Practically no week passes by without charges being presented in court against adults, most of them men, who in one way or another sexually abuse children. It could be indecent exposure, it could be showing them pornographic films, it could be heavy petting and it could also be rape. Whatever it is, it is a heinous crime that should be dealt with strongly.
Such illicit behaviour is not something that is happening only today. Sexual abuse against children has been going on for time immemorial, but in the past it was kept hidden in the majority of occasions. It is only lately that, first abroad and now even in Malta, that we are getting to know more about them.
The changes that have taken place in society have helped to bring out these cases in the open. But, as we mark the World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse today, society has still to change even more to give children better protection from people who for their own brief pleasure ruin a child’s life.
The word “ruin” is used explicitly – because even the smallest incident involving sexual abuse will remain imprinted in the mind of the victim. It is something that he or she will never forget; it is something that he or she will have to learn to live with, only that it is nearly impossible to do so.
Men and women who are sexually abused as adults find it hard to re-emerge from the trauma, and many carry the shame and embarrassment, and at times guilt too, to their grave. Now imagine what a child, still too young and innocent to know what sexuality is all about, will feel if he or she had to fall victim to a perverted mind.
Society must do more because although the number of cases that have been brought to light and the perpetrator taken to court are increasing, there are still many more that are kept hushed up, sometimes even by members of the same family.
Society must do more because the punishment that is inflicted on the abusers is not commensurate with the type of crime they have committed. Punishments that have been meted out have at times been too lenient and, while the victims continue living in fear that it might happen again and are unable to lead normal lives, the perpetrators often walk out without having learnt the lesson from their mistake.
Society must do more because the names of these people, in most circumstances, are still kept away from the public eye. Often this happens to protect the victim, but in so doing the abuser is protected too.
How can society be sure that someone who is working among children wherever these may be taken for entertainment purposes has not been found guilty of sexual abuse on children? Victims need to be protected, but so do other children who might be potential targets. For one thing, society must see that these abusers are kept as far away from children as possible. They should not be allowed to work in clubs, centres and other places that are frequented by children.
Children must also continue to be taught what to do when they find themselves in unpleasant circumstances. It is only if they speak up that the crime will be revealed, and often the abuser’s strength is threatening their own victims that it would happen again if they tell anyone else. Children should learn that if they speak up action will be taken against the perpetrator, and the abuse will stop.
And adults who get to know of any form of abuse should seek immediate help from trusted experts, including the police. It is only if the children, and adults who get to know about the abuse, reveal the crime that justice can be done.