In the emergency ward of a government hospital lays a 5-year-old girl battling for life. She’s sedated with bruises covering her body and is in a very critical condition. As she undergoes treatment inside, outside the ward, her concerned family waits and wonders, what could have happened to their little innocent girl?
Kidnapped, raped and tortured
Later the police announced that she was raped brutally, tortured and left for dead by the men who held her there.
She had gone missing on April 15, 2013 and was found two days later, after neighbors alerted the police that they heard her crying in a locked room in the same New Delhi building where she lived with her family.
The girl suffered severe internal injuries, as well as cuts and bite marks on her face and torso, said the doctor at the hospital in New Delhi where she was being treated. He described the girl’s condition as “serious” and said they were trying to stabilize her condition.
RELATED: How to keep your children safe?
Increase of rape cases in Malaysia
The world is getting all the more unsafe for kids as they are the most vulnerable to crimes of all age groups. Over the last few years we have seen a steady increase in the rape of minors.
The crimes include among many others, a kindergarten owner found guilty of raping a 4 year old girl from his school, a 22 year old technician convicted of raping his 12 year old girlfriend and a former national bowler aged 22 who committed statutory rape against a 13-year-old girl. Add to this several other unreported cases.
In a startling revelation, statistics suggest that as many as 73% of all rape cases reported in Malaysia involved children aged 18 and below, and in most cases the crime is committed by people known to the victims.
Basics child sexual abuse
Most of the cases of child abuse happens due to the ignorance of parents who think that it could never happen to their child or when a child molester is around in the form of a trusted person. Arm yourself with the truths of child sexual abuse to combat oppression in the hands of a molester.
Any kind of sexual act
Sexual abuse includes any kind of sexual act with a child, which includes genital contact as well as non-contact events — such as showing pornographic images to children, taking pornographic photographs of a child, etc.
Tight-lipped or compliant children are the easiest victims
Sexual abuse can happen to any child irrespective of gender or age. Children, who are tight-lipped or compliant to others, are the easiest victims to sexual abuse. It’s important that your child stays in groups and doesn’t wander off unaccompanied.
Most victims know the sex offenders
Most offenders are known to the child; they may be family members, neighbours, teachers, and others in positions of authority. They usually persuade and manipulate, and seldom force physically, to engage the child.
Keep an eye out of behavioral changes
Victims may display behavioral symptoms like withdrawal from family or friends, display poor school performance, experience depression, anxiety, or exhibit aggressive and self-destructive behavior.
It’s usually a repeated offense
Child sexual abuse often involves more than a single incident and could go on for months or years.
Abuse could be recorded and used as blackmail
The rape could end up being photographed and then blackmailed further. It could also lead to child trafficking if not intervened on time.
Read our related article about how to warn your kids about sexual predators here: Warn your kids about sexual predators!
Sources:
New Delhi 5-Year-Old Girl Fights For Her Life After Raped, Tortured For Days
Parent Tips for Preventing and Identifying Child Sexual Abuse