Definition of Child Sexual Abuse

There is no uniform definition pertaining to child sexual abuse. But the characteristic feature of child sexual abuse is the dominant position of an adult that allows him or her to force or coerce a child into sexual activity.

Child sexual abuse may include fondling or playing with the genitals of a child, anal intercourse, oral-genital contact, vaginal penetration, masturbation, digital penetration and touching of private parts (including breasts).

Child sexual abuse does not only mean physical contact. It involves abuse in the form of non-contact that involves exposure, voyeurism and child pornography. It includes abuse by Peers too.

There are incidents when your own family member could be involved in this issue. Before the situations turns murkier transforming your family including personal life in to a nightmare, tackle this entire issue with deftness and firmness, accompanied with patience and composure of mind. Avoid taking abrupt decisions. Remember that this is a social issue of prime importance. Never shove such incidents under the carpet-even though it may involve your own kith and kin.

Steps in dealing with the issue of Child Sexual Abuse by a Family Member

• Accept the fact that your child has been sexually abused.
• Face the reality
• To take charge of the situation.
• Discuss this topic with your family members who support the abuse of your child.
• Be calm and composed in your approach while dealing with the issue.
• Trash out the outstanding issue pertaining to sexual abuse with the concerned member of the family involved.
• Adopt a balanced and pragmatic approach pertaining to the issue of child sexual abuse.
• Sternly warn the concerned person in the family regarding the grave consequences incase if further sexual abuse of the child continues, by keeping a tab on the activities family member.
• Discuss this issue with your family physician and counselor.
• Counsel the concerned person (abuser) involved in child sexual abuse.
• Analyze the mindset of the abuser and the reason for committing such a heinous crime on the child.
• Provide ample support and counsel the child.
• Shower abundant love and repose confidence on your child. Lend your ears to her grievances.
• Never leave your child alone or let him/her feel lonely.
• Give ample time to the child to overcome the trauma. 
• Take preventive measures to see that such an incident does not re-occur again.
• Report abuse to your local child protection service agency and ask about crisis support help.

It can be hard for adults if the abuser is close to them. Still, the abuse should be reported to your local child protection agency or family-physician. It is the best method to deal with the issue of child-abuse within your own family.

Dr Sameer

Will that heavily-advertised ‘brain food’ help your child become smarter? Will all those DHA-fortified baby cereals and milks with ‘brain activators’ really help your daughter or son get better marks?

OK - I am no expert either on nutrition or brain development. But common sense counts still, and I remind you there is no substitute for a good diet and good teaching and studying. These will help your child, DHA or no DHA.

Two reasons for this:

1) It’s difficult for lay people like us to make sense of all the health-related news we get from the media. DHA may be good for your brain, but will DHA pills and DHA-fortified foods make you smarter? None of the manufacturers and marketers will tell you, but the pills and supplements are not proven yet, and we really don’t know yet what effect for good or bad they will have.

To take an example, while the body’s own testosterone boosts sperm production, fertility doctors only recently found that synthetic testosterone can make men infertile. Synthetic testosterone is still taken by athletes and body builders for more energy, and by men who want better erections, who don’t understand its risks.

2) I don’t trust advertisements! In India, advertisers are still rarely held accountable for the things they say. Advertisers and marketers know that if they say something is good for your brain, parents will spend a lot of money on it. Read a book on advertising. Know how you are manipulated.

Having a good balanced diet with enough exercise and enough rest, and studying well, will help your child do well in examinations and in life. If you want her to get more DHA, give her more fish or foods containing flax oil or seeds, but always as part of a balanced diet.

Susan Vinodh Pandian

Read some more about brain development:

1. Depriving a child of affection can affect brain development

2. Marijuana use disrupts brain development in teens

3. Using methamphetamine when you are pregnant can affect your baby’s brain

4. Brain development is compromised in premature babies