After seeing some of the volunteers’ post, I got an idea to take the survey of different opinions of modern society against child sexual abuse. On May 24, 2020, I had made an anonymous questionnaire and sent it to my friends, relatives and teachers in the form of survey. At last, I got 31 responses from the people who had shown interest towards the survey.
Now, I’m sharing all those responses of the survey with you.
Link of the questionnaire:
https://forms.gle/qungrUvpPZR3CcK7A
1) Gender:
Female – 17 responses
Male – 14 responses
2) Age group:
4-18 Ages – 8 responses
19-24 Ages – 23 responses
25-40 Ages – Nil
40 & above – Nil
3) In your opinion, in which way child sexual abuse mostly happens in India?
Online – Nil
Offline – 10 responses
Both – 21 responses
4) Which of the following laws work against child sexual abuse?
POCSO Act, 2012 – 35.30%
Juvenile Justice Act, 2000 – 11.80%
Indian Penal Code, 1860 – 11.80%
All of the above – 41.20%
5) What should be done if you find any child abuse victim?
? Report it
? Teenagers both boys n girls both should be encouraged to come forward & tell their story without any fear and hesitation. Helping not only themselves but also preventing from the same happening to others. Moreover, more strict laws or even death penalty should be instituted in case of any kind of offence against minors.
? I should inform to the volunteers who keep eyes on such thing and try to help the child out.
? Register a police complaint against that culprit … if the child doesn’t have enough courage to fight than u must raise the voice against the wrong
? If in case I suspect any child abuse victim, at first I have an obligation to report it immediately. After that I’ll try to help the child to develop positive self-esteem because children who have been abused often have low self-esteem. To make him or her comfortable with me I would help the child to trust upon me by being loving, and affectionate and respecting those children who need more time before they feel comfortable with being touched. speaking calmly to the children and using a firm but kind tone when asking children to do things or when expressing disapproval. By giving message to the children that it is OK to ask questions and asking how they feel. Spending more and more time with children talking and listening.
? Complaint
? If found any victim..the first step is to complaint to the police station and tell his or her family about this.. Decision of taking the child to authorities is better than confining him or her to the house
? I would take action against the wrongdoer
? We should contact their parents about their child abuse or we can file a complaint to police.
? I’ll report to police directly
? I will help that child
? Strict actions
? PARENTHOOD Recognizing Types of Child Abuse and How to Respond Medically reviewed by Karen Gill, M.D., specialty in pediatrics, on July 19, 2019 — Written by Kimberly Holland. What to do Causes Treatment Outlook Child abuse is any mistreatment or neglect that causes harm to a child 18 years old or younger. This can include sexual, emotional, and physical abuse, as well as neglect.
The mistreatment is caused by an adult, often one with a role of responsibility in the child’s life. The person responsible for the abuse may be a parent or family member.
It can also be someone acting as a caregiver or with authority in the child’s life, including a coach, teacher, or religious leader.
? should be given punishment and life imprisonment.
? Help him and motivates him to express his problem to parents
? Help him/her, take him/her to the authorities
? Inform the police
? Talk to the child or to the child’s parents. Understand that child abuse is often the result of desperation. You can help just by being there for the family. Or by offering the child a listening ear.
? We should inform their parents and help them to come out of situation
? I suggest that as a survivor of child abuse,the very first thing you must do is ensure your own safety .In case you live with or near the abuser ,try to talk to someone about your experience so that you can get their support and help.They might also be able to protect you in case the abuser try to harm you again.Apart from this you can also contact with certain NGO’s and government bodies for this purpose.
? We should report it to the police asap.
? I will complain
? Firstly he/she should be well taken care of. after that gently ask him/her about the incident and then take action accordingly
? Death
? Firstly give them warning and try to convey them that it is wrong, secondly fine them and lastly after several warning punish them according to law
? Strict action of court against the criminal
? If in case I suspect any child abuse victim, at first I have obligation to report it immediately. After that I would try to communicate with the child and help the child to develop positive self-esteem because such cases children often have low self-esteem. I’ll try to build trust upon me as in such kind of situations children felt betrayed and didn’t want to trust upon the words of anyone . Being loving and affectionate, and respecting those children who need more time before they feel comfortable with being touched. Allowing the children to be angry without any fear of punishment. Using firm but kind tone when asking it is OK to ask questions asking how they feel. Speaking to child very calmly and gently and spending more and more time talking and listening to the children .
?Make him/her mentally strong which is the important step to do by loving,caring and supportive nature.
