‘I understood that something wrong was happening, that touch felt uncomfortable and was surely not an act of love or care. Unfortunately, that was all that I could comprehend as an eight year old.’

We often hear people talk about the safety of a girl child in the outside world considering the alarming rates of gender based violence we all witness in our society. But, who questions what happens within the four walls of what we call our ‘home’? Are we safe in our homes? We put curfew timings for a girl to come back but what happens when the terror lies inside the home?, says the 22 year old Jennifer* who’s now well aware and disgusted about what happened to her as a young girl.

It is now that she can perceive the specifics of the storm that had hit her almost a decade back. The aftermath was traumatising enough to cause an irreparable damage to her childhood and take away the most cheerful years of her life.

109 children are sexually abused every day in India, according to the National Crime Record Bureau 2018 report. Child sexual abuse often causes serious post traumatic effects on an individual’s physical and mental health. It is known to interfere with a child’s development and growth.

I understood that something wrong was happening, that touch felt uncomfortable and was surely not an act of love or care. Unfortunately, that was all that I could comprehend as an eight year old. Why do we forsake the possibility of having a monster within the four walls of our home? The data on child abuse clearly states that in 9 out of 10 cases, the abuser is known to the child. The relationship we share with our relatives or the safety we feel exists with our house help is not necessarily as guiltless as it looks.

Jennifer* mentions how it was mortifying on her younger self to firstly understand what was really happening with her and secondly, disturbing for her to handle it all by herself. It is a necessity for the child to be made aware of what exactly physical and mental abuse is and the forms in which it can take place. There are many creative ways in which parents can explain it to their child perhaps if not verbally.

Children, at a younger age, might not always communicate through verbal means but they will certainly show signs. The issue of child abuse remains a taboo in our country. As adults, it is our responsibility to grasp and observe these changes. Child psychologists suggest that we should look for signs that a child shows when they are being subjected to abuse. The signs include anxious behaviour, extreme passivity or aggression, overly compliant, withdrawal from activities at home, unexplained changes in sleep and diet patterns and most importantly the child being scared or unwilling to meet a relative/friend. Neglecting these signs could lead to major developmental barriers for the child and create a negative environment for the family as a whole. Parents should indulge in creating an open minded and comfortable rational environment for a child to be able to communicate such experiences clearly and well in time.

The ultimate goal is to make the house a safe, comfortable place, a place that one can genuinely call ‘home’.

Written By: Mriganka
About the Author
Mriganka is a political science graduate with a passion for writing. It always gives her immense pleasure to pen down her thoughts and experiences in a way that encourages the community to learn, grasp and grow! In her leisure time, she keeps busy with reading and playing with her dog me.