What study did our officers make to come to such a silly conclusion?
How did the study rate one’s looks? Was there a look like ‘horse’ rating or something? Did the study bring in a few ‘experts’ in good looks to provide the evaluation?
It is absolutely important that we do not shift the blame for abuse to the victims. One do not get abused just because he or she looks ugly. 50% of abuse are caused by parents. 71% are caused by family members. A seed does not fall far from the tree. If the child is ‘ugly’, the parents are probably not very far off.
When we want to look at reasons for abuse, start with the abuser. Look at the abuser’s temperament. Ask about the abuser’s coping skills. Study the abuser’s history and upbringing. Understand the abuser’s character, values and motivation. Question the abuser’s moral and spiritual standards.
As for the victims, just provide care, protection and restoration. Do not make silly unquantifiable assumptions.
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Read the news article here –
KUALA LUMPUR: Police have found that children who do not have good looks are more prone to become victims of abuse. Royal Malaysia Police Crime Investigation Department Principal Assistant Director (Sexual, Abuse and Child Investigation Division), ACP Hamidah Yunos said even among siblings, the child who did not have the looks would be the black sheep of the family and often became the target of the parents’ ire.
She said a police study also found that parents who abused their children were victims of abuse themselves when they were young. “Work pressure can also be a factor when parents lose their cool and take out their anger on their children,” she added. She said cases of children abused by maids happened when the latter felt pressured by the parents. ACP Hamidah said in most cases of child abuse, the parents or guardians would initially make up stories about the child having sustained the injury from a fall.
“After being abused every day, the injuries may be critical and only then will the child be taken to a hospital or clinic for treatment,” she added. She said the doctor attending to the child could lodge a police report if there was suspicion that the child had been abused. Police would contact the Social Welfare Department which would provide counselling or shelter to the victim, she added.
ACP Hamidah said 285 child abuse cases were reported last year, up from 242 cases in 2011. “This shows that the public, including doctors, are more sensitive to child abuse cases and willing to come forward to report the matter to the police. “It also shows that the society has realised that child abuse is a crime,” she added. She said statistics showed that most child abuse victims in 2010 and 2011 with 136 and 117 cases reported respectively were between the age of one and seven years old.
Based on statistics, most of the child abuse cases reported last year were in Selangor and Johor, totalling 67 in each state, followed by Penang with (25), Negri Sembilan (24), Kuala Lumpur (18), Sarawak (15), Malacca (13), Perak (12), Kelantan (10), Sabah (10), Pahang (nine), Kedah (eight), Terengganu (four) and Perlis (three). (The Star, Feb 16 2013)