The recent incident, where a five-year-old girl was molested by her father at the parking lot of a Kochi mall, makes us wonder what drives our men to commit such crimes?Why is it that we witness such inhuman behaviour all so frequently now? TOI probes.Another horror; another child abuse. This time at the parking lot of a bustling mall in Kochi! The recent incident, where a five-year-old girl was molested by her father at the parking lot of a city mall, and apparently several times at home, has thrown many mothers into a tizzy. Close on the heels of this incident, another report filed with the police has it that a married woman was abused by her 53-year-old father, who often sought sexual favours from her!These are not one-off incidents. According to the National Crimes Records Bureau (NCRB), about 1,019 rape cases have been reported in Kerala in 2012, wherein the offender is known to the victim. About 47 cases of abuse by parents or a relative from the family have been registered with the Kerala police. Isn’t that alarming?What is happening to our men? Why is it that we witness such inhuman behaviour all so frequently now? Can it ever stop?Psychiatrist S D Singh feels that poor mental health of men in Kerala, despite a strong cultural and social setup, is one of the prime reasons for the increasing number of child sex abuse cases. “Most of these offenders have poor mental health, which triggers unexpected sexual desires for someone, irrespective of his relationship with the victim. They harbour ill feelings like anger and frustration in their minds and hence humanitarian consideration is beyond them.”The growing alcoholism among Malayali men is yet another factor pointed out by medical experts. “Most men find it hard to control their sexual urge. Needless to say, men in Kerala are turning to alcohol or any other form of intoxication on a daily basis, making them addicts. Such substances can inhibit one’s mental ability to discern a situation and the relationship with a person,” says psychologist C J John.Societal changes have brought about a considerable change in the family structure, says psychiatrist Anju Mathew. “Today, every parent wants their child to be like a friend to him or her. At times, it’s good to establish such a relationship, but a child is often not educated about where to cross the line while interacting with a male member of the family. Earlier, the love between a father and a daughter had certain defined boundaries, and hence the frequency of child abuse was on a check,” says Dr Anju.Dr John feels that a few Malayali men view women only as sex objects. “Since a girl child is an easy target, they are often exploited. Non-disclosure of the incident by the victim only promotes concealed, repeated abuse,” opines Dr John.K Padmakumar, Inspector General of Police, says, now more and more children are coming forward and reporting such incidents instead of suffering in silence. “The rise in child abuse cases that people read about today is because either the child, the mother or a third party has reported it to the police. Interestingly, many child victims have shown the courage to call up the child helplines to report an abuse,” says Padmakumar.Mothers feel it necessary to take steps to educate and prepare their wards. Sara Thomas, the mother of an eight-year-old girl, says, “Once a television programme had telecast an episode on how to respond to strangers and to such despicable situations. I made sure that my daughter viewed it and encouraged her to ask questions. I have also explained to her about bad touch and on places that nobody in the family, including her parent’s close friends or those whom she considers family, is supposed to touch. If she identifies an inappropriate touch, I have asked her to report it to me or to any elderly female member she is close to in the family.”