Child Abuse: Please Stop and report it!!!!!

Lack of cooperation from child abuse victims and their family members were among the common reasons for police reports involving One-Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC) to be withdrawn. Investigating Officer Inspector Khariyah Ali, who specialises in child abuse cases, said there were cases involving incest where family members and the victims themselves were reluctant to give their recorded statements because they did not want their relatives or family members to get into trouble despite knowing the truth.

"There are also instances where the reports are eventually withdrawn by the victims themselves due to the same reasons," she said during a forum titled 'Current Issues: Child Protection Issues in Sabah' where she was among the invited panellists. The forum was part of the three-day seminar organised by the State Health Department in collaboration with the Women and Children's Hospital titled "Handling of Violence Cases (One Stop Crisis Centre)" at the Federal Administration Complex, here, Wednesday.

In another note, she said those aged 18 and below are categorised as children and that from January to April this year, there were a total of 44 rape cases, out of which 37 cases involved children below 16 and seven involved children aged between 17 and 18.

Meanwhile, 29 molest cases were reported over the same period, 21 of them involving children below 16 and eight involving children between 17 and 18. As for incest, five cases were reported over the same period, four of them involving children below 16 and one involving a child aged between 17 and 18. Over the same period, a total of five sodomy cases were reported, four of them involving children below 16 and one involved a child between aged 17 and 18, comprising mostly boy victims.

Meanwhile, Paediatric Specialist at the Women and Children's Hospital, Dr Fauziah Zainal Abidin, said incest is difficult because victims or even family members might be reluctant to defend the victim because they are dependent on the assailant. "In cases where victims or family members are reluctant to make or are forced to withdraw a police report, it's the responsibility of doctors to make the police report," she said.

Another panel speaker from the State Welfare Department, Ponniya Irham, said over the same period her department recorded a total of 34 cases, with Kota Kinabalu recording 23, Tawau two involving one baby dumping case and one abuse case, one rape case in Beaufort, two cases in Kudat involving neglect and abuse, respectively, four cases in Sandakan and two cases in Keningau. "Statewide, we received 13 physical abuse cases, five sexual abuse, 15 neglect cases and one baby dumping case," she added.