EVERY other day I see tickers on news channels about another child raped or killed across the country.

It makes me wonder what is going on in the country. Recently there was a case of a toddler who was raped in Islamabad. These brutal and senseless crimes are on the rise, particularly after the Zainab rape case made headlines last year.

There was a case in Swabi as well last year. A child was sexually abused by a relative. The relative ended up killing the child. However, the police responded quickly and took action against the accused.

We need to ensure that our children are safe at all time. We can do this by explaining to our children what a good/bad touch is, not to take candy from a stranger and most importantly, talk to parents. Children often don’t talk about sexual abuse because they think it is their fault or they have been convinced by their abuser that it is normal or a “special secret”.

Children may also be bribed or threatened by their abuser, or told they won’t be believed.

A child who is being sexually abused may care for their abuser and worry about getting them into trouble.

The media should cooperate with parents and the police to come up with awareness programmes.

The government should also launch awareness drives of what to do in such sensitive cases or where to seek help from.

Numan Bacha

Swabi

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2019