? I’ll provide their needs
? Firstly the victim should be comforted and then ask him about the incident and then take action accordingly
? We should tell their parents and make child feel comfortable and easy to come out of situation
6) Why a child fears to tell about this anyone? What are the reasons for which they do not tell anyone?
? Ignorance
? Mainly it’s fear of the society and the fact of judged by the people in their community. Mainly it’s the job of Parents to always motivate their child to stand up against what’s wrong & not being afraid of telling their stories.
? Maybe fear of getting bullied Maybe they feel there’s no one who would listen to them
? Because it will make himself guilty .. he will feel ashamed & moreover he don’t want to remember those incidents again & again as it will cause him mental depression as he is nt able to share this with anyone
? Because
1. children are afraid of being punished and harmed by other abusers if they tell someone about their abuse.
2. Some of them believe that nobody will believe or listen to them.
3. Some having a feeling of shame and embarrassment especially in cases of sexual abuse.
4. Abuser may manipulate, bribe or threaten the child or their loved ones to prevent them from telling anyone about the abuse.
5. In some cases of sexual abuse , children are too young to know what the action means.
? Scared and feels embarrassed
? Every family is not open as it should be..and this is the reason why child fears to confrss what had happened to him or her..they thought that nobody will gonna believe him or her… another reason being the value and reputation..or what peoole think of victim..society generally not accept these things easily.that us why child is not able to confess anything…
? They feel shy.. As well they think that they would not be a matter of bully
? Maybe the lack of sex education and the bond between a parent and child is so weak that children hesitate to share it with their parents.
? May be because of this so called society and also not having proper conversation with their parents
? Because of the family reputation may be
? They r kids..they r scared …and of course they are told not to
? Children often feel a sense of guilt over the abuse, and they may also experience self-destructive thoughts or a loss of trust or self-esteem. Some of these signs may not even be obvious until the child becomes an adult. At first, they may deny that anything has happened when asked, or they will not tell the whole story the first time. It is extremely difficult for children to report abuse! Disclosure is a process, not an event! Remember: Child sexual abuse can happen to any child in any community. If the parent’s reaction to the child is disbelief, the child may wonder if their feelings are mistaken. Children do not want to cause problems for their parents and will not tell about abuse thinking they are “protecting” their mom and dad. Also, they fear that telling will make people angry at them.
? 1st is the society that what people will think about them & what will be the behaviour towards them and they do not want themselves to involve in any legal proceedings or procedures!
? How to express these type of things
? 1. A child is scared of the abuser 2. Parenting, a child is not open to his/her parents as he/she should be
? His mental condition not well at the time
? Just Indian Things.
? I think they feel hesitated
? People who are being abused often feel afraid,numb or lonely.They thought if they share their problem with somebody’s else then might another problem be created and after that they will tortured by their society and from their near and dear.Getting help and support is an important first step towards felling better.
? Maybe because of the fear of society or unavailability of the resources
? They have many reasons like the abusive adult will convince the child that they won’t be believed and they are somehow responsible for the abuse.
? Simply because they fear that society may see them in a different way…and their self respect is gone
? For family respect
? Because child were innocent and they think if they tell anyone then they might beat them or abuse them again
? Fear of society
? Because
1. Many of them believe that nobody will listen to or believe them
2. Children are afraid of being punished and harmed by other abusers if they tell someone about their abuse.
3. In cases of sexual abuse, children have a feeling of shame and embarrassment.
4. Some children are afraid of being removed from the home.
5. In some cases of sexual abuse, children are too young to know what that action means.
6. Abusers may manipulate or threaten the child or their loves ones to prevent them from telling anyone about the abuse.
? Maybe the biggest fear lies upon a child is darkness of the thoughts occupying his mind that make him feel unsafe and not able to trust other people.
? Shy or if society says that you are not a virgin
? Main reason being embarrassement and also that the society may look them differently
? They feel hesitated
7) Have you ever faced child sexual abuse in the childhood?
Yes – Nil
No – 31 responses
8) If yes, then please share your story.
? I didn’t ‘ve faced any child sexual abuse so I don’t have any story to share.
? No, I haven’t!
? I feel lucky that my childhood were grown in good environment
? No & i hope no one faces this child abuse as this is a very big evil of our indian society we must remove it & raise voice immediately against culprit.
9) Have you feel embarrassed/hesitated talking about child sexual abuse or sex education from parents/relatives?
Yes – 13
No – 18
