In a forum discussing on violence against children, I got to know that more than 80% of child abuses are done by the family members or the immediate relatives. ‘Why?’ my heart cried.
Then the answer came. Children are warned about the outsiders: Do not get in to vehicles, do not talk with people you don’t know. But, family and relatives are assumed to be trustworthy. Because they are assumed trustworthy, children have no doubts about what they do to children. Children even think that is how they are treated. So they do not raise the question. They offer the least or no resistance. And the abuse may go on for a long time, before it is uncovered.
One solution came up is teaching children about ‘good touch and bad touch’. Schools in Europe educate the children about it. It’s a good thing. Children can make up their own mind. They are educated. They can decide.
There’s always a peculiar reason for weird things. But isn’t it the most obvious reason?
Why we fail to see is our assumptions about the world. In this case the wrong assumption was : family and relatives are protectors, keep away from outsiders, they can harm you.
Think of a peculiar reason, when confronted with problems and assumptions.
