Child Sexual Abuse

Child Sexual Abuse

The location of Child Sexual Abuse Case Study is Toru, a well known village and one of the union council among 75 others of district Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Toru is placed in South of Mardan Metropolitan encircled by two continuing nullah term as Kalpani and Balar; the former fall down from the heights of malakand to the plains of this cosmic, fertile tract, while the later comes from the contiguous district of swabi.

The inhabitants of Toru are Yusafzai Pakhtun, tracing their origin to central Asia and Afghanistan in particular. It is a small, significant area of the Mardan district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The populace is well educated and serving the nation in different key place of duty in the government as well as private sector. But for the elders and untaught persons farming is their specialized sector for their day to day return. Many natives of the village Toru are serving in Middle East countries and some are in European countries among them few are permanently matured there. The Village Toru in addition known as ‘BukharaSani’ for the reason that this productive top soil has produced immense religious scholars (Ulema) of its time. People from the present neighbor country Afghanistan and some from Central Asia were used to approach here to seek religious knowledge from these scholars (Ulema). The community of Toru is divided in different khel (caste) they denoted as Khan Khel, kambar Khel, Amo khel, Zaid khel, Sadeeq khel, Moosa khel, Boosi khel, Akhund khel and Mian Bera.

INTRODUCTION

The family has the fundamental role in ensuring the necessary conditions for the transition through the stages of childhood development, conditions underlying the individual’s personality structure. How it interacts, the affective environment and its socio-cultural model are important in social incorporation and the establishment of social components. It is the work of a life span for parents to understand their children, because each child is different in an exceptional way. Once an adolescent get the wrong impression, abandoned and control, he can build up anger, argument or rebellion at the psychosomatic stage. Over and over again this happens when parents coerce harshly their ideas on how the adolescent should be learned. Absolutely dependent on adults and with their behavior in training and growth, with a motionless unbalanced personality, Adolescent can easily be target for aggressive behavior and anti social openness from the adult in a variety of expressions which have unpleasant outcome on the development of children’s personality. The handling and psychoanalysis of children victims of abuse is a reassurance for a future adult balanced and adjusted, put a stop to the continuation of the abuse. The abuse necessitates psychological, remedial and social involvement and revival, conducted by a team of dedicated who can use specialized techniques.

SEXUAL ABUSE

Child sexual abuse may be distinct as any involvement by the child in actions inappropriate to his age and psychosexual development, which s/he is unable to understand, an activities the child is being put to through compulsion violence or which violate social taboos. This mistreatment includes: magnetize, persuasive, attracting, dishonesty, and forcing adolescent to take part in sexual behavior or support another person during actions that provide adults to gain satisfaction. Those Children who have been abused are mostly under the fear of physical and mental violence, sexual abuse, and severe disregard with serious consequences for their physical and mental development. The youngster, who is maltreated, abuse, suffers a deformation of social behavior. In the society the child is set aside, afraid, feels threatened, or on the contrary can be aggressive, hurtful, intolerant, and arrogant. A family was residing in one of the khel (caste) of villages Toru of the Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

Ishrat ali (synthetic name) was the victim of offensive assaults. He was abused by his Paternal Relative when he was at the age of eleven; he was raped at a family marriage ceremony. The physical attack has left Ishrat ali with dramatic memories of the incidents. Now 27, he tells this story. He desires the humankind to know that every day he wakes up wondering how best to kill himself, before he gathers the strength to leave his bed and face the day, but he also wants the world to know how he was treated by a community, those around him who, he says, appears more alarmed with their collective status than the indescribable distress of a child. That is why he says he received a death threat for daring to say he was abused by an elder. On the surface, you’d never think anything is wrong. Ishrat ali is doing something extraordinary and brave. A survivor of such abuse to be identified is unusual. Especially in isolated area of village toru.

Abused at age eleven

“My paternal relative came from nearby village and abused me at our joint communal Hujra in Toru,” said Ishrat ali. “Not countless people remember stuff when they are eleven but I could tell you the Mud color of the wall. I could tell you the poster with handwriting that was in the wall of the room.”
“He pulled my shalwar down,” said Ishrat ali. “I don’t want to keep in mind everything that take place that night but I do remember him when he committing the guilty act. He penetrated me and I cry. He grabbed my mouth and laugh nervously. It’s twenty years on and I can still remember that laugh. That hour of darkness was the most evil night of my living.”

