STOP!

(Picture courtesy Google Images)

This is another CBC inspired post actually a part of the CBC called the Chennai Bloggers for Social Action (CBSA) running a contest to spread awareness on child sex abuse (CSA). I am not a fan of writing for contests but this seemed a good cause so here are my thoughts on this topic that is often swept under the carpet.

The best way to avoid CSA is to minimize or remove the opportunities for potential abusers and here are a few opportunities I have observed that are common:

1)   “Baby, give this uncle / aunt a kiss”: I ask why the baby should kiss anyone. Especially if they are not family. Do grown up children kiss every one? If so why must little kids? At a very tender and impressionable age this behaviour is plain silly and potentially dangerous. The child may not be able to discern between an angel and a devil.

2)   Unwarranted touch: at a very young age children must be sensitized to an unwelcome touch on any part of the body as the child may be too young to understand an unwarranted touch. Besides do folks go around touching everyone?

3)   Studies have shown that many abusers are known to the children and sometimes are related to the children. Therefore it is imperative that children are not left unattended regularly. With nuclear families and working parents this peril goes largely unnoticed.

4)   Another opportunity that seems to have been missed or ignored by parents is the autos which transport the children to school. Autos plying on school trips are usually overloaded and I have watched with horror children sitting on either side of the driver and on the rare occasion sitting on the lap of the driver. I simply cannot understand how this is being permitted by any parent with commonsense. Not only is it a life threatening risk the risk of abuse is in plain sight of all. Sometimes the money saved may be very costly.

 

Our children have a wonderful future; so we need to protect their present.