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  Mard to sensitise kids on sexual abuse

Mard to sensitise kids on sexual abuse

AGE CORRESPONDENT
Published : Dec 14, 2015, 6:16 am IST
Updated : Dec 14, 2015, 6:16 am IST

When 14-year-old Sneha (name changed) started vomiting suddenly, her mother immediately took her to the nearby Nair Hospital.

When 14-year-old Sneha (name changed) started vomiting suddenly, her mother immediately took her to the nearby Nair Hospital.

Preliminary investigations revealed that she was two months pregnant. Shocked, her mother then on the doctor’s advice took her to the Multidisciplinary Child Protection Center (MCPC) located on the hospital premises. For the first time, it was then revealed that Sneha was sexually abused by one of her relatives.

This case has been shared on the website of United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), where it was also stated that, “As with Sneha, incidences of child sexual abuse usually become known only by accident. While there are no visible signs of abuse, the child suffers immensely from guilt and shame.”

To address such a serious issue, the Maharashtra Association for Resident Doctors (Mard) will start Monday onwards ‘Good Touch And Bad Touch Campaign’ to make children aware about sexual abuse and also to make parents more active in identifying such cases.

“To further strengthen the doctor-patient relationship, we will start a ‘We Care’ campaign that will continue for four months. Every month we will take a topic that will be relevant to all of us. So, this month we are starting with this issue. We chose it, after we came to know that a child was sexually abused in school,” said Dr Sagar Mundada, president of Mard.

The target will be mainly child between the age group of five and 10 years and their parents. “It is important to address the issue as in the long term, the consequences can prove disastrous and can make the child a sexual predator himself in adulthood,” he added.