Disclaimer: Articles published under Stasu Ghag (Your Voice) are submissions from our community contributors and PashtoScoop doesn’t guarantee the authenticity of the facts shared in such articles. The thoughts and opinions are of the writer’s own and PashtoScoop may or may not agree with any part(s) of it.
STOP!! YES YOU!! STOP RIGHT THERE AND LISTEN TO THIS!!!
It doesn’t matter who you are; or if you know me; or if you are a girl or a boy, a man or a woman, an old person or a kid. You need to listen to me.
What I’m going to talk about is very unpleasant and serious, but I’m sure nobody would want to talk about it openly. Never in my life had I imagined I would be talking about it on the social media. It is something that has snatched the beautiful, innocent childhood of many kids. Yes, I’m talking about child sexual abuse and rape.
The first thing coming to your mind right now might be something along the lines of “Oh! Our kids are safe. I don’t need to read this. I know everything already!” But guess what, you still need to hear me out because it’s your child I’m talking about. 90% of the times when our kids are sexually abused, we are not even aware of it. So you might be one of those parents whose child was too afraid to say anything.
This 5-year-old was molested by boys in his neighborhood, hostel mates and even by his teacher
This guy recently approached me on my blog and asked me to talk about his childhood, which was full of sexual abuse, because I have a greater audience. I was stunned to know what he’s been through for years.
As a 5-year-old, he was molested by some boys in the neighborhood. They threatened him to keep quiet in the worst possible ways. He wasn’t able to walk after the first attempt. These guys sexually abused him repeatedly for six whole years. He would cry and beg them. He couldn’t tell his parents. It ended when he was 11 years old and decided to move away from that locality into a boarding school.
Unfortunately, the hostel world was no different than the outside world he was escaping. School boys tried to get close to him. There was physical activity going on in most of the rooms. The boys involved would film the younger students taking shower and would blackmail them about leaking their nudes if they didn’t do what they were asked. This kid would call his parents, every now and then, and would beg them to take him away. His father came and tried talking to him but he couldn’t tell him why he wants to leave this place.
After his father talked to a relative teacher in that school; consequently, the kid was shifted to his room. So, it ended? No, this man turned out to be a monster too and started getting close to him after some time. He threatened him saying I saved you so you better do as I say. The kid was in class 8th/9th. His father, unaware of all this, tried to change his school, but it wasn’t happening because of the board exams coming up. So, that monster abused him badly, telling him that he was more fun than other boys because he was cute and had girly features. It all ended permanently after his metric exams; he scored good grades and got into a good college. He promised himself never to let anything like this happen again.
So, I want you all to THINK!
All this happened and not a single person in his family got to know about the sexual abuse till this day. It lasted for more than a decade, yet he never got the courage to tell his parents. To this day, he avoids talking to people or making friends. He rarely goes out despite being an adult.
I remember, many years ago, my little brother came home and told mom that the watchman tried to touch him inappropriately and that he ran away. Papa got to know, and he took care of that monster and tuned him well, making sure he would never even think about doing it again. But remember, not every kid is as bold as my little brother was. I was in class two when our neighbor shopkeeper tried to touch me in a bad way. I was a little girl, but I had a strong sixth sense and I ran away. But I could never tell my dad to this very day. I was scared. That incident haunted me for years. I would see that person in dreams chasing me. So, if I’m saying this today, it’s because I CARE!!! I CARE FOR OUR KIDS!!! And I don’t want these assholes messing with them in any way.
Kids are the most vulnerable in this case. You all are very well aware of the fact that they are not safe even at our homes. There are cousins and uncles involved in these things. We talk of safety and protection for our kids, where is it? How can we protect our kids from our own family members? Please, do not trust ANYONE when it comes to your kids. Accompany them wherever they go. Keep them in constant guard. Correct me if I’m wrong to emphasize this issue more than anything. Trust me, it can be anyone’s child. You can’t know for sure if your kid is safe from these monsters.
Look out, they are everywhere!
I’ve been told by my male friends that they’ve been through similar things as well. Some of them were lucky enough to have escaped. It’s everywhere. These monsters are all around us. They look like normal humans, but they’re hard to identify, so be very careful. Some of my male friends, who’ve spent years in religious institutions like madrassas and IQRA, claim that they’ve experienced inappropriate touching and physical contact. Some other friends claimed that such things happen in all boys hostel and even in public transportations. No school, college or university is free from this filth.
I would always think that sexual abuse or harassment is something that only girls of this society face. But I’m heartbroken and devastated to know that boys are targeted more than girls. If I had the power and authority, I swear I would not flinch for a moment to castrate these monsters in public and then burn them alive.
Such heinous acts cannot be attached to a specific caste or institution or a country; it’s all the sick, rapist mentality of the person. He alone is responsible for his deeds. There is another aspect I would like to shed light upon. It’s all a cycle. The kids that have been abused in their childhood end up abusing other children when they grow up. We, this generation, have to BREAK THE CYCLE.
The sole purpose of this text is to spread awareness. We need to bridge the gap between a child and a parent. You, as parents, should indulge into your kids’ life. Be friendly with them. Ask them about things, time and again. Try to have a frank and open conversation with them. Make them trust you, PLEASE!! It is very important. And more important than all this, is for you to educate these kids about their bodies. Tell them about good and bad touch. Take them in confidence. Make them feel like they can trust you with anything. There is no shame in it. And if you’re a Pashtun and you’re reading this, know that your “ghairat” or “izzat” won’t be compromised if you talk to your kids about these things.
