Srinagar: Regarding Child Sexual Abuse, many in Kashmir are still in denial. However, when one starts to talk about and dig a little, skeletons start tumbling out of the closets.
In a 3 hour long workshop held by a local Non-Governmental Organisation Kashmir Women’s Collective (KWC), horrific sexual abuse cases surfaced, leaving the participants numb.
The workshop focused on legal, Psychological and Medical Aspects of CSA. The participants including teachers and resource persons from various districts and schools in the valley were made aware about ‘Good and Bad Touch (Safe/ Unsafe Touch). The children ought to be taught not to let anyone touch or see their private parts except for their parents/ protectors. However, the case shared by Rihanna, Principal of one of the Government Girls School makes one conclude that children are not safe anywhere.
She said that a Class 8 school girl would call her ‘Mama’. She says, “I would be busy with the school but her behavioral changes were apparent.” The girl had even tried to talk to Rihanna but her busy schedule at school had made it impossible for her to pay attention to that girl who had started sitting at one particular place in the school.
The day Rihanna had decided to talk to her was coincidentally the day when she found out that she had run away from the home with her little sister. On digging a little deeper, she says, “We found out that her father had been sexually abusing her for months. And her brother, a Class 9 student had also sexually abused her.” Rihanna was shocked and says she shared the incident with one of her friends. “She was crying on her side of the phone and me on my side.”
She couldn’t solve the case. The girl had to drop one year of school. The school decided to help her by getting someone to let her stay at their home as their domestic help. For some time, it helped but eventually, she had to go back to her protector-turned-perpetrator father and brother.
In another case shared by Mantasha Binti Rashid, founding member of KWC, an aunt would sexually assault her niece when she would sleep with her during childhood. “As she grew up, the relationship changed. She got to understand what was being done to her. According to studies, in 95 per cent of CSA cases, known people are the abusers,” says Mantasha.
“Sexual abuse is not gender specific,” she adds.
According to one of the participants, a teacher, children sometimes sexually abuse their classmates or their juniors.
“A Class 1 or Class 2 student once complained to a teacher that a classmate was making him uncomfortable by touching him at inappropriate places. On digging in, it was revealed that his classmate was sexually abused by a Class 10 student,” the participant shared.
Adding, she says, “The Class 10 student would teach him at home. While his mother would thing they would be playing computer games, he would show him pornographic images. The victim here had turned into an abuser. This happens,” she says adding, on medically examining the child, they had found out that he was deeply hurt in the act.
Speaking about the stringent Acts being formed to tackle with CSA, Advocate Mohammad Altaf Khan says, “ Good Touch or Bad Touch. We must keep in mind that the child can even enjoy the abuse. However, what makes it a crime is the fact that he/she is not capable of giving a valid consent until he/she is 18 years old.”
In the valley, Jammu and Kashmir Protection of Children from Sexual Violence Ordinance has been introduced. According to Khan, the punishment will be more grave now. The rules are not formed yet. However, they will be soon, he says. There are more categories in the new Ordinance where the Protector would get double the punishment that an abuser would normally get.
“Child friendly mechanisms would be followed. You cannot call a child to the police station. You will have to go to visit him. In the court, you won’t be approaching him/ her while you are in your uniform. His/ Her Medical examination cannot be held without his/ her consent,” informs Khan adding that in case someone knows about a CSA case, it becomes his/ her responsibility to report about it.
He concluded by saying that people need to talk more about issues like CSA. The sermons in mosques of the valley should discuss them as well, for people to feel safe to talk about the abuse.
Moreover, it should be termed as a stain on honour of the abuser and not the victim.
