When the matter of a child being sexually abused gets out, focus is usually
directed at the child’s physical health and nabbing of the perpetrator, making
them face the consequences. And while that is important, equal attention needs
to be paid to the long-term well-being of the victim and how, even years after
the incident, it can still affect them. It’s not an easy path and the handling
of these issues differs from case to case, but given the sensitive nature of
the topic, many of these victims suffer in silence.
Rochelle Pereira, a young psychologist
from Margao, has observed such scenarios and was deeply affected by the recent
rise in cases of child sexual abuse (CSA). According to her research, in Goa,
there were 324 CSA cases reported in the last year. She predicts that the
number of cases that were not reported could be higher.
While batting for better infrastructure to
be created to help the victim, she feels that the mindsets need to change and a
child victim should be encouraged to talk about the incident, consult a
psychologist/ psychiatrist as soon as possible and most of all, no blame should
be attributed to the child.
Looking at the larger picture, Rochelle
feels that the overall system can be improved and that there is a great need
for better awareness at a young age. It is this ideology that drove her to come
out with the book ‘Little Brave Nina and other short stories’ – a collection of
short stories for children in the age group of 5-12 years.
“ Writing is a passion for me and so this
felt like a perfect fit. This book is just a tiny contribution towards such
awareness,” says Rochelle.
In addition to CSA, her book also focuses
on nurturing the right values and attitudes in children while growing up. The
book also makes for easy light reading for the child with the inclusion of a
colouring section to make it more interesting and engaging for them.
“It is written with the aim of providing the parents a platform
to discuss sensitive issues with their kids. It also equips the child with the
tools to deal with certain situations and empowers them to do the right thing.
I felt bringing out a book was the best way to address this topic in a
child-friendly manner,” says Rochelle.
On a related note, a key area of her target audience are the
parents. She emphasises on how family environment, parenting strategies are of
utmost importance today as kids are exposed to far more threats, violence, peer
pressure and explicit information.
“I have encountered many parents who’ve needed assistance in
addressing such topics and providing information in an appropriate manner.
Hence I intend this book to be a means for parents to broach such a sensitive
issue and use it as a platform to provide more information to their kids,” adds
Rochelle.
The clinical psychologist is also an assistant professor in the
post graduate department of Chowgule College, Margao, where she lectures on
child psychology and child development.
Speaking about what more needs to be done, Rochelle stresses that
there is a need to improve the infrastructure. She points out to the recent
initiative where the government had tried to make counsellors available in
schools. She feels that the ratio of counsellor per school is still poor.
“Workshops can be conducted for parents and teachers, relevant
movies screened, a properly trained full time counsellor is mandatory for every
school; periodic talks can also be given to the students. Most importantly,
listening skills and unconditional acceptance must be developed, “adds
Rochelle, who specialises in children- and adolescent-related issues.
She is releasing her book, which is available in English and
Konkani, on November 23, 2017 at Ravindra Bhavan Margao at the hands of Fr
Jerome D’Silva, the principal of St Xavier’s Mapusa, her alma mater.
So
far, she has received great feedback from those who have got their hands on her
book and she plans on visiting various educational institutes to promote her
first book.
