5 Fortresses That Protect Society from Sexual Harassment
The media and social platforms are filled
with numerous reports of child molestation incidents, occurring at an early age
and varying between exposure to sexual acts, inappropriate touching of private
parts, or forcing the child to watch pornographic images and videos.
Scientific studies confirm that 70% of
children worldwide have been subjected to sexual harassment and physical abuse.
Alarmingly, 82% of these assaults occur in places considered safe for the
child, and 77% of the perpetrators are people close to them—relatives, friends,
or neighbors.
A UNICEF study states that 83% of child
molestation crimes are not reported at the time they occur, while the World
Health Organization indicates that 1 in 5 women and 1 in 13 men reported being
sexually assaulted when they were children.
This brutal phenomenon expanding across our
societies is fueled by the widespread availability of pornographic content
through platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Reels. These materials, easily
accessible on small mobile phones, are ringing alarm bells and issuing a strong
warning to every family and society to fight this modern-day crime.
The following lines summarize five key
steps—or protective fortresses—that can enhance community defense against child
molestation and even work toward eliminating it:
1. Islamic Upbringing:
Raising children according to the
protective guidelines of Islam, shielding them from falling prey to people with
weak morals. This includes heeding the prophetic guidance such as separating
children in their beds and teaching them about the sanctity of their bodies and
the prohibition of exposing private parts.
2. Awareness Campaigns:
Focusing on ethical and behavioral
awareness for children through schools, mosques, youth centers, and cultural
centers. This includes teaching children how to protect themselves and helping
them understand that one of their most important rights is the right to
psychological safety and bodily integrity, and that no one is allowed to
violate that.
3. Community Monitoring:
Establishing effective community
surveillance systems that help identify the sources of social decay, find
proper remedies, and remove or limit the influence of corrupt individuals in
society.
4. Strict Punishment:
Enacting specific laws for harassers and
imposing deterrent punishments on those who violate the sanctity of a child’s
body—according to both Islamic and civil laws—so they serve as a lesson to
others and to protect children from such abuse.
5. Treating the Offenders:
Fighting child harassment is not achieved
by supporting victims alone. There must also be efforts to support and
rehabilitate the perpetrators, through early diagnosis of this disorder, and
organizing religious, psychological, and behavioral workshops and therapy to
help them overcome this addiction and eliminate it.
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