The clip of a sick sexual predator molesting a young girl in front of the elevator was seen by a large number of people as the video went viral. The sexual predator was caught in film by a camera installed in the building entrance. After spotting the victim standing alone for the elevator, the predator first went near the stairs to scan if any person was using it, and then checked the entrance again before he moved behind the poor child and began touching her private parts. When the elevator arrived, the girl entered the lift and he too went in after her. The clip ends there. The whole incident lasted only seconds but it sparked a huge outrage all over the Kingdom. What was really depressing was the state of vulnerability of the girl in the whole clip. The poor girl was seen standing helpless and could not say or do anything when the man preyed on her. The sexual predator was arrested soon one the basis of the video clip, which was widely circulated in social media. Police stated that the man was psychologically unstable and had a criminal record. Although the incident was tragic, there, however, was a positive outcome from it. Every family now is trying to educate their children about sexual harassment against children. Although there is an ongoing awareness drive against such types of crimes against children, this incident has really united the elders in speaking out. People, especially in social media, are circulating tips and advices on how to protect children against such types of harassment. Parents are circulating text messages through social media and WhatsApp on how to ward off sexual attacks against children and tips to prevent them. Parents were urging each other to read the book titled "Do Not Touch Me", which instructs parents on how to educate their children against sexual predators. The widely circulated book also targets children and makes them aware of the dangers through pictures. It highlights situations that children need to avoid and report to parents about sexual assault. The scary part that has also become evident is that families are largely ignorant of this issue. It is only when tragic incidents like this that come to light when they sit up and take action. What we need is constant education about it. I am not aware if there are sessions about this issue at elementary school where children are educated. But what I know for sure is that some teachers, using their own initiatives, are educating children against sexual harassment. I believe it is time that every school at least holds weekly sessions on educating children against harassment and how to deal with it. I am not in the blame game here but I do ask myself the question where was the mother of this poor child and why did she not receive her daughter at the building entrance, assuming that she came via a school bus. If she was walking all the way from school to her home then there is a problem because the girl is exposed to all sorts of danger on the street. I recall that sometimes when I pick up my daughter from her elementary school, I see young girls and boys — as young as seven and eight — walking alone on the streets to their home. They are exposed to harassers and reckless drivers. It is also an ideal situation for a sexual predator to prey on these children. What if the harasser identifies a victim, follows the child and then grabs the victim in an isolated road where the poor child cannot cry for help. It is here the parents or guardians who need to be careful. They should be diligent enough to see their children come home safely by either setting up a trustworthy transport or at least be aware of the route they take home and see to it that they come home in a group. The current incident has sparked varied reactions. Some people are calling on authorities to execute the predator and set an example of him. For they say that such people will try to escape severe punishment by pretending to be mentally unstable when in reality they are not as they have shown keenness in planning their crime and in their hunt for an innocent soul. Some others argue that most sexual predators were themselves victims when they were children, and turn into criminals when they come of age. Therefore they are psychological victims in need of treatment before punishment. This fact, however, needs to be proven by experts in this field and then only the court would be able to decide on whether the predator should undergo punishment or treatment. A recent Okazalyoum online paper study revealed that one out of four children were exposed to some sort of harassment by an adult — which is 22.50%. In all cases a child feels terrified and helpless and later guilty and shy of reporting it to their parents, which will further complicate the issue. The same report mentioned the story of a victim, aged 15, of sexual assault when she was on her way to school. The girl grew up with psychological complications feeling guilty at what happened to her. She did not receive any help from her family who looked at her in shame. She left school and lived most of her life in isolation until she became schizophrenic. She is now in her 30s, not married and without any medical or psychological help. Parents are urged to teach their children about the dangers of sexual harassment and the methods used by predators to lure them. They should keep the line of communication open with their children and most importantly teach their children to tell them everything without fear. The child needs to feel that he/she is a victim and not responsible if exposed to sexual assault. They should be told not to talk to strangers or walk with them. Children at young age should not be away from their parent's sight. The only way to rid the society of this scourge is to keep out these predators and this can be done with the channels of communication being open all around — parents to children, parents to parents, people to people and children to children. This will enable the authorities to keep a watch on the situations, before it gets out of hand. I only regret the fact that how many cases of sexual assault may have gone unreported because parents do not talk to their children and vice-versa. – The writer can be reached at [email protected]
