There has been an alarming increase in the number of sexual abuse cases reported in Lae city Morobe Province
Angau Family Support Centre executive Dr Lincoln Menda revealed this while speaking to the Kamkumung community in Lae over the weekend. "It was previously seen that much of the sexual abuse cases were committed outside of the family circle but much of the sexual abuse happening these days, occur in people’s own houses and the perpetrators are often blood-related relatives," Dr Menda said. He said many of the victims are children and their cases are often ignored because they are viewed by families as unimportant to the older perpetrator. According to Dr Menda the centre deals with an estimated 20 to 30 patients every day, and many of them are seen to be women and children, who reside in the urban settlements and villages in Lae. "The number has increased to about 50 per cent in the last quarter of this year (just before the PNG Games in Lae) compared to the previous years and it continues to increase every single day," Dr Menda said. "It’s about time people in urban communities and villages realise that everyone has rights and that perpetrators must be handed over to police to be dealt with by the law. "Sexual abuse in the family shouldn’t be ignored because it is a criminal act and it is treated similarly to the ones that occur outside the family circle." The recent rape of a young girl in the Kamkumung area in the Morobe capital has also revealed the ignorance attitude shown by people around urban settlements and villages, said a women’s right advocate. Woman Arise president and gender-based violence advocate Serah Haoda Todd, while speaking to a huge crowd at the mediation of the case, said its time communities fight against such immoral activities. "You all families have beautiful daughters and you wouldn’t want them to be sexually abused and their dignity taken away by some perpetrator on the road. "It is not right to ignore a child being sexually abused because they are considered as unimportant," Mrs Todd said. She explained that women and children are vulnerable to sexual predators, especially in urban settlements and villages, because communities consider such acts to be a norm. Comments are closed.
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