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Once again, a gruesome incident comes to light when recently, three-year-old Sana, playing with neighbourhood children near her house in Karachi, is tempted with sweets and Rs. 5 by two men who abduct her. Two days later, Sana’s body is recovered from near a manhole. The accused — two traffic police constables — are charged with sexual molestation and sentenced to death. Less attention was given a few months ago by media to the arrest of the Adiala Union Council Nazim, Kamran Rafiq for molesting a six-year-old girl, while his two other accomplices, one of them a councillor, Jahangeer are still reported missing. Despite threats from the accused, the victim’s family lodged an FIR and hopefully, the police have not given up searching for the criminals. On the international front, the most publicised was the late Michael Jackson, acquitted for sexual abuse against children whom he ‘tempted’ into his ‘Neverland’ house.
But what of those reports that fail to make headlines, or concealed in the name of confidentiality? It seems that the focus is in the wrong direction and the curiosity is misunderstood. Rather than concentrate on whom it is happening to and where, the concern must be towards how and why it is happening.
But what do we choose to do? Wait until someone we know — a friend or family member becomes a victim, or discover he or she is a paedophile? We hush up and ignore, because he or she is our very own, till the cover is blown and not always in the very obvious ways that we read in the papers, but submerged in names such as depression, phobia or other behavioural or physiological disorder.
 
 
 
 
According to SPARC (Society for the Protection of Rights of Rights of the Child ), “Child sexual abuse is any activity in which an older person or child (may be the same age or older), uses a child in a sexual way. This includes looking at, touching and fondling the child’s private parts, asking the child to touch the abuser’s private parts, verbal and age-inappropriate sexual comments, jokes, oral sex, rape, and sodomy.” Internet pornography, child prostitution, rape and sodomy and marriage of minor are forms of child abuse. There is no official data of child abuse and sexual abuse of children. However, several NGOs work for the protection of children, such as SPARC, Sahil, WGCSAE (Working Group against Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation) and Madagaar.
GA report titled ‘Cruel Numbers’ by Sahil, states the number of girl child sexual abuse as higher than that of boys, but the fact has only been realized of late that boys must be given as much protection and guidance as girls.
Dr Murad Moosa Khan, Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry at Aga Khan University said child sexual abuse could ultimately lead to suicide.
Paedophiles: They may be previous victims of child abuse, but they are sick in the mind with the sanity to be criminally prosecuted and punished. The victim and/or his or her family know the majority (79 per cent, according to SPARC). They can be relatives, neighbours, teachers, friends or spiritual healer. Dr Khan advises on observing those “who spend excessive time with children in a way that makes the child uncomfortable.”
SLawyer for Human Rights and Legal Aid, Zia Ahmed Awan, of Madadgaar, suggests counselling as a means of intervention.
 
 
 
 
Ways to tackle such an issue are:
* Keep communication doors wide open so the child will not be afraid to talk and express feelings.
* Guide children on the difference between a ‘good touch’ and ‘bad touch’.
* Use any mode of communication that can make both the guide and the child feel comfortable, it can be through drawing, e-mails, letters, giving a book to raise awareness that there are ‘good’ and ‘bad’ people out there.
* Warn them against accepting anything from strangers or talking to them.
* List out people they can be alone with.
* Be alert to changes in behaviour, deteriorating academic performance.
* Keep a tab on his or her friends and their families.
* Confront the suspect immediately and approach legal help if you have to, no matter how close your relation with him/her.
* Seek a professional counsellor, not when things have blown out of proportion, but at the slightest hint or instinct that things are not quite right.