In most cases regarding sexual abuse, the abuser is not a stranger but somebody the child knows or trusts.
As the nation decided a chain of monthly lockdowns, all family members have been bound to live together with overflowing agitation due to health and income uncertainties. Hence, the abuser stays in proximity to the child every minute, everyday.
If you observe a child around you acting differently (sudden behavioural changes, being unanswerable most of the times, isolating himself into a corner, cringing away on being touched etc.) then talk to him/her. Let them know that you have their back and listen to them without being critical and blaming them. Teach them to identify good and bad touch, and moreover, equip them with methods to quash such horrible acts.
Do not ignore a child when he/she tries to explain such incidents; the notion that children cook up stories about sexual abuse is a big fallacy. Protect their childhood by believing them and thereupon by taking an action that stands true with the virtues of being a human, of being a parent.
