Most child sexual abuse cases are from acquaintances.

According to statistics from authorities, from 2023 to the end of September 2024, there were 33 cases of child sexual abuse in Hai Duong.

Compared to about 3 years ago, the number of sexual assault cases remains high.

Sexual abuse leaves many negative consequences for the abused and their families, especially for children under 16 who are not physically and mentally mature. These are the injuries to health, honor, and dignity that the abused must bear. Then there is the feeling of inferiority, leading to thoughts and actions that are difficult to control, affecting normal development in all aspects and future life. Many children after being abused always live in fear and obsession, finding it difficult to integrate into the community.

I once met a girl who was cognitively disabled but physically developed normally. When others complimented her on her beauty, her mother could not hide her sadness and said that someone had molested her. Luckily, the family discovered the incident in time and stopped it. Since the incident had not gone too far, the family accepted to let it go.

But what's sadder is that I was already shy and afraid of strangers, and now I'm even more shy. Every time I meet a stranger who is a man, my symptoms get worse. Therefore, my family doesn't dare take their eyes off me.

According to the People's Procuracy of Hai Duong province, the defendants in child sexual abuse cases in Hai Duong in recent times are mainly freelancers or have unstable jobs, low education levels, and especially between the subjects and the victims there is often an acquaintance relationship (love, friends, relatives, teachers and students, etc.).

However, sadly, there are still cases where victims do not report sexual abuse or report late due to fear of being shamed, making it difficult and complicated to collect evidence and handle the case. There are also families who know their children have been sexually abused but do not dare to report it for fear of future consequences for their children.

On the other hand, there are families whose children have been sexually abused, but after discovering it, they resolve it by reaching an agreement or receiving material compensation. Therefore, the number of discovered child sexual abuse cases may not be all in the community and there will certainly be criminals who have not been punished according to the law.

Faced with the complicated developments of child sexual abuse crimes in the province, the People's Committee of Hai Duong province has issued a document requesting departments, branches, sectors, organizations and localities to synchronously deploy solutions to prevent child sexual abuse. However, to make this work more effective, it is necessary to have the cooperation of three parties, which is the decisive participation of authorities, families and schools, in which the family is still the key.

Due to the psychological characteristics of their age, children are not fully aware of themselves and society, are often gullible, passive, and do not know how to protect themselves, so they are easily lured and bribed by sexual abusers to commit crimes. Many children, after being abused, are threatened by criminals and do not dare to tell their parents or adults.

Families need to early orient children's awareness of gender issues to help them have skills to avoid the risk of abuse.

Relatives must regularly pay attention to their children's daily behavior, promptly ask questions and share. Avoid situations where children have to endure long-term abuse due to threats and control.

When discovering an incident, it is necessary to boldly denounce the abuser so that the law can punish him.