Dear Editor,
Children are special. They are God’s gift to us. Children never ask to be born. They are conceived and are brought into the world to be loved and cared for by their parents and relatives. As children grow they learn. Children learn from every circumstance around them. Therefore, parents and other adults have a responsibility to ensure that children are protected and raised in a manner that will guarantee their unharmed physical, mental and emotional growth.
In today’s world and indeed from time immemorial, numerous factors have played varying roles in the underdevelopment of children. One such factor is the scourge of child sexual abuse.
Sexual child abuse happens in all racial, religious, ethnic and age groups, and at all socio-economic levels. Since children are abused in homes across the country, adults need to learn what makes children vulnerable, how to recognize warning signs of those who may be sexually abusing children, and what to do if sexual abuse is suspected.
Not being in possession of the actual statistics of sexual child abuse in Guyana, I am unable to comment further on its prevalence in Guyanese society. But I am sure there exists in Guyana very stark figures of this heinous crime.
Internationally as far back as 2003, a journal article entitled, ‘Prevalence and Psychological Sequence of Self-Reported Childhood Physical and Sexual Abuse in General Population‘ stated that one in three girls and one in seven boys will be sexually abused at some point in their childhood (Briere & Eliot, 2003).
Parents and adults must play a more active role in protecting children from child molesters.
Early detection and intervention can reduce the potential for harm and assure children of their safety. Since children cannot protect themselves alone, adults must learn to recognise and inquire about behaviours that make children vulnerable or suggest that abuse has occurred. Adults must not wait for children to tell about abuse. This position leaves them to face the confusion and trauma of victimization on their own.
Adults must start listening to children and looking for the signs of potential paedophilic behaviour. One ought not to be paranoid about the issue, but to be extremely guarded when allowing children to interact with adults. Sadly most paedophiles are persons parents and even children trust, which complicates the issue of curtailing the actions of these sick adults. However, as mentioned earlier, keen attention must be paid to the early signs of abuse. Parents must learn to listen and take seriously the verbal and nonverbal cues of children suffering from the sexual advances of adults.
Together we must stop child abuse. Children deserve to live as children and not as victims of sexual crimes.
Yours faithfully,
Richard Francois
