Survey in the city finds 30% of boys have undergone sexually abusive experiences

Of late, there have been many discussions about how unsafe girls and women in Kerala are as they could be subjected to sexual abuse any time. But it may come as a surprise to many that schoolboys are more susceptible to sexual abuse, according to a study conducted by a set of doctors.

A research article, titled ‘Prevalence of child abuse in school environment in Kerala,’ published in ‘Child Abuse and Neglect,’ an international journal, states that 30% of the boys, against 6% of girls, have undergone sexually abusive experiences. Boys have been found to be more susceptible to emotional (90%) and physical (83%) abuse too.

The study was carried out by Manoj Therayil Kumar from the Institute of Mind and Brain, Thrissur, Sebind Kumar of Government Medical College, Thrissur, and Surendra P. Singh and Nilamadhab Kar of the Black Country Partnership NHS Trust, University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.

The abuse history was collected from 6,682 students from schools in Thrissur city. The researchers used the child abuse screening tool developed by the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN).

“The clear distinction in the rate of sexual abuse on boys and girls has come as a surprise for us. The emotional abuse rate of boys and girls is almost the same,” said Dr. Kumar.

Bullying too

The survey takes a look at even soft abuse, such as bullying, which society often neglects. “Abuse will affect children’s personality and self-esteem. Quite often, a person subjected to abuse over a period of time turns out to be an abuser,” Dr. Kumar said.

The research concluded that boys were at a greater risk of sexual abuse in Kerala, as they fall easy prey, while girls are more protected.

Twenty-one per cent of the participants in the survey admitted to have undergone some sort of sexual abuse, including being shown sexual pictures, being touched sexually, made to undress, made to touch others sexually, involved in making sexual pictures or videos, or being kissed against their wishes.

“This is the first scientific study carried out in Kerala in this field and the largest in India,” said V.G. Pradeep Kumar, State president of the Indian Medical Association.

As for physical abuse, alcohol seems to be the main villain as 16% of the children who participated in the survey reported that their family members used alcohol as an excuse for abuse.

The research suggests that teachers and parents should be trained to pinpoint emotional problems of students. It also points out the importance of counsellors in schools.

“Kerala should give more emphasis on child mental health,” Dr. Kumar said.