Protecting children with disabilities from sexual abuse

Sexual abuse of children with disabilities is rarely talked about. By producing 'Sara Says No', we hope to raise awareness on their vulnerabilities and create the space for discussion on this topic, says Loh. Photos: WCC

Children are vulnerable to sexual abuse and those with disabilities are at even greater risk due to their cognitive or communication challenges in expressing what has happened to them, says Women Centre for Change executive director Loh Cheng Kooi.

“So it may take a longer time before a child with a disability (depending on the type of disability and its severity) is able to express that sexual abuse is happening and for the caregiver to help. In some instances, the child may not even know that what is happening is sexual abuse as often the perpetrator “befriends” the child (i.e grooming) before the sexual assault then takes place,” she says.

To raise awareness about the vulnerabilities of children with disabilites to sexual abuse, WCC has come out with a storybook, Sara Says No, written by Dr Prema Devaraj, former WCC Programme Consultant, with input from educators who are working with children with disabilities. Illustrations are by Faizati Mohd Ali and the artwork by C Square Sdn Bhd.

“Sexual abuse of children with disabilities is rarely talked about. By producing this storybook, we hope to raise awareness on their vulnerabilities and create the space for discussion on this topic. The message in Sara’s story is that sexual abuse can happen to any child, anywhere and very often it is by a perpetrator whom the child knows. It is important for the parent or caregiver to be constantly alert for signs indicating that something is wrong. Good communication with a disabled child is crucial in ensuring their well-being,” says Loh.

“Furthermore, WCC hopes that should a victim of sexual abuse read Sara’s story, they might better understand what happened to them and seek the help they need,” she adds.

Sara Says No is currently available online only. Funded by Yayasan Hasanah under a special grant, WCC hopes to translate the storybook into five other languages (Malay, Chinese, Tamil, Kadazan and Iban) to ensure a wider reach to parents and educators across Malaysia.

“They can read this storybook to children of appropriate age for them to understand how sexual abuse happens and how the child can seek help,” says Loh, adding that the book reached over 55,000 views just one day after it was released online last week.

The online storybook is uploaded in WCC’s social media (facebook, twitter, instagram) and is available on their website (www.wccpenang.org/books/). The translations into five different languages will be uploaded by May 2022.

Although WCC handles only a few cases of child sexual abuse involving children with disabilities every year, Loh says that they have seen how difficult it is for a disabled child and his or her caregiver to report the incident.

“It is also very challenging for the police investigating officer who is conducting the investigation. When the child has difficulty in articulating the incident(s) or expressing his or herself, we need to involve other specialists, for example a child psychiatrist, sign language interpreter or the care giver, to support the child and also help explain the incident to the investigating officer so that he or she is in a better position to investigate the case,” explains Loh.

Sara Says No isn’t the first storybook that the NGO has produced to raise awareness on safeguarding children from violence. In 2020, WCC produced two other online storybooks: Lisa and her Secret and Yusri and his Secret.

Both the storybooks were well received, with over two million people viewing/reading them on their social media platforms, prompting them to embark on Sara Says No.

“Reports on child sexual abuse are on the rise but many parents are still unaware of the risk of this danger. This storybook featuring Sara, a child with cerebral palsy, is expanding WCC’s outreach to raise awareness on sexual abuse to children with disabilities as well as their carers.

“Children need to be taught about good touch and bad touch and what to do (i.e to tell someone) when something goes wrong. However not all children may be able to do this.

“The responsibility of protecting a child lies with the adult. Adults must therefore step up, take responsibility and play a critical role in preventing sexual abuse in the lives of children. If sexual abuse has taken place then the adult must act quickly to put an immediate stop to the abuse,” says Loh.

“Sexual abuse can scar a child for the rest of his or her life. No child should ever have to experience this,” she concludes.