Breaking the silence on child abuse

Prosecutors are receiving more reports of physical or sexual abuse of children, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there are more cases and that our children are in greater peril than before. On the contrary, the figures (such as they are) have remained relatively constant in recent years. What is changing then is public awareness. It is also becoming less of a taboo to report abuse. As Mohammed Al Dhanhani, head of the family prosecution service in Abu Dhabi, said in The National’s report, public awareness campaigns are encouraging people to come forward and speak up.

This must be welcomed though we are by no means past the ultimate hurdle. This is still a taboo issue and cultural change takes a long time to manifest in altered behaviour. If anything, the small increase in reported cases – 12 more last year compared to 2013 – itself suggests that the pace of change is slow. It’s worth remembering that these numbers represent only those presented in the capital’s courts. Countless others surely go unreported, or may even be withdrawn before they get to court on account of social and cultural sensitivities.

Yet regardless of whether the number of reported cases actually represent the instances of abuse, the essential issue is to prevent abuse occurring at all. Mr Al Dhanhani made some enormously practical observations in this regard. He stressed the importance of parental supervision and the dangers of leaving young children too much in the care of domestic staff.

Unfortunately, however closely you police your child’s movements outside the house, what of the dangers that may lurk within? The ugly truth is that abusers can be members of the family, friends, caregivers or other people within the circle of trust you would expect to protect a child. Part of the answer may be teaching children to recognise abuse and speak out about it. Parents and teachers must be ever-watchful and ever willing to discuss any concerns. And finally, there is a need for a federal law that defines abuse, specifies how to report and deal with cases and lays out the appropriate punishment. Lastly, there is another danger that parents need to consider and that is of being over-protective, of being so fearful of predatory abusers that their lose that essential element of childhood: the freedom to play.