Child Abuse
Welcome Speech
‘At Home or Outside: How Safe is my Child?
23/1/13, ICG
A very good morning to all of you and a warm welcome to this seminar on ‘At Home or
Outside: How Safe is my Child?” Thank you for sparing your valuable time to be here to discuss and deliberate on an issue that is slowly making our society hollow and will cause a major collapse of all value systems if timely action is not taken.
It can be very difficult to talk about child abuse or more specifically child sexual abuse, which we are discussing today, and even more difficult to acknowledge that sexual abuse of children of all ages including infants happens every day. This has become the subject of great community concern and the focus of many legislative and professional initiatives. This is evidenced by the expanding body of literature, public declarations by adult survivors and increased media coverage of child rape issues.
According to the World Health Organisation, child sexual abuse is the involvement of a child in sexual activity that he or she does not fully comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to, or that violates the laws or social taboos of society. It targets sexuality and/or sexual organs, involves sexual gestures, words, pictures, actions.
It can result in both short-term and long-term harm, including psychopathology in later life. Indicators and effects include depression, anxiety, eating disorders, poor self-esteem, sleep disturbances, and dissociative and anxiety disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder. While children may exhibit regressive behaviours such as a return to thumbsucking or bed-wetting, the strongest indicator of sexual abuse is sexual acting out and inappropriate sexual knowledge and interest. Victims may withdraw from school and social activities and exhibit various learning and behavioural problems including cruelty to animals, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder, and oppositional defiant
‘At Home or Outside: How Safe is my Child?
23/1/13, ICG
A very good morning to all of you and a warm welcome to this seminar on ‘At Home or
Outside: How Safe is my Child?” Thank you for sparing your valuable time to be here to discuss and deliberate on an issue that is slowly making our society hollow and will cause a major collapse of all value systems if timely action is not taken.
It can be very difficult to talk about child abuse or more specifically child sexual abuse, which we are discussing today, and even more difficult to acknowledge that sexual abuse of children of all ages including infants happens every day. This has become the subject of great community concern and the focus of many legislative and professional initiatives. This is evidenced by the expanding body of literature, public declarations by adult survivors and increased media coverage of child rape issues.
According to the World Health Organisation, child sexual abuse is the involvement of a child in sexual activity that he or she does not fully comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to, or that violates the laws or social taboos of society. It targets sexuality and/or sexual organs, involves sexual gestures, words, pictures, actions.
It can result in both short-term and long-term harm, including psychopathology in later life. Indicators and effects include depression, anxiety, eating disorders, poor self-esteem, sleep disturbances, and dissociative and anxiety disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder. While children may exhibit regressive behaviours such as a return to thumbsucking or bed-wetting, the strongest indicator of sexual abuse is sexual acting out and inappropriate sexual knowledge and interest. Victims may withdraw from school and social activities and exhibit various learning and behavioural problems including cruelty to animals, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder, and oppositional defiant