Child sexual abuse, which has become a public health issue, has a girl victim in most cases while studies indicate that boys are equally or even more at risk of being abused.

A study conducted last year on Kerala society and published in the Academic Medical Journal of India in February 2014 tells the same story as the study published by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development in 2007.

However, there are few steps taken to protect boys in the vulnerable age who unwittingly become victims for sheer lack of protection. Dr. Arun B. Nair, Department of Psychiatry and Dr. Devika J., Department of Physiology, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, found that in a sample of 1,000 children of 13-16 years (512 boys and 488 girls), 38.67 per cent boys against 37.7 per cent girls reported sexual abuse at some point in their life.

The national study had also reported higher incidence of child sexual abuse in boys at 52 per cent against 47 per cent girls becoming victims of child sexual abuse.

“It was a deeper probe into various behavioural changes, poor scholastic performance or suicidal tendencies reported by children who did not have learning disability or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder in the clinical set up that led to certain findings into an area that had remained uncovered so far. It led to a larger study on the issue,” Dr. Nair told The Hindu.

Most of the children who were harassed sexually – with or without contact could show traumatic change in behaviour,” said Dr. Nair. The study also showed that the perpetrator was mostly known to the victim – 77 per cent in case of boys, about 65 per cent among girls.

“Young children under 10 years being exposed to pornographic material could lead to serious consequences as it is only by about 12 years that children develop some kind of abstract thinking that gives them an independent sense to judge certain situations,” said Dr. Nair. Children below 10 merely try to copy what the adults do, he added.

Though Dr. Nair’s study covers only four southern districts of the State, similar results were obtained by Dr. P. Krishnakumar, Director, Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, in a study conducted earlier but published recently in the Indian Journal of Paediatrics. Samples collected from across the State had indicated sexual abuse in 35 per cent girls and 36 per cent boys.

Dr. Krishnakumar said child sexual abuse that had existed for ages was hushed up earlier but was being reported more now. There are better support systems for children now to help them get out of the guilt of abuse. There was little support earlier, he added. Psychiatrist Dr. C.J John said the public health issue of child sexual abuse had to be dealt without gender bias. Sexual abuse in boys could lead to a different nature of crime — that of creating a perpetrator of abuse.