Child Sexual Abuse (CSA): Time to Tackle CSA in African Countries
- sharonche794
- Apr 22, 2022
- 3 min read
Child sexual abuse (CSA) is another public health issue facing the world and is often swept under the rug in African countries. Over the years, CSA has been on the rise in African countries. It happens anywhere and across both genders at any age group. I am aware this is a sensitive topic and makes most parents or guardians uncomfortable. Unfortunately, with the rise of CSA incidences, this issue needs to be brought to the forefront.
CSA is sexual activity with a child by an adult, adolescent, or older child [1]. These include touching and non-touching behaviors [1]. Touching includes touching a child’s genitals, making a child touch another person’s genitals, and putting objects or body parts (penis) inside the vagina, mouth, or anus of a child for sexual pleasure [1]. While non-touching includes showing pornography to a child and exposing a person’s genitals to a child [1]. Yes, this is very explicit, and there is no other way to dance around this conversation but to be direct.
We have all heard horror stories of young children as young as one year old being sexually abused. But seeing a video of a young child being sexually abused is a whole different ballgame that has left me more paranoid, scared, and anxious than ever. According to the video narrator, this unfortunate incident occurred in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and the child is 7 years old. Some of you might have come across the video and know what I am talking about.
Parents or guardians, it is time to shift our mindsets and pay close attention to our children. We now live in dangerous times and cannot continue with this naive and nonchalant attitude. Child sex offenders and perpetrators are walking in our midst. 90% of children who are the victims of sexual abuse know their abusers [2]. Some are disguised as family members or relatives, partners, friends of family, teachers, peers, and neighbors.
When children are in distress, the signs and clues are there, but we tend to turn a blind eye and assume our children are just being stubborn. Emotional and behavioral signals like fear, withdrawal, unexplained anger, rebelliousness, and depression [2]. Every parent or guardian knows their children’s personalities, and you can tell when something is off. Please investigate.
Moreover, do not force your child to be around certain adults or older children if they do not feel comfortable, be it family members or relatives, neighbors, peers, house helpers, or family friends. There is a reason, and you need to investigate it. Nowadays, there are all sorts of spy and CCTV camera gadgets, and some are portable. If you can afford it, get some.
I recommend child sexual abuse prevention experts develop programs, campaigns, and initiatives to educate and engage our African communities in preventing child sexual abuse. This should entail educating parents on how to teach their children about body safety and privacy (safe touch and unsafe touch). What to do if you suspect your child has been sexually abused? I emphasize to parents or guardians that while teaching your children about the privacy of body parts, it is vital you say the right anatomical words (breasts/chests, vagina/vulva, penis, buttocks).
As a parent, once my daughter could comprehend and say her numbers, colors, and numbers, I gradually started teaching her the parts of her body. Which parts of her body were private and not to be seen nor touched by anyone. What to do if someone tries to touch her inappropriately? She is not allowed to see or touch another person's private parts either. Lastly, she should never keep a secret from her dad and me. You have to be creative, and most of these conversations took place when I was giving her a bath.
This is not a one-time conversation. You need to space out the information and teach your young children (from 3 years old) regularly till they are older (18 years old). As they grow older, the conversation changes. You will need to decide what is next on the agenda concerning body safety rules.
In the meantime, you can watch educational videos on Youtube with your children like “Not Our Kids: Child Sexual Abuse Prevention” by the Committee for Children organization [3] and “Talk PANTS with Pantosaraus and his PANTS song” by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) [4].
Being a parent or guardian is tough. To make matters worse, we now have disgusting and sick individuals in our communities hurting our children in unimaginable ways. Simply look at this as equipping our young children to protect themselves.
Be vocal!
References
1. Child Sexual Abuse Definition & Facts | Prevent Child Abuse NC. (2022). Retrieved 18 April 2022, from https://www.preventchildabusenc.org/resource-hub/about-child-sexual-abuse/
2. Child sexual abuse statistics. Darkness to Light. Retrieved from https://www.d2l.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/all_statistics_20150619.pdf
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