Abstract
The issue of child sexual abuse stems from the psycho-social structure and the archaic social systems that exist in India, where the vulnerable and unaware are misguided, sometimes oppressed and their rights exploited, resulting in discrimination that widens across generations. The scope of this study is not just to understand why abuse happens, and the changes that take place subsequently, but also to explore ways of preventing it from happening in the future. This is significant because it brings with it the inter-relationship of various stakeholders that engage with each other to make children conscious about the potential threats they may face. In such a scenario, sex education and awareness of sexuality helps in initiating talks about changes in one’s body and related physical and psychological vulnerabilities. The present research seeks to collate and understand the shift that occurs in the child’s psyche from sexual abuse, and his/her level of awareness of the various illicit behaviours that he/she may or already has come across. Moving forward, the research illuminates the role of the social apparatus that exists to redress the violence of sexual abuse and provide education, protection of rights and psychological support that may nip this issue in the bud. These apparatus need to promote an environment of openness about sex education, that may counter the shame and stigma associated with such a
topic, for their other initiatives to have a positive impact.
