Child sex abuse victims may carry the trauma to their grave…
I knew a person who was sexually abused when she was six years old and carried the trauma to her grave. She passed away when she was 66 years old. Child sex abuse (CSA) can be devastating — the adverse mental, emotional and sexual consequences can be borne by the victim well into adulthood.
Why talk about CSA now? It’s because it is one of the most abhorrent forms of violence against girls (while it can happen to boys too, girl victims are many more). And, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women falls on November 25, 2020.
Power imbalance
Violence against women and girls can take other forms too — rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment at workplace, cyberstalking, and human trafficking. But nowhere is the power imbalance more apparent than in the case of the sexual abuse of the girl child.
It is violence directed at a highly vulnerable category of individuals — children. It is also violence directed at the less privileged and more vulnerable gender in most societies. Very often the perpetrator is a known person. In fact, one-third of the CSA cases are cases of incest or abuse by family members.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines CSA as: “The involvement of a child in sexual activity that he or she does not fully comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to…”
Misplaced guilt
So, many victims of CSA don’t even know what is happening to them. They cannot (and most often do not) voice their trauma till much later. Sometimes, this is because the perpetrator has threatened them in some way. In some cases, the victims may be racked by guilt — that they have participated in the abuse by not opposing it.
In fact, very often it is a physical complaint (say, pain) or changes in behaviour that prompt caregivers to suspect that their wards have been abused. Evidence, even immediately after the incident, is often absent, as physical force is usually not necessary against child victims.
Health impact
Child abuse continues over weeks and even years. According to WHO, CSA can lead to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), gastrointestinal problems (like chronic abdominal pain and irritable bowel syndrome) and gynaecological disorders (such as chronic pelvic pain and menstrual irregularities).
The psychological and behavioural consequences are many more — living in constant fear, anxiety, depression, PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), inappropriate sexual behaviour, lack of social competence, preoccupation with bodily processes, cognitive impairment, low self-esteem, body image issues, and substance abuse later in life.
Special law
In India, a special law came into force in 2012 called POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act). The Act aims to protect children from sexual assault, sexual harassment and pornography. It provides for a child-friendly system for reporting the crime, recording the evidence, investigation and speedy trial through designated special courts.
However, there are a huge number of cases pending in the courts under POCSO. This is a matter of grave concern. One wonders whether the Act is proving ineffective. Also, since when has the presence of a law stopped a crime?
