Situation Analysis on Sexual Abuse (1)

I.	Assessment of the Circumstances¹
	1. 1	Manifestations of the problem
		It is not easy to determine the level of severity of child sexual abuse in Thailand due to the country's lack of efficient macro data base on the issue. With data gathered from local media in the past 3 years, it is clear that problems regarding child sexual abuse have grown. There are evidently more reports on children being raped and murdered Abuses take place throughout whether it be in big cities, small towns, or in rural villages, at a child's house, at school, and even in a religious monastery. The age of abusers and victims have been younger. There was an incident where a boy accused of rape and murder a four-year-old girl was a 13 year-old juvenile. The youngest victim reported was 8 months old.²
		There are more reports of child sexual abuse by the victims' father. Many children are repeatedly sexually abused for a long period of time by men living in the same household. Sexual abusers are mostly close family members or relatives such as father, grandfather, brother, uncle, teacher, and male neighbor. Boys and girls, and children born to wealthy or poor families are all subjects to sexual abuse. Girls are found to be at higher risk than boys. Child sexual abuse problems have developed greater in degrees and in more complicated ways.
		The four main resources of data on child sexual abuse are:
		1.	Daily news reports and articles from newspapers, magazines, radio stations and television networks.
		2.	Data from non-governmental organizations working with children and women to provide them support. There has been an increasing use of counseling and support services every year, especially on the issue of sexual harassment and abuse.
		3.	Statistics of rape cases from Division of Plan and Research of Police Department. The statistics however do not include cases of rape and murder nor pay attention to the age of the victims. The statistics reported are also far less than reality. It is estimated, for the case of Thailand, that only 5% of the actual incidents was reported.
		4.	Statistics from hospitals throughout the country where sexual abuse victims receive medical services. It is unfortunate that the statistics are not collected and filed systematically unless it is to be used for specific research purposes. As an example, there was a statistic at Bangrak hospital where there was a study on STDs in children and adolescent patients at the hospital during1988-1994.³ The study showed that 24% of 81 girls of the age between 4 days to 12 years was diagnosed of sexually transmitted diseases. Among the 81 girls, 1 4 were reported of having been sexually abused.
			Excluding children who were raped and murdered, one great impact on an abused child is physical and emotional scars which often turn into deeply-held traumatic experiences. Abused adolescents are often left with emotional breakdowns, and problems with self-image and self-identity. Many cases have become neurotic, depressed and withdrawn. Some no longer trust people and the world around them. Many are RTIs (Reproductive Tract Infections) infected and/or pregnant. Many induce abortions or sometimes give birth but are unable to raise the child. For cases where children are sexually abused by adults who have custody of them and live under the same roof, children end up having to run away from home and become street children. These children are consequently at great risk of being persuaded or forced into sex business or into pornographic VDO filming business. Such situations add even greater contribution in child sexual abuse problems.
			Although involved agencies from governmental and non-governmental sectors have paid attention to the issue and have lawfully, socially and emotionally attempted to help solving child sexual abuse problems, it still does not respond to the needs raised from the whole problems existed. Many children are abused by their close family members and are not able to report the incidents nor speak out for help. There is no systematic mechanism to ease the children out of the struggles. There is not enough experts to help children, their families and the society understand the situations. And most importantly, there is not enough recognition that this is the matter of Child's Rights.
	1.2	Causes of the problems
		Social Structure
		1.	Child sexual abuse problems are raised from structural violence traditionally placed in the Thai society. Thai society is a male dominated society where the patriarchal culture allows their male members to freely have irresponsible sex, extramarital sex, and to practice very little consideration when there is sexual needs. This structure and cultural violence leaves other members of the society with unsafe life conditions and with risk of sexual violence. A micro-level study indicated male teenagers' view on rape. Some of teenagers believe that rape act on a women is an acceptable situation if there is an opportunity to do so.⁴
		2.	The government does not enforce laws on prohibiting pornographic materials which are often found to be an important stimulant for sexual crimes. Some of the materials are even portrait and played by children. This reflects that children are not only sexually abuses when used sexually but also abused by pornographic materials producers and their general Thai population audience as well.
		3.	The country's deep-rooted corruption. A middle rank policeman clearly explained, 'rape cases are widely regarded among policemen as easy money-making opportunities. The defendant is willing to pay and this is why you see all sorts of tactics to discourage the victim to back off... the attorney, too, it ill be opted into this process '.⁵
		4.	A child cannot take legal act against his/her parents. If/when a child (mostly girls) is sexually abused by her father' the child Will have to depend on a legal inspector or an attorney to take actions for them. Frequently the designated authority does not want to bring the charge to court due to their own traditional values that children should pay gratitude to parents and do no harm to parents. Lawfully such charges are often dropped since there is mot enough supporting evidence and witness for the case.
		Family
		Socio-economic changes have played an important role in the Thai society and in a family unit. Parents have to work outside of home and spend less time with children Relationships among family members have become more fragile. The 'old' community plays less important role in supporting the well-beings of its people. Chances that children are sexually abused by father, step-father, brother and male neighbor has increased as support from family and communities decreased. As reported by pare-social workers,⁶ child sexually abuse is one of the common forms of violence against women at a village level and rural children encountered sexual assault are more likely to combat or cope with the problem alone.
		The Abusers
		From studies of rape and sexual assault charge recorded, it is evident that most rapists and people who commit sexual assault are emotionally capable people.⁷ However, other factors found in the studies and on the newspapers reporting rape cases indicate reasons for an abuser to commit a sexual assault and/or rape are:
		1.	Once sexual needs are driven, a sexual abuser looses the ability to distinguish right and wrong and becomes less considerate of other' s feelings. The abusers then become self-center and decide to take on any acts to fulfill their immediate needs. Most likely the abusers have uncontrollable high sexual needs because of drugs and alcohol intakes and/or viewing pornographic materials.
		2.	Some rapists believe that having an orgasm with a virgin girl is an extravagant experience that will prolong their life.
		However sexual abusers realize that sexual assault and rape are prohibit acts. They therefore threaten their victims to keep the incidents silent and under notice. Many sexual abusers threaten and torture their victims by placing cigarette light in the victim's body, shape the victim's hair, and whip the victims. For some father-to-daughter rape cases, rapists expressed that they raped their daughters because they believe that since the daughters lose virginity for other men already, it is their right to release their sexual tension with their daughter. It is their right and because they were not the first, so they do not commit a sin.