1 in 2 sexually abused: Study

Children With Disabilities
1 in 2 sexually abused: Study
A shocking 91 percent of them in the hands of family members
One in every two children with disability in the country is sexually abused with a shocking 91 percent of them by family members or close relatives, said a study. Of the victims, aged between seven and 18, 52 percent are girls while 48 percent are boys.
The grim revelation is the findings of a six-month-long study jointly conducted by Bangladesh Protibondhi Foundation (BPF) and Save the Children Sweden-Denmark.
The picture is even worse in case of intellectually challenged children due to their inability to express themselves or understanding the intention of the offender, said Psychologist Dr Selim Chowdhury, who presented the findings at the National Press Club yesterday.
The abuse happens due to the fact that the understanding of personal body parts, personal security and sexual abuse is unclear to the physically and mentally challenged children and to their family members, Dr Selim said.
The study was conducted in six divisional districts on 216 children with disability, aged between 7-18, 535 adult persons with disability, their family members, teachers and NGO workers.
Sharing the survey findings, experts working on the issue said children with disability are at a higher risk of sexual harassment or rape because they cannot protect themselves.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), persons with disability constitute about 10 percent of the country’s total population. However, there is no known survey on the total number of such children.
Lack of social and legal support, and the social tendency to keep the issue secret increase the risk factors often giving the abuser a chance to escape punishment, Dr Selim said.
He also stressed that along with legal punishment there is a serious need of psychosocial counselling for the offenders.
“In the absence of counselling, they [the offenders] would continue to abuse even after being punished,” he said.
Bangladesh is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities with some 600 NGOs working on the disability issue while there are laws to ensure the rights of persons with disability.
However, with all the tools and mechanism the country has failed to change the lives of these people, said Khandaker Jahurul Alam, president of National Forum of Organisations Working with the Disabled (NFOWD).
To curtail such abuse, speakers recommended increasing self-protection ability of the children with disability as well as to make the concept of sexual abuse clear to them through specially designed counselling.
They also recommended counselling for the family members on how to better handle the issue, and undertake capacity building programmes for the NGO workers dealing with it.
Dr Naila Jaman, professor of Child Neurology and Development, Dhaka Shishu Hospital, Nasima Begum, joint secretary, Ministry of Social Welfare, Jowaherul Islam Mamun, secretary general of NFOWD, Shamim Ferdous, executive director of BPF, Samsul Alam, deputy country director and Selina Ahmed, director of Child Protection, Save the Children Sweden-Denmark, among others, spoke at the programme.

Courtesy of The Daily Star