be handled with different tools," said Rajmangal Prasad, director, Pratidhi, another NGO active in the field of child rights. According to him, if the proposed draft does become law, it will go a long way to check child trafficking because specific sections in the draft deal with precisely this issue. Furthermore, the definition of trafficking goes beyond trafficking for commercial sex. The proposed document has specific sections dealing with various offences against children, including sale/transfer, sexual assault, sexual/physical/emotional abuse, commercial sexual exploitation, child pornography, grooming for sexual purpose, incest, corporal punishment, bullying and economic exploitation. The document makes it clear that provisions in this law will be in addition to other legislation within the IPC and the Juvenile Justice Act because these laws do not separately cover persons who commit crimes against children and some other categories of children under various circumstances of abuse, exploitation and neglect.
Child rights activists
are calling for the draft under consideration to be made into a law so
that the suffering children have some hope. As the first paragraph of the
document states, "although India has the second largest child population
in the world, there is no separate legislation to deal with offences
against children". It is high time it was enacted.
List of Books you can refer to read more about Child Sexual Abuse and its prevention. All these books can be ordered through www.amazon.com
Parenting the Sexually Abused Child "Courage to heal" Activity book for adult survivors – Sage Publications By Indian NGOs and authors
Incest - the most
common form of child abuse - Anuja Gupta & RAHI -
www.rahifoundation.org
www.rahi.org For adult survivors of child sexual abuse. Website of RAHI, an NGO in New Delhi www.stopitnow Prevention of child sexual abuse based in USA
www.prevent-abuse-now.com
www.tulircphcsa.org
www.childsexualabuseinindia.blogspot.com
www.kidpower.org
www.cari.ie
www.protectkids.com
www.healthline.com
www.stairwayfoundation.org
www.ispcan.org
www.child-abuse.com
www.ecpat.net
Abuse, Sexual - Contact(s) between a child and an adult, or person significantly older, or in a position of power or control over the child, where the child is being used for sexual stimulation of the older person. Accessory - A person who contributes to or aids in the commission of a crime, before or after it is committed. Accommodation - Fitting in or conforming to the environment. This can refer to positive changes such as a child who shifts interests to accommodate to a new step-family, or negative changes, such as a child who becomes less resistant and assertive when repeatedly sexually abused by a member of the family. Accomplice - A person who, knowingly, assists the primary perpetrator in a crime. Acquittal - The finding in a criminal case that a defendant is not guilty of the crime charged. Adult survivor of sexual abuse - A person who has undergone abuse as a child. Conduct Disorder - A disruptive behavioral disorder during childhood and/or adolescence, characterized by persistent violation of the rights of others. This is a pattern often found in children legally determined to be delinquent, and can sometimes be found in adolescents who commit sexual offenses to younger and more vulnerable children as one of many exploitative and negative behavioral patterns. Defense Mechanism - Unconscious attempts to provide relief from emotional conflict. Common ones include; denial, displacement, dissociation, projection, rationalization, and regression. There are others. Offenders almost always use denial to reduce the negative self-esteem that comes from realizing how destructive child molestation behaviors are. Defendant - The alleged wrong doer in a criminal or civil case. Delusion - A false belief system despite clear external evidence to the contrary. The most common delusions are of persecution or grandeur. Denial - One of the primitive defense mechanisms involving disavowal of negative thoughts, feelings or behaviors that are true or have occurred. It differs from lying in that the person, at least partially, believes his/her own distortion. Rejecting the full reality and responsibility of an inappropriate behavior. Denial is common among sex offenders and persons with substance addictions. Developmental Disability - A substantial handicap or impairment occurring prior to the age of 18. Deviant Sexual Arousal - A pattern of sexual interest for inappropriate activities or objects. Sexual interest in prepubescent children is one example and is referred to as Pedophilia. Many other forms of deviant sexual arousal are also possible. Empathy - The capacity for participating in another person's feelings or ideas; putting oneself into the psychological frame of reference of another person so the other person's thinking, feeling, and acting are understood. During the act of abuse of a child, empathy is usually missing from the abusing adult. Thus, measurement of empathy is thought to be an important aspect to assessment of recidivism risk for abusers. Enuresis - Repeated voiding of urine into inappropriate places past the age of 4 and not due to a direct physiologic problem. Enuresis can be a symptom of many different problems, sometimes but not always, including sexual abuse. Homosexuality - Sexual interest in persons of the same gender. Homosexuality is no longer considered a disorder and is currently believed to be unrelated to increased probability of sexual orientation toward children. Hostile Witness - A witness who is subject to cross-examination by the same party who called him/her as a direct witness due to antagonism demonstrated during DIRECT EXAMINATION. Hymen - Thin membranous tissue covering the opening to the vagina. It may be of various normal configurations other than the most commonly known shape of a ring of tissue narrowing the vaginal opening. Incest - Sex / sexual relations with a relative. Interrogation - An interview of a suspect believed to have committed a crime with the goal being a confession. An interrogation is not the same as an interview in that a conclusion has already been reached by the law enforcement investigator and the goal is less focused on obtaining new information Juvenile - In Georgia, a person under the age of 18; MINOR. Juvenile Court - A court specifically established to hear cases concerning minors as victims of deprivation or as perpetrators of juvenile crimes. Mental Status - Psychological and behavioral functioning determined through observation and questioning. A "mental status exam" reviews such functioning covering such things as; affect, speech, thought content, perception, and cognitive functions. Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) - Collaborative efforts of professionals from different disciplines toward a common goal. Effective intervention of child sexual abuse seems to be best accomplished through an MDT approach in which the common goal of reducing child sexual abuse, and reducing the negative effects of child sexual abuse, have more characteristics of O-AFFECT than pursuing one's individual or one's profession's goals while ignoring the broader goals of the entire team. Perpetrator/Abuser - The person who sexually abuses a child for his/her own sexual gratification. Pedophilia - One of the PARAPHILIAS indicating sexual interests and behavior by an adult generally towards prepubertal children. Pedophile - An adult who indulges in sexual acts with a minor child and attains sexual gratification. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - A disorder following exposure to an overwhelming stressor involving threat of injury, death or threat to self plus a feeling of extreme helplessness and fear followed by symptoms of persistent mental re-experiencing of the trauma, avoidance of things associated with the trauma which are not dangerous, and hyper arousal of the AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM. Many victims of sexual abuse show some or all signs of PTSD, although some show none of these symptoms Prevention - Taking active steps that reduce the PROBABILITY that an undesirable outcome may occur. Prevention of sexual abuse must include experiences for children and families that support thoughts, feelings and behaviors in opposition to abusive actions. Probation - A method of allowing a person convicted of a minor offense to remain in community but having to follow special rules, and being supervised by a Probation Officer. Prognosis - The prediction of the future course of an illness including mental health problems. Projective Tests - Psychological tests used for diagnosis in which there is a wide range of possible responses thought to allow for a "projection" of internalized issues into the test data. Examples include projective drawing tests, inkblots, and imaginative story telling to pictures. Projective tests are useful in uncovering unconscious material, but tend to be less RELIABLE in scoring compared to objective tests that are NORMED. The value of projective test results is highly dependent on the clinical skill of the examiner. Psychiatric Social Worker - A social worker with a master's or doctorate degree and specialized psychiatric training. In Georgia, the term more commonly used is Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). Psychiatrist - A licensed physician with specialized training in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental disorders. A Board Certified Adult Psychiatrist has a 4 year medical degree, medical license, and specialized psychiatric training to work with adults. A Board Certified Child Psychiatrist has this training as well as another subspecialty with children and adolescents. Psychiatrists can do psychotherapy, medication, and hospitalize persons for psychiatric disturbances. Sometimes their medical training is also related to psychiatric symptoms actually tied to physical problems (e.g. depression in a patient due to thyroid problems). Psychologists - In Georgia, a person holding a doctoral degree (Ph.D. or Psy.D.) in psychology from an accredited program. There are many different specialty areas of psychology, not all of which deal with persons' mental, behavioral or emotional problems. School Psychologists must be certified through the State Department of Education to be employed within the schools. Clinical and Counseling Psychologists must be licensed in order to practice psychology independently. Psychopathology - The manifestation of significant mental disorders. Also, the study of the origins and processes of these disorders. Psychosexual Assessments - Interview approaches and tests focused on sexual functioning, especially sexual dysfunctioning and PARAPHILIAS. Psychosexual Development - A psychoanalytic term referring to stages of development from a Freudian perspective. Psychosomatic - An adjective used to describe physical symptoms that are at least influenced by psychological factors (e.g. headaches related to tension). Psychotherapy - An intervention approach to reduce psychological symptoms. Psychotropic - An adjective describing medications used for psychiatric symptom relief. Relapse - An individual who has recovered or improved and subsequently experiences a return of symptoms is said to have experienced a relapse. A relapse of paraphilic symptoms that are illegal would be considered an example of a relapse and of RECIDIVISM Sexual Abuser /Sex Offender - A person whose sexual behavior is directed at another who refused, or were not able, to offer their consent. Survivor - The victim who learns to cope or is healed of the sexual abuse and has learned to relegate it to his past events with the clear understanding that he is not at fault. By this time he has more power to heal. Sodomy - Sexual penetration of the ANUS by the penis of a male Traumatic Amnesia - Difficulty being able to intentionally recall part or all of an extreme trauma event which became dissociated from normal consciousness and memory. Some of the worst trauma persons have experienced may be difficult to intentionally recall and discuss because of the process of dissociation. This subject is a topic of great controversy in contrast with the explanation of FALSE MEMORY. Vagina - The female genital opening from the LABIA inside to the uterus. Verdict - The final judgment of a jury or judge in either a civil or criminal case. Vigilance - Alertness to potential danger. In victims of severe trauma, vigilance often includes the general alerting function or sentinel activity of the nervous system resulting in over responding and difficulty in returning to a relaxed state. Victim - The child who suffers the abuse and is helpless and powerless. Click here to download Arpan's pamphlet on child sexual abuse in pdf format
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