14 February 2020, 9:04 am
Tackling Minor Molestation In Sikkim
This article has been preserved from The Voice Of Sikkim historical news collection and reflects information available at the time of its original publication.
Dershika Upreti
Tackling Minor Molestation In Sikkim
Pakyong, 14 Feb : Yet again another minor molestation case was reported in Sikkim where a 13 year old minor was medically confirmed a victim of sexual assault unto pregnancy, heinously tried by her 39 year old step father at Rinchenpong village, he has been arrested by Kaluk PS and is under 15 days of police remand.
Case of minor sexual assault is not a new thing in Sikkim, chronologically it has already taken place many times, but as a matter of fact this devilish crime must be minimised and authorities should give an exemplary punishment to such criminals thriving in our society. There is no time to just leave a comment or become an onlooker, one must ensure that if crime is tackled stringently only then it can be grossly controlled else it may lead to elevation of tendencies among predators.
Child molestation is a term used to describe sexual acts, carried out by an adult on a child regardless of the gender of the child or the relationship between offender and victim,
CSA or child sexual abuse is a burning human right issue these days, research conducted by the centers for disease control (CDC) estimates that roughly one out six boys and one out of four girls are sexually abused before the age of 18.
As a child grows up throughout his\her life they are taught all sorts of ways to keep themselves safe like locking the doors when home alone, to look at both ways before crossing the road, sleeping/ waking up on time and respecting elders, but most parents don?t teach them body safety until much older. Children have to go to schools or over to their friends house sometimes or might be having family over and the fact is a parent cannot fully prevent the risk of a child being abused in any manner.
Child sexual abuse is not always easy to spot. The perpetrator could be someone you?ve known or trusted for a long time which can make it harder to notice. Parents should be aware if their children speak through signs or behaviours.
The victims are afraid to mention the things that have happened to them probably out of fear of not knowing what has occurred. The trauma of abuse in children sometimes impacts them throughout their life and they become guilty, fearful lonely and worried. The quintessential effects of child sexual abuse can include depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, social withdrawal, inclination to further victimisation in adulthood. Sexual abuse by a family member can result in more serious and long-term psychological trauma.
In a grim reminder of how unsafe our tiny Himalayan state has become, crimes are surging specially on women and children and is an issue of grave concern, it is now no longer a surprise for us to come across children going through all kinds of abuse and rights violation. The one and only way to prevent it is to fight against it, the children and adults should know and be aware of their rights. There is a need to create awareness about the (POCSO) act, and the cases should not be given a blind eye or fall into deaf ears.
We can arm children with adequate knowledge that might save them from being victimized, for that awareness should be spread in schools and colleges (especially in the rural areas) and parents should always talk freely about body safety early enough that they should be able to differentiate between ?good touch? and ?bad touch? . Some parent think that their kid is too young to understand but it is never too soon, and as a victim of abuse a child should not be shunned away by parents and society, mostly in the rural areas people make it look like it?s their child?s fault that they have been molested, that they invited it and try to hide it as much as possible because it may bring down their family honor
Child abuse is a preventable act, which effects millions of children each year worldwide, it can be increased every day in our society so lets collectively work together on this issue to eradicate / uproot it once and for all , from our society.