In a story that would shock us all, a 13-year-old girl was allegedly raped by two of her seniors in the town of Jasin, Malaysia. What is even more shocking is that the accused are also minors and the act was carried out in the school premises.
As the report goes, a 13-year-old girl was forcefully escorted by two boys, 14 and 15, to the school storeroom on Tuesday, 4 Oct’16. This happened around 1430 hours. Once inside, she was made to strip before being sexually assaulted.
A member of the administrative staff heard her screams as he was passing by and rescued her. Later, the police arrested the boys. One of them mentioned that the girl had consented to have sex with him. Whatever the case, it is shocking that no one noticed the girl being dragged to a room inside the school in the middle of the day!
Youth crimes are on a rise. According to a report, a rape occurs in Malaysia every 35 minutes. Most of the victims are girls younger than 16. This is a horrifying statistics. Particularly, in this case, the victims and the perpetrators, both are minors.
This brings us to the next question: are our kids safe at school?
How to keep the kids safe from offenders? Read on
I am not doubting the security of the schools or intention of our school going children. But we cannot deny the fact that children are maturing quite early. One of the reasons might be a misguided information about the act of sexual intercourse itself in the form of pornography.
Watching pornography is discouraged in Singapore. Also, sex education classes are available for children at school. That said, the curiosity may lead the school children to try out things that are inappropriate for their age. In extreme cases, they would even resort to rapes.
The way out is to educate your boys and girls about sexual abuse in any form.
1# Tell them about good touch and bad touch
There is a good touch and a bad touch. Boys and girls should know about that. Train your kid to raise a ruckus is someone tries to do any of this
- Touch the child on the chest, buttocks or the groin area
- Any other touch that the child may feel as inappropriate
- Anyone trying to get too close for comfort
- Anyone asking the child to keep anything physical a secret
- Anyone who dresses inappropriately in front of the children
2#Sex is never mandatory
In a relationship, teenagers may feel obligated to have sex in order to ‘prove’ love. Well, if it needs a proof, it is not love. Please educate your kids that anything related to sex should not happen if she is not comfortable about it. My personal take is to wait till they become adults. That way, the definition of love becomes a lot clearer!
3# Curiosity may come at a cost
A momentary lapse of judgement may end up causing a life-long grief for your kids. Stress the importance of thinking clearly all the time! If they are curious about anything, answer their questions in the most scientific way possible. Create an environment where the girls are confident enough to say no and the boys come to resent the act of abuse in any form
4# Be available for your kids
This is the most important of all the things you can do. Your kids need to trust you enough to tell you what is going on in their life. Many times, abusers put the fear of life or exposure in the kid’s mind and this leads to more abuse. If something inappropriate happens to your kids, you should be the first person to know, and that too immediately!
Stay safe mums, and keep your kids safe!