'Communicate with your child': What to tell children about abuse
There has been serious concern expressed over the lack of discussion on the subject of child sexual abuse in the country. Photo: AFP
(Web Desk) – As rage and anger grips the entire country over the brutal murder of seven-year-old Zainab in Kasur, the much-delayed discourse on the need of educating children about violence and abuse is also becoming the centre of attention in a country where such subjects are still considered taboo.
While the past few days have witnessed debates on various aspects of the ruthless case which has been at the heart of not just the mainstream national and international media but also of social media with the hashtag ‘justice for Zainab’ trending on Twitter, civil society has expressed its serious concerns over the lack of discussion on the subject of child sexual abuse in the country.
In a recent article, CEO White Ribbon Pakistan, Omer Aftab stressed on the need to train and educate children about abuse through the inclusion of a dedicated training program in curriculum that teaches a child the difference between “good touch” and “bad touch”. “They should not only be trained enough to recognise the bad intentions of any person but also to be open enough to discuss the matter with a reliable elder,” he wrote.
According to Aftab a parent or a guardian should interact with their child carefully if they suspect a change in routine, attitude or behaviour. Here are a few things you should be on the lookout for:
• If a child has nightmares or other sleep problems without any explanation
• If he/she seems distracted or distant at odd times
• If he/she has a sudden change in eating habits or drastically loses or increases appetite
• If the child has sudden mood swings: rage, fear, insecurity or withdrawal
• If he/she talks about new older friends
Shehneel Gill, senior trainer at a non-government organisation Aahung, urges on the need for parents to open communication with their own children while themselves being aware of what abuse is. “We silence our own children…we tell them that it will give us a ‘bad’ name,” says Gill, who has been working for 20 years in the field. Gill says while there has been a change in attitude at large, there is still taboo associated with the subject in the society. “You still find people who consider it inappropriate to speak to children on topics of abuse,” he says.
Gill speaks about the need of educating children about sexual abuse during a segment in the show Dunya Kamran Khan Kay Saath in the video below.
