Sexual Abuse
A serious Issue To Be Tackled

By Dr.Niranjan Prasad Upadhyay

STORIES of sexual exploitations and abuses are available in print media, radio and television. Sexual abuse is usually associated with severe emotional problems. Generally, such types of exploitations are kept hidden by parents as well as the victimised women or men. They are rarely believed if they disclose the abuse. Sexual abuse not only harms women physically; it also leaves deep psychological impression on both the victims and their family members. In essence, sexual abuse is one kind of violence. In general, any act of gender based violence that results or is likely to result in physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life leaves a deep scar in the victim's psyche.

Pertinent

Recently, a sexual abuse case has occurred in the Bhutanese refugee camps in eastern Nepal. In this issue, The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) deputed a five member-team to provide protection and counselling of victims of sexual abuse cases in the camps. In Nepal, Centre For Victims Of Torture, Nepal (CVICT) is actively involved in treating torture survivers in four ways: fact finding teams, referrals to its clinic in Kathmandu, prison visits, and a community based rehabilitation programme. Side by side, it tries to rehabilitate sexual abuse cases. In addition, the center also conducts research in four areas: a quantitative matched-control study of tortured refugees to identify consequences of torture; a case note survey a narrative study to identify idioms of distress: and focus groups to identify issues pertinent in the local context.

Generally, sexual abuse raises, confusion about sexual identity and sexual norms, confusion of sex with love , aversion to sex or intimacy, guilt, shame, lowered self-esteem and a sense of being different from others. Psychologically, sexual abuse boost up post-traumatic stress disorder as well as produce sleep disturbance, irritability and concentration difficulties (associated with hyper arousal), fears, anxiety, depression and guilt. Psychologically, sexual abuse raises to frustration, loss of self-esteem, absence and decreased output. Sexual abuse is an exceedingly severe condition. Protection against it should cover workers in all sectors and occupations, both in formal and informal areas.

In South Asia, there are diversified types of violence against women i.e. sexual abuse, incest and rape by family members and others, recruitment by family members into prostitution, neglect by family members, feticide and infanticide, dowry demand and wife abuse.

In 1982, CWIN (NGO) conducted a research on the working condition of children. Amongst girl carpet weavers, 38 per cent said that they were repeatedly sexually harassed, teased or raped. Nepalese legal researchers claim that in carpet and garment sectors, verbal sexual harassment is common. In such sectors the male workers often proceed physical abuse to female workers like pinching on the buttocks, embracing, holding hands, caressing etc. Incidents of sexual harassment is equally high in airlines, the nature of work requires night halts in different stations. The psychologists urge that harassment creates diversified problems such as lack of concentration towards work, depression losing self-esteem and confidence.

There must be some arrangement for providing formal sex education to our children as well as adolescents so that they could develop a rational understanding of human sexuality and thereby minimise subsequent sex-related problems both within and outside marriage. A quarterly newsletter of MAITI Nepal (2000) stresses that harmful traditional practices upset the girls. Many girls in South Asia face abuses arising out of traditional practices that are based on discrimination and the low status of women and girls in society. In Nepal, rich families without daughters buy young girls from poor communities and offer them to a temple as their own. The girls are not allowed to marry and often end up as "Kept wives".

Sexual exploitation creates prolonged and repeated trauma. Progressive form of post-traumatic stress disorder invades and erodes the personality of the individual. Post-trauma effects can be mitigated with a strong self-concept and strong social supports. Generally, sexual abuse may elevate diversified problems within individuals i.e. isolation, drug or alcohol abuse, criminal involvement, self-mutilation and/or suicide. Chiefly, one-third of child victims of abuse have significant difficulties in parenting.
Research findings have revealed that 36 per cent to 65 per cent of sexual attack sufferers are aged 15 or less. It may take place in any part of society but is found more frequently in poor families. The commercial exploitation of children occurs in different forms. Several factors force the children into unfair and abusive circumstances. Research cases demonstrate that families are repeatedly deceived by the promise of job opportunities for the children. Occasionally, girls are sent away from home to work and become subject to physical and sexual abuse. Usually, disclosing abuse can have severe negative consequences together with the breakup of the family. If the care of young children is turned over to older siblings, particularly when mothers work outside home, elder brothers more often abuse their younger siblings than do older sisters.

Lately, Nepalese researcher, Bhandari, Rashmi, in her study insists that a longer-term strategy is essential for the overall empowerment of women. The need to develop self-esteem, confidence, and economic independence are necessary for preventing the girls and women from violence and abuse. Also she points out that even at the beginning of the new millennium violence against women still remains a challenging issue in Nepal.

Effort

In checking sexual abuse combined effort is indispensable. In this shared effort, psychologists, sociologists, journalists, medical experts, legal experts and government and non-government organizations are required for setting policy on this issue. Similarly, the government must adopt an effective strategy for combating all biased and unfair practices directed against women and children, especially for uplifting their socio-economic status and rehabilitate the victims of sexual abuse.

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