KUCHING: The act of sexual assault committed by a perpetrator without consent could inevitably cause trauma in one’s life.
Psychiatrist Dr Bernard Ting said victims are usually powerless, being coerced or forced to take part in sexual activities to fulfil their perpetrator’s gratification.
He said in cases involving younger children, they might not know that it is inappropriate as the perpetrators are usually people they knew or trusted.
“The sexual offenders may groom the children and create opportunities for themselves to carry out the act,” he said when contacted by New Sarawak Tribune recently.
“Many times, the targeted victims are vulnerable — especially those with low self-esteem, with emotional needs (lonely) or with disabilities (incapable of expressing and judging situations).”
Recently, Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah urged victims of child sexual abuse to come forward and share their accounts to pave the way towards prosecuting more perpetrators.
She also appealed to people to listen to children and be alert towards any signs shown by them in an effort to protect them from sexual predators.
Why some victims remain silent
Dr Ting, who is also a medical lecturer at the Department of Psychological Medicine at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, said there are many reasons that a victim of sexual abuse or rape may refrain from coming forward to report the crime.
He said this could be a complex phenomenon.
“It could be the victim’s perceived shame and stigma by expressing this traumatic event, especially when the reports in the media can frequently be explicit and unable to keep the victim anonymous.”
He said the victim may also be threatened or manipulated by their perpetrators to keep the event a secret, causing the victim to be too fearful to report it.
“It could also be due to the incapability of the victim to do so because of their disability or lack of knowledge to seek help, or even being denied or disbelieved by their loved ones when their stories are told.”
The impact of sexual abuse and rape
Dr Ting said the impacts of a rape event would depend on various factors.
These included the age of onset, the duration and frequency of the event, the type of sexual act, the use of force or violence, the relationship of the victim to the offender, the effects of disclosure of the events (whether they received support or were denied), as well as social stigma that victims may experience in their community.
He said the common effects following sexual assault may include personality change, behavioural change and a higher risk of developing mental conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
“Victims may view themselves and the world differently and find it hard to build a trustful relationship in their lives.
“They may also struggle with their emotional regulation and may frequently adopt maladaptive coping strategies like self-harm, abusing alcohol or substances, and so on.”
Sex education from a young age
When it comes to measures which can be taken to prevent sexual abuse and rape incidences, Dr Ting emphasised that sex education is of utmost importance.
He said many people found it difficult to talk about sex education due to discomfort or because the topic is often perceived as taboo to teach the young ones in their early lives.
He said children should be taught to ‘say no’ when people touched them inappropriately — even people they were familiar with. He added that ‘no touch’ rules should be set for their private areas.
“Do not keep it a secret. They should know where and who to seek help from when they sense something is not right.
“Do not deny one’s feelings. Be empathetic when people are trying to seek help. Be supportive and be calm if one reports the incident.”
An integrated effort to provide support for victims
Dr Ting said efforts should come from various agencies with regard to helping victims of sexual abuse and rape.
“It could be a traumatising experience for the victim to repeat the same stories to different relevant departments such as the police, doctors, counsellors or mental health practitioners, social welfare department, and so on.”
He said the One Stop Crisis Centre should gather all help together at once when dealing with rape cases in order to reduce the impact of re-experiencing the trauma.
“A specific task force may be set up to work closely to monitor and evaluate their intervention from time to time.”
He said media practitioners could play a role in highlighting the available help from non-governmental organisations or government agencies, raising public awareness and avoiding over-sensationalism of the event by keeping details of the victims to a minimum level whenever possible.
“For victims, it is normal to feel discomfort and distress in disclosing such an event in their lives. Identifying a trusted person to talk about it to or calling a designated helpline may guide victims on what to do next.”
