Defilement means war on HIV/AIDS is lost
Aug 20, 2007
Defilement has become more common than murder, burglary, assault and vandalism. Those who exploit children sexually are the people who should protect them, for instance teachers, relatives, neighbours, priests, pastors, security officers and motorists are routinely abusing children in their care. Ch
Venancio Ahabwe
Defilement has become more common than murder, burglary, assault and vandalism. Those who exploit children sexually are the people who should protect them, for instance teachers, relatives, neighbours, priests, pastors, security officers and motorists are routinely abusing children in their care. Children face risks of being hoodwinked into hazardous sexual acts that endanger their lives and hurt their moral values thereby upsetting their lifetime prospects.
Most cases of incest, sodomy and defilement are committed by “responsible†people, whom children have been taught to trust and respect and look to for protection. Studies show that most cases of child abuse are usually committed during day, within the home, neighbourhood, school or church.
Children are thus taken by surprise and, very often, do not know how to react or what to do to protect themselves. It is most baffling when the person a child expects defence from becomes a source of violence against the very child.
Consequently, sexually abused children rarely come out to report the violence because it would involve embarrassing their guardians. Moreover, children need support and guidance to gain the courage to complain against sexual exploiters. They need assurance that reporting does not have negative repercussions to them.
Many suspected defilers are sometimes protected by community. In other cases, the children are made to cooperate with them and the crime remains concealed.
We, therefore, need to design adequate programmes for increasing access to information to help the young to break the chains of silence against sexual abuse. There is great need to scale up campaigns that seek to popularise information on children’s rights so as to boost their confidence and self-esteem.
Rampant defilement can overturn the gains made in the fight against HIV/AIDS, since abusers might infect minors with STIs, which facilitate the transmission of HIV/AIDS. Prevention of the transmission among children is vital if the fight against HIV/AIDS is to succeed. There is need for a strengthened campaign amongst children and adults on how to prevent defilement and the dangers of HIV/AIDS.
The writer is the programme officer for public education and mobilisation at the African Network for Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect
Defilement has become more common than murder, burglary, assault and vandalism. Those who exploit children sexually are the people who should protect them, for instance teachers, relatives, neighbours, priests, pastors, security officers and motorists are routinely abusing children in their care. Children face risks of being hoodwinked into hazardous sexual acts that endanger their lives and hurt their moral values thereby upsetting their lifetime prospects.
Most cases of incest, sodomy and defilement are committed by “responsible†people, whom children have been taught to trust and respect and look to for protection. Studies show that most cases of child abuse are usually committed during day, within the home, neighbourhood, school or church.
Children are thus taken by surprise and, very often, do not know how to react or what to do to protect themselves. It is most baffling when the person a child expects defence from becomes a source of violence against the very child.
Consequently, sexually abused children rarely come out to report the violence because it would involve embarrassing their guardians. Moreover, children need support and guidance to gain the courage to complain against sexual exploiters. They need assurance that reporting does not have negative repercussions to them.
Many suspected defilers are sometimes protected by community. In other cases, the children are made to cooperate with them and the crime remains concealed.
We, therefore, need to design adequate programmes for increasing access to information to help the young to break the chains of silence against sexual abuse. There is great need to scale up campaigns that seek to popularise information on children’s rights so as to boost their confidence and self-esteem.
Rampant defilement can overturn the gains made in the fight against HIV/AIDS, since abusers might infect minors with STIs, which facilitate the transmission of HIV/AIDS. Prevention of the transmission among children is vital if the fight against HIV/AIDS is to succeed. There is need for a strengthened campaign amongst children and adults on how to prevent defilement and the dangers of HIV/AIDS.
The writer is the programme officer for public education and mobilisation at the African Network for Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect