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| Need tough measures to curb rising sexual crimes | | | Dr. Pragya Khanna | 1/4/2013 12:17:38 AM |
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Today sexual crimes against women are on the rise and are widely rampant in every society, though most of them remain concealed and unreported. In India, sexual harassment, molestation and rape of women have become common. Most of these sexual crimes are being committed by relatives and close acquaintances of the victim. There is need to increase the public awareness (to increasingly report the sexual crimes) and speedily implement the existing laws to curb this growing menace.
Below are some startling facts that would make you flabbergasted: 53% of children in India are sexually abused.
72% of these children do not talk about it and suffer in silence.A majority of these children have been abused by people known to them.
64% of Incest Survivors were abused between the age of 10-18 years.
32% of Incest Survivors were abused between the age of 2-10 years.
87% of the Incest Survivors were abused repeatedly.
19% of the abused were currently living with at least one of the abusers.
Though there is a greater awareness these days even in schools where girls are being counselled about how to respond to harassment issues and whom to report the matter to, however, there is a need to strengthen vigilance committees for women at police stations as not all committees can be said to be working efficiently.
Reported incidents of child sexual abuse are markedly on the rise. What is especially shocking is the fact that these reports represent only a small portion of actual occurrences of sexual abuse. It is currently estimated that one-third of all children are sexually abused before the age of 18. This includes 40% of all females and 30% of all males. The vast majority of these reports involve very young children, below age seven.
Children who are neglected or sexually abused are known to have lower IQs and an increased risk of depression, suicide and drug problems. During kindergarten years, abused children are more likely to get angry, refuse direction from teachers and lack eagerness and zeal. By the time they reach grade school, they are more prone to being easily troubled and agitated, lacking in self-control, and not well-liked by peers.
Always remember, bad people do not always look bad; they're often the people we love. Another myth is that the abuser is always hated. Often the victim loves and tends to protect the perpetrator. It may be the attention or physical contact they're getting. An additional myth is that only females are sexually abused. In fact, 30% of all male children are molested in some way, compared to 40% of females. The reality is no child is psychologically prepared to deal with ongoing or intensive sexual stimulation. Even very young children, two or three years old, may sense that the sexual activity is 'wrong', but they are unable to stop it. Children are frequently threatened that if they tell anyone, they will be killed or sent away, or their puppy will be killed; or their whole family will breakup.
Over time, the child develops low self-esteem, feelings of being worthless and an abnormal view of sexuality. There are many signs to recognize such children:
Withdrawal and mistrust of adults Difficulty relating to others except in sexual or seductive ways Unusual interest in or avoidance of all things sexual or physical Sleep problems, nightmares, fears of going to bed Frequent accidents or self-injurious behaviours
Refusal to go to school, or to the doctor, or home
Secretiveness or unusual aggressiveness Sexual components to drawings and games
Neurotic reactions (obsessions, compulsiveness, phobias) Habit disorders (biting, rocking) Forcing sexual acts on other children Extreme fear of being touched Unwillingness to submit to physical examination Specific physical indicators of recent sexual abuse include:
Difficulty in walking or sitting Torn, stained or bloody clothing Pain or itching in genital area Bruises or bleeding in genital area or mouth Pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases, especially in preteens Repeated urinary infections or genital blockages
In case of adult females many women feel that nothing will be done about it anyway and she will be put under harassment and shame. The victim may appear frightened because assailants may have threatened to return and kill her or her near one if she went to the police.
Similarly, dowry deaths or suicides by married women as a result of their being subjected to cruelty by in-laws constitute a slur on the Hindu society. More often malice originates from the failure of the parents of women to meet the exacting demands for dowry by the in-laws of the victims. Our angst on this score has darkened into dismay which in turn has diminished into desolation.
Cruelty here has been defined as any wilful behaviour which drives the woman to commit suicide or grave mental or physical injury to her, or harassment of the woman with a view to intimidate her for anything. According to law if a woman commits suicide within seven years of her marriage and there is evidence of cruelty, the court may presume, having regarded other circumstances of the case, that the husband or his relatives have abetted the suicide.
In the words of Kofi Annan, Former UN Secretary-General, "Violence against women and children is perhaps the most shameful human rights violation, and it is perhaps the most pervasive. It knows no boundaries of geography, culture or wealth. As long as it continues, we cannot claim to be making real progress towards equality, development and peace."
Awareness, wakefulness, understanding and responsiveness must be created in the community to motivate all such victims to report, also more and more reporting centres (in community with NGOs or hospitals) must be opened to conquer the fear and lack of faith in the law-enforcing agencies which will help in promptly implementing the existing laws.
Matter of truth is, no matter how many cases of agony, pain, torture, suffering and distress we witness each day, the twinge and soreness consequently subsides down with a little time till we find something more tormenting. In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.
Nonetheless, it is high time that we start considering that we are human race and raise our voice for being heard and not let anyone in the world cross the threshold into our minds and souls.
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