It’s paramount to safeguard our future generations

Parents teach children to expect danger from strangers despite mostly sexual abuse of children occurs between older male relatives and younger female children in families and often ensures that the relationship continues and remains a secret. 

Other instances can be committed by friends who have access to children within the family setting and by people normally trusted by parents such as doctors, caregivers, teachers, and authority figures who exploit their positions of trust. 

Sexual abuse can manifest in various forms, from exposure to explicit materials to physical contact that children do not understand, cannot consent or are developmentally unprepared and has no control. 

Parents teach their daughters enough safety aspect. The time is high we teach our sons that females are not an injection of lust and no sexual act should be imposed on another with no consent. As victims of sexual abuse will have lifelong psychological, emotional, and physical consequences. Therefore violation of this trust is so terribly frightening and confusing. 

It is the responsibility of the state and society to protect its future generation.  We have adequate laws in place.  What we need a strong legal system with the required resources in place to hold individuals and institutions accountable for their actions, deterring harmful behaviour and a media giving the necessary publicity for the offences and punishments.  If not we will see many sad endings of young children like the sad incident of the 15 year old school girl from Kotahena. 

Vinodini Jayawardena