What was meant to be a fun sleepover, and a night of bonding with friends, turned out to be a painful experience for this little boy in Singapore.
The world seems to be getting more perverted than over, and we dread to imagine what the future holds for our little ones.
We can't help but think, in this age of vice, is it wise to let our kids go for sleepovers?
Little boy molested during sleepover in Singapore?
According to Channel NewsAsia, a 9-year-old boy was allegedly molested by his friend's father during a sleepover.
It was a fun night of trick-or-treating, and the boys, all classmates, were sleeping over at their friend's place. At about 10:30 pm, the father told the kids to go to bed.
Apparently, at around 11:15 pm, the man entered his son's bedroom to check if the boys had slept. The victim, who was sleeping on the upper deck of a bunk bed with two other children, pretended to be fast asleep.
What followed next is shocking.
According to Today, the man allegedly spread the boy’s legs and felt his genitals.
He left the room, only to return soon. This time, he reached out to the victim again, and performed oral sex on him. He left the room again, but apparently, it wasn't the end of the boy's ordeal.
He returned a third time to assault the boy.
When he next left the room, the boy packed his belongings and went to the man’s bedroom, where the accused was apparently using his laptop. He informed the accused and his wife that he was feeling unwell, and wanted to go home.
When his father came to pick him up, the boy confided in him. His furious dad confronted the accused, who denied the allegations claiming to be using his laptop the whole while.
2 days later, the boy's father lodged a police report. The accused, a 47-year-old father of 3, and CEO of a multinational company, is now on trial.
On Tuesday, 3 October, the court heard that no DNA evidence was collected from the bed sheet or the victim’s clothes, as they had already been washed by the time the case was reported.
We hope that justice will prevail.
Why young boys are vulnerable to sexual abuse
It is a fact that most of the child sexual abuse cases that we come across, involves girls. It has thus become commonplace to regard child sexual abuse as a ‘feminist’ issue.
Perhaps, such cases among boys tend to get swept under the carpet because not many boys come forward to report the unpleasant truth? Or maybe they just can’t identify abuse correctly?
Here are some possible reasons why boys might hesitate to report sexual abuse:
- Sense of shame: Many male victims are unable to talk about their abuse because of the sense of shame. They feel that by doing so, they would be regarded as weak, effeminate and gay, especially if male abusers were involved. They might also be accused of being stupid, to allow it to happen. Fear of shaming by peers is also an issue.
Society is also partly to blame for this; boys are generally made to believe that they are strong and macho, and can’t afford to cry. Hence they are constantly under pressure to present a strong image.
- Naturally curious: Another reason that makes boys highly vulnerable to sexual abuse is that they are naturally more “sexually curious” then girls. If pushed into it, they might even enjoy the excitement and pleasurable sensation of genital fondling and the receipt of oral sex. The abuser might use this as an excuse to blame the victim for the abuse, whereas the truth is, the victim was simply too young and ill-informed.
The abuser might coerce victims into the act by saying things like, “This is what real guys do…Its fun…everyone does it, ” and then they don’t want to feel left out.
- Abuser incentives : Paedophiles routinely use incentives as their main weapon of lure.
- Scared of abusers: There is a constant fear that no one would believe them if they came out with the truth. What if the abusers beat them up?
- Sexuality education still a taboo: Most parents feel uncomfortable to talk about sexuality and protection topics with their sons.
All these factors usually prevent boys from opening up and not reporting the crime. Abuse victims are often known to suffer from low self-esteem, anger management issues, poor concentration, relationship problems and drug and alcohol abuse later on in life. Hence the need of the hour is to create greater awareness of this issue.
(Source: Channel NewsAsia, Today, The New Paper)
*Republished from The Asianparent Singapore
