VICTIMS of child abuse particularly of sexual abuse have difficulties moving on. The memory of the incident always haunt them. Many children in the Cordillera especially in Benguet know this.
One report says that there have been over 50 cases of child abuse mostly sexual abuses in the province since the beginning of the year. The number of cases at this point is higher compared to last year. We know that there are still others who did not report such case and this number is more than enough to sound the alarm.
Child abuse has been a concern every year. The problem is, instead of declining, the number of cases continues to rise. More children are being abused which means more lives are being put against the wall. These cases should convince the local government officials and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to strengthen the fight against child offenders. This is not only a petty social concern.
The victims may not recover from the trauma which makes them lose hope of the beauty of life. This is not only a family issue like what other parents think. Some families keep the incident within themselves to avoid embarrassment but the life of the victim should be valued more than the presumed embarrassment of the family. The abuse is destroying innocent lives and it is affecting families and communities.
The rise of the number of cases proves that abusers are not scared of the law or too dumb to internalize the implication of their act. The concern agencies including private organizations should prioritize reducing the incidents by going after these child abusers. Previous studies have pointed out that mostly the abusers are not strangers to the victims. They are usually people living with or near them such as the victim’s father, brother, grandfather, cousin, neighbor, and the like.
The victims of child abuse struggle to keep a productive and happy life. There are physical marks that remind them of the abuse.
In an article published online, it says that the possible physical effects include bruises and welts, scrapes and cuts, burn marks, head trauma, weakened brain development, sprains or broken bones, difficulty walking or sitting, torn, stained, or bloody clothing, pain or itching in the genital area, bruises or bleeding in and around the genital area, sexually transmitted diseases, inappropriate dress, poor hygiene, and poor physical health. These physical effects will remind them of the cruelty of people. At their young age, victims have to endure these physical pains caused by abusive adults. How can they see the bright of day when they are being dragged in the dark?
Psychological and mental effects are the more difficult to deal with because they stay longer. Perhaps they will never be forgotten. Some psychological and mental effects of child abuse are anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, withdrawn, dissociation, difficulty with making and maintaining relationships, experiences flashbacks, hyper-vigilant and persistent fear. Victims who have a helpful environment are lucky because their recovery is likely to happen. However, many victims do not have the help they needed to heal themselves and as a result they end up living a very difficult life.
A victim will no longer be the same after the incident. A happy and fun-loving child can turn into an anti-social person; someone who never want to see the light afraid that others may see his/her brokenness. Victims find difficult reason to smile thinking that the world is against them. This is a part of the past they will likely hide from people. They develop self-pity and will have this scar of abuse until they grow old. They feel unloved. They refuse to feel love because of their experience and as a result they find it hard to love others. It will be difficult for them to trust and will consider most adults as threats.
Possible behavioral effects of child abuse are self-harm, eating disorders, alcohol and drug use, trouble sleeping, uncomfortable with physical contact with others, repeating school grades, absent from school often and criminal activity. When children become victims of abuse, they will experience various difficulties and it needs a lot of courage and mental toughness to face them.
I only hope that our victims have the needed strength to carry on. When they will not overcome these problems and negative emotions, they will definitely become burden to the society. They do criminal activities as a form of revenge to the world who just watched when they were being abused, revenge to the abusers who never thought of the consequences, and to the communities who did nothing to protect them.
Child abuse is a recurring issue. It does not go away but as educated human beings who know the difficulties of the victims, we have to do something to stop or reduce it. Victims live difficult lives and they need every help they can get. They need to learn to trust again and learn to feel that they are worthy to be loved. If we go after these abusers and do not stop until they are put behind bars, perhaps the number of cases decreases. For the love of human being, let’s help the victims.