Wednesday, May 25, 2011

How to protect your child from abuses

Some times back, we were shown a short film by name, 'Kannadi', at WLA, which has been directed by Mrs.Raji, a member of the Women Lawyer's Association.The film is about a married woman who cannot have a happy family life because of her sexually abused childhood, which was ignored by her TV stricken mother and workaholic father.I was very casual to the issue until the Chief guest, Dr.P.Manorama, Chairperson, Child Welfare Committee, gave us some fact and details.

  • It is a misconception that only girl child is sexually abused.Boys too face similar problems.
  • It is a misconception to believe that such thing happens only to some children on the street / someone under Institutional care.She shared us a horrible incident that happened in one of the top schools in chennai.
  • In most cases, the abuser is a well known and trusted person to the child.
  • The present law has to be amended in accordance to the sensitivity of the issue.For eg., in the present process of reporting the abuse itself, first the child has to tell them to her/his parents, then to the Police, then to the counsellor, then during enquiry,....it just goes on.Recounting what a child had gone through to everyone, is more cruel than the incident itself.
Some tips -
  • Teach your child, from the early age itself of, how others are supposed to behave to them when in physical contact. Mothers play a crucial role here.
  • Spend some quality time with your child daily...most importantly, not just to give some advice but to listen to them, of their world.
  • Never push your child to be a winner always.This is the main reason why many children never report of such abuses to their parents.They do not want their parents to see them being failed on some thing. Somehow give them the impression that you will still love them, even if they fail on something.
At the end of the session, a questionnaire has been given to all women lawyers for feedback and what punishment we suggest for such abusers.It was an easy pick to tick on Capital Punishment.

Came across this article on the same topic-



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