What are the myths we need to know as indian parents about child sex abuse.

​In India, child sex abuse statistics is really bone chilling. The old data of 2006 shows around 42% of children in India has been sexually abused. It is undoubtedly more rampant but as many cases go unreported due to our social stigma. The common myths that we need to know about child sex abuse are as follows:

• Child sex abuse affects the only lower socio-economic group. It has been surveyed that the even the English speaking upper middle class are no exceptions to the child sex abuse. It has deep penetrating roots in our society, and money and education would not help you to avoid facing these sexual abuses.

• Child Sex Abuse is prevalent in both young boys and girls. We often tend to think that sexual abuses or molestation happens only to the young girls, but it is wrong. Even young boys preschoolers are the soft target. Researchers show that around 52% of them are boys. So there is no reason to seat back and not to educate our boys of the abuses they can encounter. Our patriarchal mindsets often make us believe that these cannot happen to our male child.
• Attackers are usually strangers.  One of the biggest of the myth which we are often caught unaware. About 93% of the attackers are known to the child. The familiarity of the attacker makes the child even more vulnerable. Scan all your relations and schools teachers or assistants, and the persons who regularly comes in contact with your child to be on the safer side.

• Children will forget, get over it or grow out of it: The abuse if kept under the carpet and never talked about with a hope that the child will not remember never happens. However, minuscule abuses where though no physical contact was established has deep-seated reactions even in adulthood. The fear and trauma do not get erased. The right support and care, psychological counselling are necessary to recover from it. This would effectively help the child to lead a happy, healthy adult life without the shadows of the abuse.
• A child would say if he or she is abused: Remember this is just the opposite in almost 90% of the cases. The children are taught to be obedient to their elders so the fear of being disobedient silences them. Another major reason is small children are often ignorant about what is sexual attack and abuses. Especially if the assault in not physically hurting. The children are mostly bribed threatened, into the sexual act, so they become emotionally confused about what is right or wrong.

After we become aware of the facts we should definitely educate our child of what is sexual abuse and make them knowledgeable to protect them. In India sexual abuse stigma is so strong that we feel that to keep our voice quiet is beneficial for our child. Be a true loving parent and stand up for your child .