During the past two months, two studies were conducted on the sexual molestation of children. The first of these two studies was done in the United States and concluded that one out of every six children in the US has been sexually molested (reported by press agencies on May 25). The second study was conducted in Saudi Arabia by Dr. Noora Al-Sowayyan, the manager of the Family Security Program at the National Guard Hospital, who found that one out of every four children in Saudi Arabia has been sexually molested (reported in Al-Jazira Newspaper, June 12). Statistically speaking, we can see that the ratio of sexually molested children in the United States is a lot less than the ratio of sexually molested children in Saudi Arabia. I realize that these statistics can be shocking to anyone who is under the impression that he or she is living in a virtuous society while at the same time thinking that the American society is devoid of moral values. Many would cast doubt on the credibility of these research results or even refuse to admit that such crimes exist in our society. Denial for them is much easier than letting go of the false image that this is an ideal vice-free society. Since it is useless to talk to the ‘wishful thinkers' amongst us, we will instead direct ourselves to those realists in our society. We will warn and assure them that these statistics will change in the future. With time, the ratio of child molestation in the United States will be far less than in Saudi Arabia for reasons that have to do with how the problem of child molestation is dealt with in each country. Legally, child molestation is considered a serious crime in the United States. But, in our society, child molestation is not regarded as a serious crime unless it is accompanied by a clear sexual assault. In America, a child molester is seen as someone who poses a threat to society and is often put under surveillance for many years, while in our country sexual molestation is treated as a minor felony (a misdemeanor) and the offender is usually not summoned by the police unless he commits a new felony. In the United States, there is a clear legal classification of the different kinds of sexual molestation. Even showing children pornographic pictures or talking to them about sexual matters is regarded as a clear case of sexual molestation. In our country, the definition of sexual molestation is closely connected with the actual sexual act. Admitting and reporting sexual molestation incidents is a legal and moral duty of parents in the United States. Parents train their children to inform them about any incident they may think is an act of sexual molestation. They, the parents, do not feel embarrassed at all to report such cases immediately to the concerned authorities, whereas in our society, admitting sexual molestation brings shame to the parents and their victimized children and therefore, they try to conceal what happened unless the child has been the victim of a direct sexual assault. Quite frankly, the Americans – individuals and organizations – can confront this problem because they realize that they are humans and their lives are filled with problems, but we, whether individuals or organizations, cannot face this problem because we always find ourselves compelled to defend the false idea that we are the purest society on Earth.
