CHILD ABUSE

Lakshmi the seven year old daughter of my maid Malati is the same age as my younger daughter. Lakshmi adores her 21 year old uncle, Malati's brother. Malati very happily leaves her daughter with her brother when she comes to our house to work. Yesterday, Malati did not leave Lakshmi with her brother but brought her along to my house.

Lakshmi whispered in my years that her brother had sexually abused Lakshmi, and Lakshmi was afraid to go near her uncle. I was shocked and asked Malati whether she had reported this to the police, she had not as she felt it was of no use to report, as no one in her family would believe or support her, and she would unnecessarily be enemies with her family members as her brother would definitely refuse that he ever did anything wrong.

Do we really know the extent of child sexual abuse? oral and physical penetration, by relatives, neighbours, teachers, and relatives are common forms of sexual abuse, children are raped, sodomized and sexually exploited in different ways.

In Puri, in the Telugu basti of Penthakotha, children of the fisher folk are routinely abused with no support or help from anybody. I have seen children with massive sexually transmitted infections. They routinely go to pick up empty bottles to the guest houses in the beaches, where foreigners stay who abuse these children. I met a 17 year old boy who spoke fluent Germany but did not have any formal schooling, who was a sexual mate of 45 year old man from German since the past seven years. He has been promised that he would ultimately be taken away to Germany to live a grand live, and he lives with that dream

I know my friends who have been sexually abused when they were children, and out of shame had never been able to speak to anyone. I know children and adults when they were children, who have been routinely physically abused by their friends, relatives, parents and we justify these forms of abuse on children, saying, spare the rod and spoil the child.

We need to recognize it, and put our foot down to any form of abuse towards children. We are righteously complaining about 'Slum Dog Millionaire' because of its harsh portrayal of what slum children go through. We very happily burst crackers in Diwali and during marriages made by children of Sivakasi, we very happily wear bangles and take pride in our marriage and our family not knowing that they probably come from the glass factories of Firozabad, Agra, where young children are forced to work. in terrible conditions. These are forms of exploitation and abuse, denial and discrimination, 'WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE IT'

We need to sit down with our children give them some time, discuss with them the forms of discrimination, help them to recognize sexual abuse, physical abuse, discrimination, as these are long lasting and leave deep scars on the child's personality.

I dont mean to sound morbid, and I dont mean to say that what I have been saying is right, what I want to do is to help all who access this site into thinking that probably there is more to life than a good job, a good house and a good life.