The dialogue around child sexual abuse has increased immensely with awareness around ‘Good Touch and Bad Touch,’ and ‘Safe And Unsafe Touch, ‘ with the simplicity of the terminology making it easy to bring children into the folds of the topic.
However, is that enough? Is touch the only form of sexual abuse?
“Teaching children ‘Good Touch and Bad Touch’ is not good enough to prevent child sexual abuse. ‘Safe Touch and Unsafe Touch’ is comparatively better, but certainly not comprehensive or impactful enough to prevent all forms of child sexual abuse. Horrific incidents of child sexual abuse that have come to light in India have prompted at least some schools to start training children on prevention of sexual abuse in recent times. However, most of the schools seem to restrict the training of children to ‘Good touch/Bad touch’. It propagates the myth that there has to be ‘TOUCH’ involved for it to be considered sexual abuse.” says Ashwini N.V, Director of MUKTHA:: Foundation (An Initiative to Prevent Abuse and Promote Mental Health), who works extensively with sexual abuse victims.
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To expand the conversation and awareness around other forms of sexual abuse, Ms. Ashwini, who believes there are many other ways to perpetuate sexual abuse, Ms. Ashwini recently started a petition to Indian Union Cabinet Minister for Women & Child Development, Ms. Maneka Gandhi to legitimately identify all the forms of sexual abuse and educate our children about them.
Also Read: It shouldn’t hurt to be a child- Stop Child Sexual Abuse!
Ms. Ashwini has formulated the ‘6-Cautions’ as a way to ensure that children do not believe they are violated only when touch is involved.
Here are the 6 cautions to help prevent Child Sexual Abuse:
1. ‘Look’ Caution: This caution helps children to be aware that Voyeurism, Exhibitionism, Making Children Watch Pornography, ‘Sexting’, and other behaviours where the sexual abuse is involves ‘seeing’ must be reported.
2. ‘Hear’ Caution: This caution helps children to be aware that speaking in a vulgar manner directly or over the phone, telling a child ‘I am going to touch you’ (Not necessarily doing it), pressurizing a child to touch him/her verbally irrespective of the outcome must be reported.
3. ‘Touch’ Caution: Here a child must be encouraged to report not just when touched in the private parts, but mostly when touched unnecessarily and when nobody seems to be around. Is it okay if an abuser touches the child’s stomach or the underarms. Absolutely not. By over-emphasizing on what is considered ‘private parts’, many abusers are getting away molesting children as children are not reporting when touched inappropriately in any other part other than ‘private parts’.
4. ‘Hold’ Caution: This involves hugging, making the child sit on the lap, or could range to penetrative sexual activity.
5. ‘Alone’ Caution: This does not directly constitute sexual abuse, but could act as a precursor to sexual abuse or some other form of abuse. This refers to encouraging a child to be in circumstances where the child is alone or seeking information regarding when the child is alone. Example: Checking with the child the times when he/she is going to be alone at home, or playing ‘secret’ games with the child and encouraging the child to not disclose it to anyone.
6. ‘Space’ Caution: Getting very close to children despite a lot of space around. This can act as a precursor to a possible abuse.
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If you believe children should not be empowered to protect themselves, please sign this petition.
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