Just days after the news of an 11-month-old baby girl being raped came into news, another shocker is making headlines. This time a 70-year-old allegedly raped a two-year-old girl in the Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan.
What exactly happened
It has been reported that when the girl was playing outside with few of her friends, the accused Gurbej Singh, lured her into his house and raped her. It was only after the neighbours were unable to trace her that they raised an alarm.
They even informed the girl's parents and questioned the kids, who revealed that they had seen Singh, an ex-serviceman take the girl with him to his house.
This led them to trace the girl and the culprit at his house, and he was immediately handed over to the police. Incidentally, as the news of this crime spread, a large number of residents gathered and demanded that he be handed over.
Why parents must be aware of such incidents?
This incident brings to the fore another side of India that we are always protecting our kids from. It is attacks like these that make it important for parents to be aware and to know what happens around us.
Many of you may think, "Why do I need to read this news?" But know this, if you do not know about such incidents, you will never be able to prepare yourself or your children from such horrifying attacks.
So when you read about child sexual abuse or assault, the first thing you must do is make your child understand the concept of 'good touch, bad touch.' Even if your kid is barely two-years-old, you must teach right from wrong and begin by telling them this very important concept.
Continue reading to see how to teach kids about good touch, bad touch.
How to teach kids about 'good touch, bad touch'?
With alarming number of child sexual abuse cases, it is becoming more important for parents to teach kids about 'good touch, bad touch,' irrespective of their gender.
"It’s no longer a ‘girl’s’ problem. Many young boys are also affected by the menace of child sexual abuse. Unfortunately, many of these children are unable to express and share their ordeal due to fear and sometimes parents are not be able to read the obvious signs,” shared Seema Hingorrany, clinical psychologist and trauma researcher, Mumbai.
So here's how you can start.
#1 Teach them basic anatomy
First things first, teach your kids about their physical attributes and what must be covered and what needn't be. In India, we notice that many young kids upto the age of 1.5 years also are allowed to run around in just their nappies.
Try to avoid this if possible. Keep your child covered in order to keep them away from prying eyes.
#2 Explain the concept
Begin by telling them that there are two types of touches. One is a 'good touch' and the other is a 'bad touch.' A good touch is when parents, grandparents or somebody close to the child touches them and they do not feel uncomfortable, it is a good touch.
However, when somebody (they know or don't know) touches them on their chest, vagina or penis or tries to kiss them on their lips of an of these said parts, it is a bad touch.
#3 Assess the comfort of your child
When you introduce your child to say, a friend or a family member and if you see that your child is not comfortable around them, you must not encourage your kid to befriend them.
Keep an eye on your child's behaviour around new acquaintances and ensure that he/she is comfortable enough to interact with them.
Read: Rape and murder of 5-year-old girl highlights the plight of child sexual abuse
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