We guide our kids in all sorts of ways to keep themselves safe. We teach them to stay away from the iron, watch out for the hot stove, we teach them to look both ways before they cross the street. But, we don’t teach them about body safety at an early age which can give them a chance to deter a potentially harmful situation. 

Lately, it seems like it has become common to see news stories about children being abducted and abused. Every day there is a new incident. Some get media attention, most get swept under the rug. And these are only the reported incidents, no one knows how many unreported crimes against children are being committed.

According to Sahil, the only organization in Pakistan that works exclusively on the issue of child sexual abuse and exploitation, almost 12 children have been abused per day during the period January-June 2018. The “Cruel Numbers” report (Jan-Jun 2018) shows that a total of 2,322 child abuse cases were reported in newspapers from all four provinces, including Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).

http://sahil.org/cruel-numbers/

DO I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION NOW?

The world is turning into a scary place every day. For mothers like me who send their kids to school, it is very hard to ensure their children’s safety while they are not in front of us. That is where age-appropriate communication with children about child sexual abuse should be introduced as it is the key protective measures that adults can undertake. We cannot be with our children everywhere, we cannot lock them inside the house and isolate them. They have to go out in the world and interact with people. But we can educate them with the knowledge to protect themselves. We can give them the necessary awareness so they do not fall prey to some predator. And you know what is the number one thing that you as a parent can do for your kids- it is to create awareness about this sensitive topic by using kid-friendly words. Children from an early age need to be aware of their bodies. The majority of parents do not inform their children about body safety, it is considered a taboo topic. But the times we are living in and the frequency of such incidents tells us that it isn’t something we can ignore.

 It is high time we, parents take necessary steps to establish the understanding of “Body Safety”, “Boundaries” and “Sexual Abuse”.

Earlier this month, Shifaam and Joy Of A Gift organized a session on child safety, to create awareness on good touch and bad touch “Know Your Safe Circle”. Mothers and children, both were invited to attend the session. You can check their page for their live session. In the coming week, I will be writing about how to talk to your child about these sensitive topics and what words you should be using for this conversation, what signs as parents we need to have an eye on to protect our children.

Remember that young children are targeted for these crimes due to their innocence and ignorance, and by giving them knowledge about this topic you are working your way into teaching them to not be a victim.

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