Child abuse alarm!

Over the past 5 years, 114 children have been abused in the province (108 girls, 6 boys). Of these, 82 children were sexually abused; 26 were illegally bought and sold; 6 were violently abused. Alarmingly, the perpetrators of child abuse are often relatives, or close friends of parents, grandparents, or neighbors, people who have had close contact with the children.

Children abused by relatives

The incident happened more than a year ago but until now it still makes those who know the story shocked and saddened. It was a girl who was only in 8th grade in Chau Ly - Quy Hop who suddenly got pregnant, and it was extremely painful when the father of that pregnancy was the girl's biological father. The incident only broke out when the girl complained of being tired and her mother took her to the commune health station for a check-up. Only later did the girl share that she had been raped by her father for a long time but had to grit her teeth and endure because after each time he satisfied his animalistic desires, his father held a knife to her neck and threatened to kill her if she told her mother or anyone else.

The message that children should not keep silent has been mentioned many times in recent communication sessions on preventing child sexual abuse. Photo courtesy of My Ha.

Another equally disturbing incident was the case of a 12-year-old girl in Dong Van, Tan Ky who was raped by a close neighbor while taking her home from a meal with another neighbor's family. It is worth mentioning that, although the girl had foreseen the incident, she still followed the man who had planned to rape her. Although the pervert later received a suitable sentence, the consequences for the girl were extremely severe, psychologically, mentally and physically.

Children of Quy Hop district speak at the launching ceremony of Action Month for Children 2020. Photo: Thanh Nga

Since the beginning of the year, there have been 3 cases of child abuse in the province, and all 3 perpetrators have been punished by law, but that is not a true number reflecting this situation. Because there are currently many cases that have not been brought to light and are not included in the reported statistics. Typically, cases of sexual abuse have had an agreement between the victim and the pedophile to avoid the child's identity being revealed, affecting the future; or because the pedophile is a relative, a blood relative of the child, the family decided to "hide". "That situation happens because the child's guardian does not understand the law, nor is aware of the danger if not reported" - Ms. Le Thi Nguyet - Head of the Department of Child Care and Protection, Gender Equality, Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs said.

The joy of Khmu children with a new game. Photo courtesy of Dinh Tuan

According to the report of the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, every year on average, more than 1,200 children nationwide are sexually abused (accounting for more than 60% of child abuse cases - including other physical and mental abuse cases against children). What is more alarming is that most of these cases are caused by people close to and known to the children. How to prevent such injuries from happening to children is really the best thing that we are struggling to find a solution for.

According to psychologist Vu Thi Phuong, child protection is not only about providing children with support and intervention services when violations of the law occur, but also about preventing them from becoming victims of illegal acts.

Therefore, protecting children is more urgent than ever, because in addition to protecting children from abuse, violence, and violence, protecting children to be safe in the living environment is something that is being focused on and paid attention to by political organizations, sectors, and localities.

Child guardians need to be equipped with skills

During the signing ceremony of the commitment to implement the 2020 Safe Summer for Children, localities agreed to carry out the following commitments: Organize communication and education activities, focus on promoting the 111 Child Protection Hotline; Deploy thematic content on images of violence and child abuse.

Representatives of local departments, agencies and branches signed a commitment to implement a safe summer in 2020 in Quy Hop. Photo courtesy of Thanh Nga

However, many local officials believe that the most important way to prevent child abuse is to protect children from family management. If the family does not care and pay attention to changes in the child, it is very difficult to prevent abuse.

Regarding this issue, the policy officer of Quy Hop district also expressed his opinion: The risk of children being abused or unsafe when staying at home for a long time or when there is little communication is very high. Therefore, the functional sector, socio-political organizations in each locality, unit, and village need to have a way to approach children, let them play and share to immediately resolve the risks that may be lurking. "The case of the 8th grade child in Chau Ly being raped by his father for a long time may not have happened if the child was equipped with the skills to protect himself, for example, screaming when his father approached, or not being home alone when there was only his father. If the high risk continues, it is necessary to tell the closest relative in the family." - said the policy officer of Quy Hop.

Children play with clay after school break in Xa Luong commune, Tuong Duong. Photo courtesy of Dinh Tuan

Or the case of a child in Tan Ky who was raped by a neighbor while driving her home at night. According to the policy officer of Tan Ky district, if the child had foreseen the danger of sitting on the back of a motorbike of a man who had teased her during the previous meal and avoided it, the incident would not have happened. However, this officer also wondered that it was not a good idea for parents to let their children go out at night because the children were too young to equip themselves with self-defense skills.