More needs to be done to fight child abuse in Oman

Much more needs to be done to support victims of child abuse and help them bring to justice offenders of this undetected crime. Victims of child abuse live with the agony and scars for the rest of their lives knowing that their abusers got away with it without being punished. Most of the abuses are never reported because there is a stigma surrounding the discussion of the issue.
In May 2014, the Child Protection Law came to force and a helpline was established but two years later, just 50 cases have been reported. The subject is culturally sensitive and it is never discussed openly. Rarely are such incidents reported to the police because most of the time the abusers are known to the family of the victims. There are also incidents that happen in schools but parents are reluctant to go beyond reporting to the principal.
This is where a national campaign would play a crucial role, not only to prevent further abuses but encourage families to pick up the phone and report offenders. It should also offer psychological counselling to young victims. But most importantly, Oman needs to fight the social taboo and openly talk about child abuse. Putting the issue under wraps encourage offenders to repeat the act. There is a conflicting conception of what constitutes abuse and what not. The existing helpline should offer a full support from training, arranging workshops, distribution of leaflets and do talks in schools.
No government body has statistics on how deep the malaise is because of the lack of openness. Community leaders such as the Women’s Society, the Teachers’ Association and Parents’ Groups should take a lead role in conducting campaigns to spread awareness. Powerful political bodies such as the Shura Council and the State Council must join in. As a matter of fact, the two councils have a political obligations as well as moral commitment to lobby to the upper echelon of power to get the authoritative endorsement to fight child abuse more effectively.
Sometimes a youngster does not have the courage to report the abuse to parents or even to a teacher. Other children might not even know what is happening around them is wrong. A dedicated campaign would educate them to distinguish between a legitimate and inappropriate action towards them.
It will also give them the confidence to talk openly so they could report incidents at early stages. The sad fact is that there will always be people who try to take advantage of a child for their pleasure and interests. The communities in Oman can no longer afford to turn a blind eye and pretend it does not happen. Attitudes need to change. But this is not the challenge of the government alone. The truth is that the communities have a bigger role to play.
Child abuse support does not come cheap. Investments from business companies would be needed to help as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. The Ministry of Social Development can play a pivotal role, too. It would need to create a department of Child Abuse Prevention to unleash an army of social workers across the country to monitor the problem. The stigma surrounding child abuse seems to be more prominent outside the capital.
For a vast majority in smaller towns, what is happening within the family is viewed as private and is never acknowledged. Abuses in their families are often repressed and they struggle with it receiving no help. To them, family secrets are preserved rather than exposed. People in those towns may be reluctant to use helpline or attend workshops but social workers can successfully infiltrate and open them up.
The most effective part of fighting abuse is to convince people that it is not a shame to report it. Families should be convinced that it is their religious obligation to fight it and report it to the authority. They should also know that they are letting down their children when they keep quiet.