MELAKA: Awareness is key to the prevention of sexual abuse cases and the ability of both children and parents to recognise these key areas are vital towards eradicating such crimes from society.
These were the focal points that pinpointed areas to be addressed by delegates at the Awareness and Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse talk organised by the Family Life Ministry of Melaka this morning.
Protect and Save The Children Association of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur (P.S. The Children) head of training Elizabeth Gnanapragasam raised the four core steps towards prevention of child sexual abuse.
"We need to talk about it, prevent opportunity, recognise the signs, react responsibly," said Elizabeth.
"Do let your child know from young, no one should touch their private parts. Sometimes the touch itself might feel uncomfortable, they should be taught to say 'No'," she said.
She added that parents should be aware of a child's emotional state and thoughts because the offender could come from anyone, from those known by victims to those within their own families.
"A child tends to show signs through emotional and behavioural signs which are common. Physical signs may not be common, but it is better to bring them to a professional for further check-ups," she said.
She added that sexual abuse can be driven by interest in child pornography, which is in itself sexual abuse, thus child sex abuse now involves non-touching and touching acts.
Children with mental disabilities are the most vulnerable group, she said, for they are not able to understand things that are happening to themselves.
"That is why we must create a safe enviroment where children are not left in one-on-one situation with any adult or older child without any supervision," she said.
She also spoke on the grooming process towards a child, which offenders carry out in four stages starting with finding a opportunity, targetting a child, introducing physical touches and finally sexual touches.
Online grooming is now one of the popular means where paedophiles target children, where it is done through several social media sites and applications.
"We call this sexting, where the offender shares explicit information to a child through the internet," said Elizabeth.
"Talk to your kids about the dangers of sending nude pictures to anyone because it can be a threat for them in the future," she said.
"Some children tend to not inform their parents when such things happen to them, because they fear diclosure, further harm, remembering, being blamed, shame, and losing love."
Elizabeth said if an abuse has taken place, parents should believe in their child, be calm and prepare the child on what will happen next.
Future plans for the association would be creating more talks and raising awareness, to help reduce the chances of offenders getting the children.