During recent times, we've seen that female child sexual abuse has gained a lot of awareness and parents are being responsible enough to train their daughters to be alert. But there's still a lot more to go for for the male victims.
Our very own macho man also admitted that as much as female child sexual abuse is prevalent, male child sexual abuse is equally common, but not much spoken of.
Akshay Kumar molested as a kid!
During a recent seminar on women's safety with Maharashtra's CM Devendra Fadnavis, Kumar shared his own terrorising ordeal.
When Akshay was only 6, he recalls a horrifying incident for that age, that left him scarred all his life. He was in the lift alone and the lift man touched his bottom inappropriately.
Though he was very shy, he gathered courage and told his father immediately about this incident. This has left him traumatized to such an extent, that till date he finds it difficult to use the word 'bum.'
"I find it difficult to say ‘bum’," he said.
Akshay is not the only male victim in this country.
There are so many incidents that go unsaid or unheard because of the notion in our head, that women need to be protected while men are safe. No, kids of any gender are not of that capacity to understand and protect themselves. Whether it's a boy or a girl, booth should be equally sensitized towards situations like this.
There are many of my male friends who have faced such similar situations or worse, and they were unable to express it till they became a father themselves.
How can such situations be avoided, if not atleast rectified?
We have 5 pointers that every parent should keep in mind while raising their child, irrespective of the sex.
#1 Build trust
The first and foremost important thing that you need to take care of as a parent, is learn to build trust your kids. They maybe mischievous or may lie to you sometime, but make sure your behaviour does help to discipline them, not fearful of being honest with you. Only when they trust to share with you their secrets, is when you will come to know if your child has ever faced a situation like this.
Mutual understanding and trust is the key to positive parenting
#2 Create awareness
Your child wouldn't know if something is going wrong unless he/she is aware of it. Since the time your child starts talking, it's best to start training and teaching them to not allow anyone to touch them, especially at the wrong places. You could either use the books or demonstrate on yourself to make them understand. Never be very harsh or direct while explaining. Kids need time and space to get the hang of the complexity of the situation.
#3 Share personal experiences
When a past experience is shared with the outcome of how one behaved in a certain situation, it becomes easier for the child to relate and respond if required. It also reassures them that they are not alone, such things happen and it can be avoided and taken care of.
#4 Create a no-guilt zone
The biggest mistake most Indians make is either drill their child's brain with 'log ka sochenge' or 'it's always your fault'. It's high time our regressive society takes some actions and stand up for their own. It's ok to not emotionally blackmail your child to make them listen to you. The more you make them feel guilty about what happened, they either will stop sharing with you or live in that guilt till their last breath. This can the least we can do to empower our kids.
#5 Take actions
When a child shares about an unpleasant experience, especially about a sexual abuse incident, you surely should take an action. As much as it's in your capacity, known people or unknown, you HAVE to stand up for your child. Drop the inhibitions of what the society will think about the child, because it wasn't their mistake. When you take actions, only then the child will re-gain his/her faith in you, themselves and people around. This will also ensure that they will never support such things when they grow up as well.
Read: Shocking! A 4-year-old sexually assaulted in the presence of her parents!
[News Source: The Quint | All images courtesy: Instagram]
