Crime
BEHIND THE MASK
The beginning of 2013 saw a 12-year-old girl belonging to the Chakma community abducted and gang raped for three days (5-8 January) in the outskirts of the capital.
A nine-year-old girl was raped on January 6 at Jheelpar near Commerce College, in Dhaka's Shah Ali Thana area. Her dead body was found hanging in the same place by locals who informed the police.
A few weeks later, on January 19, a 10-year-old girl was found in Tropical Tower on Topkhana Road. She had been raped, killed and left to rot for four days, in a bathroom inside the building.
On February 26, a five-year-old was raped and killed at Banasree under the Khilgaon Thana in the capital.
Less than a month after that, on March 11, a seven-year-old girl was lured with the promise of candy by a 35-year-old street vendor, who molested and attempted sexual intercourse with her before she was rescued by her mother.
That was this year's news and the year has just begun. Last year, about 90 child rape cases were reported in daily newspapers which stated that sexual violence against children is on the rise, and the actual number of cases is unknown as many go unnoticed, covered up, and therefore unreported.
The nature of these crimes is curious, because the perpetrators target victims who most would not look upon as sexually desirable. An abnormal sexual interest in children is clinically termed Pedophilia, which is a psychosexual disorder in which a person either fantasises about, or actually engages in sexual activity with pre-pubertal children as means of achieving excitement or gratification.
In a country like ours, where pre-marital sex is a taboo, children are often targets of sexually frustrated men who find them easy to manipulate and dominate. However, pedophiles can be women as well as men and they can target children of the same sex as well as the opposite sex. Some are attracted to adults as well as children, which makes them difficult to identify. While pedophilia is defined as a mental health disorder, in some countries like the US, the legal system considers it a criminal offense.
Not all pedophiles use force or intercourse when they abuse children. Some limit their activity to watching child pornography, taking inappropriate photos or fondling children. A pedophile can target unknown children, but the usual targets are either children related to the offender or children they are in charge of. For example, close relatives, teachers, athletic coaches, health care givers, maids can have alone time with children and therefore if the offender assumes such a role, s/he will have easy access to the children and opportunity to abuse them. Parents must be vigilant when entrusting their children to the care of others, as there is no typical pedophile. It can be anyone, young or old, known or unknown, male or female, although the majority are male.
Most experts opine that this disorder is a result of nurture rather than nature. Some say that it is a result of having been sexually abused as a child while others believe it can result from the nature of one's upbringing and interaction with their parents at a young age. Some attribute pedophilia to arrested emotional development, which means the pedophile is drawn to children because s/he is stunted emotionally and psychologically and believe they can relate to children on their level of maturity. Others say pedophilia is a need to dominate a partner and children, being weaker are the easiest targets.
Pedophiles are often very attractive to their potential victims. They are open and friendly and have great interpersonal skills which helps them easily gain the trust of children and their parents. Some pedophiles rationalise their behaviour to avoid taking responsibility for their actions, by blaming children for being provocative or claiming they were trying to teach the child about love or life. If the children threaten to tell someone about the abuse, the pedophile may react violently and harm the victim in order to silence them.
In order to be diagnosed with pedophilia, one must over a period of six months or more, experience recurrent sexual urges or intense fantasies with children aged 13 or younger. These urges will usually cause significant distress and hamper one's daily functioning at work and at home.
One major problem with pedophiles is that they rarely seek treatment for themselves, making it difficult to treat their condition. Another complication in diagnosing them is that they usually have co-morbid illnesses such as major depression, anxiety disorders and substance abuse disorders. They usually suffer from mood disorders as well.
The treatment for pedophilia is unfortunately not very effective. In the past, it (and other mental illnesses) has been treated with negative stimulation such as electric shocks, but that having failed, long term psychotherapy has been advised. Unfortunately, this too has not proven to be very successful. Medications, such as hormones to curb the urges can be used, and surgical castration is sometimes offered as treatment for those who have pleaded guilty to violent acts of rape.
The best way to avoid these crimes from taking place, is avoiding situations that can lead to the crime. Needless to say, parents must always be aware of where their children are and who they are with. They must make sure the people they are trusting their children with are in fact trust worthy. They must closely observe their children and look for changes in behaviour such as mood swings, sudden reserve, lethargy, fear of certain places or people which may appear irrational, bed-wetting, nightmares and inexplicable bruising or scars as these are signs that the child is probably being abused. They must also speak with their children regarding their bodies and situations where they must say no or call for help if they are touched inappropriately. This will make it easier for the child to confide in their parents or someone close if an incident does occur.
The laws in this country around child sexual abuse must be made stricter and punishments must be stringent in order to send a message to all offenders that they must seek help to control their urges because there is zero tolerance for such crimes and no room in our society for those who commit them.
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