"Good touch bad touch - a dilemma"

                  

                    

It was a bright sunny day. I was coming back from my morning walk. On the way, I saw beautiful little girls and boys, all dressed up in their neat and tidy uniforms. They were smiling at me, and there was something about their smile, it was so pure, so beautiful as if a flower has just bloomed. That is what these kids are, our little flowers, unless their petals are crushed by the hands of a beast.
I smiled back at those lovely kids and a horrific thought struck me hard as I was reminded of the news I read lately. It was about the another reported child abuse case. Those smiles, those hopeful little bright eyes made me realize that we, as adults, have badly failed to provide a safe, secure world to these little souls.

Child abuse, sexual abuse, these terms have become a taboo in this so called value based society. People are afraid to talk about these terms, they prefer to avoid any discussion that involves the aforementioned terms. Despite of all the hesitation and discomfort, child abuse is so rampant it has plagued the Pakistani society.
The horrific child abuse incident in Kasur where hundreds of children were exposed to sexual abuse and were filmed by the horrendous monsters who earned money by selling those recordings. It was reported, it got media's attention but of no use. The culprits are freely roaming around the city.
Another such incident from the notorious city was Zainab's murder case. Zainab was a six year old little girl who was abducted on her way to the Quran recital. She was brutally raped, murdered and was found in a garbage heap. Moreover, justice prevailed and the murderer was sentenced to death in Lahore jail.
The recent child molestation case of an eleven year old girl Farishta has shown the terrible picture of the law and order situation in the country. Little Farishta was abducted, raped and murdered. The inhuman practice of child abuse follows the similar pattern of the heinous crime. It is estimated that this involves the negligence of Islamabad police as they did not register the FIR on time.
Who is responsible for these widespread crimes? The frustrated society? The reckless law enforcement agencies? The indifferent political leaders? Sick minded pedophiles? Parents? Or the poor education system?
There is no particular factor that can be blamed for this dreadful crime. It has deeply affected the very foundations of the country. Pakistan was not came into existence so that one day its children feel unsafe in their own homeland on their own familiar streets.
Children are the only hope, they are the architects of a progressive future. It is the time we must understand the importance of teaching our children about the good touch and the bad touch. Children have been exposed to the sexual abuse, in every nook and corner, whether it is school, coaching center, Quran class, even their very own houses.
An education is the need of the hour, these little angels must be educated so that they become able to communicate with their parents about any inappropriate thing that may happen to them.
Mostly, children of age groups between 5 to 14 years are most vulnerable and are exposed to child abuse in Pakistan. Their innocent minds are not fully developed to understand the sensitivity of the incident. They are unable to comprehend the severity of the  child abuse. Therefore, it is time to prioritize the needs and start by educating our little angels about the good touch and the bad touch.
This may not eliminate the crime but it will help in identifying the horrors of the harassment that goes unnoticed.
Child care programs must be established with the purpose of educating the children and parents about the  austerity of child abuse. Schools must introduce courses related to the "good touch bad touch", campaigns, seminars and activities that involve children as well as parents must be arranged at all levels of society, irrespective of stupid social class differences.
These are our children, our flowers. Let them bloom and grow under the safe and secure shelters.