‘Make kids aware of wrong, unacceptable behaviour’

NAGPUR: Several studies say that over 50% children across the world have suffered from sexual abuse. This number would be substantially smaller if kids were made aware of ‘wrong and unacceptable’ behaviour towards them. This will require an open dialogue and alertness among parents and teachers.
These were among the conclusions at a national CME by the psychiatry department of Wardha-based Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College.Head of the department Dr Prakash Behere wrote to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) about the absence of any support system in the country despite a large number of children falling victim to sexual crimes. The department was given a grant to work on the topic at various levels.
“Through animation, charts and dialogues, among other things, we are trying to spread awareness among rural as well as urban kids in schools across Wardha district. We are trying to create an environment where we can work towards prevention of child sexual abuse (CSA) cases,” said Dr Behere. He added that the conference aimed to devise solutions as well as discuss ways for psychiatrists to help CSA survivors.
“We like to believe that CSA only occurs in Western countries. Another thing Indians like to believe is that even if it does occur in India, CSA is limited to lower strata of society. Abuse is not just sexual in nature; it could be emotional or physical too. It also isn’t necessary that the abuser does something, he can make the child watch or witness something inappropriate,” said Pune-based Dr Vidyadhar Watve, president of Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS). Not providing emotional support to these child victims can lead to a lot of problems, including the possibility of them becoming abusers too.
Adding to this, IPS vice-president Dr Prasad Rao from Hyderabad said that CSA could lead to psychiatric diseases in the survivor. “Of people suffering from anxiety disorders, 33% have experienced abuse as children. The same is true for at least 50% sufferers of depression and a high percentage of alcohol and substance abusers. They are also highly likely to develop post traumatic stress disorder, and even metabolic diseases like diabetes and hypertension,” he said. Therefore, it is important for any sufferer to be given cognitive behaviour therapy soon after the incident, he added.
Mysore-based Dr TSS Rao, chief editor of Indian Journal of Psychiatry, said that the issue remains largely neglected in India due to our culture. “When talking about development of children, parents can’t see their children as sexual beings. This leads to something natural inducing anxiety and shame when it is discussed. They need to understand that until they create a channel for communication, they would be the last people their child would approach for any problem they face,” he said.