“I keep in mind an illustration after it happened the place my feet on the floor and spot my shoes. To this day I’ve never worn that color chappal (shoes). I’ve never known why but now I understand. He left after that and Ishrat ali never told a psyche what he had been from beginning to end.

SOCIOLOGICAL EXPLANATION

Few points those seem to be sociologically vital are derived from the case study and discussed here as follows:

1. Exploiter is relative

In the present case the exploiter is close relative of the victim. It is easy for a relative than non-relative to sexually abuse a minor as s/he has uninterrupted access to the minor. The culture of the society gives this protection to perpetrator. Relative confidently uses his “social status” in such exploitation. The society at large and the family members in particular wore a “cultural ribbon” over their eyes due to which the perpetrator unnoticeably manipulate the situation and satisfy his/her lust.

2. Non-reporting to police

It is also one of the issues that in close culture like that of Pakhtuns, such cases are not reported to law enforcement agencies. On the one hand, it deprives the victim for legal aid and on the other hand perpetrator gets encouraged as he bears no price for the crime he committed. Non-reporting even deprives the society members from such information and they remain unaware and the criminals openly run their business.

3. Cultural shame

One of the issues in sexual abuse cases is the sever cultural shock of shame that is associated with it. Families keep such issues under the carpet, if possible due to the dangerous aspect of Paktun culture that is such families will throughout the life will face “paighor”/taunt. Mostly, the families kill such minors specifically if they are female.

4. No Government support

The present case also indicates that government support is not according to the expectation. Such indifferent attitude of the government agencies is further aggravating the situation and accused gets motivation for further planning. Even in some aspect, law enforcement agencies are intentionally or unintentionally support criminals. Sometimes they are bribed, sometimes due to flaws in legal procedure like no witness of the occurrence etc. the criminals escape from punishments. The government has no scientific techniques to follow and investigate such issues.

5. Police Role

Police of the Pakhtunkhwa are popularly known to be corrupt. In fact, this legacy is that of British. British develop this institution for their specific objectives to create fear among the masses. Police was trained in those ways. Even today, in the independent state police is the sign of fear in our society. Such fear is only for innocent people. The modern states are raising their police people friendly. Citizens have trust in them and hence, coordinate with them, report all such issues which come under police jurisdiction. In our society, reporting to police means that you should be ready for personal enmity.

6. Failure of local institution like Hujra Jirga, mosque, neighborhood

The present case also diverts our attention to the local informal but very important agencies of the Pakhtun society. Such agencies or institutions are hujra, Jirga, mosque and neighborhood. In Pakhtun society all the mentioned forums were having many socio-cultural functions like education, awareness, cultural transmission, sharing of local collective wisdom, social control etc. However, the occurrence of such cases show that either we have washed-out all those institutions or those institutions have left its expected role.

CONCLUSION

Child Sexual Abuse is a crime against children. Sexual abuse is one of the most dehumanizing human offenses. It is largely under-reported and commonly goes unpunished in our society as it is commonly carry out by close ones including family relations. Victims are left with the adverse shed tears associated with it sometimes for life. This study highlights a child perpetrated by her his paternal relative. It also brings to fore the problems and challenges of child sexual abuse in Mardan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The factors with increased risk of cause various disorders or behavior changes over time leading to social isolation, hostility, depression, etc., may be represented by the experience of abuse in immaturity. This case study indicates that sexual abuse of the child coexist with physical, emotional, medical, educational neglect, these methods of ill-treatment occurring in high levels and are repetitive and require protection of the abused child.

Children need to be recognized values, to be rewarded for their achievements, understood when they are wrong and should be helped and supported to find appropriate solutions to the problems they face, in order to become balanced and responsible adults.

By: Shah Saud Toru

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Note: The Author is PhD Scholar in Sociology of Family and member of Writers Club Pakistan management committee. His detailed profile is available in Writers Directory.