Protect children by exposing familiar monsters
DAR ES SALAAM: THERE is a stubborn myth that the family home is always a sanctuary. It is comforting, like believing vegetables cancel out dessert. Yet the evidence keeps knocking: Too often, abuse happens where trust lives.
When parents and guardians choose silence to “keep peace,” they do not keep peace; they keep predators. This editorial is a blunt appeal to all in the society to stop shielding family members who sexually molest and abuse children and to start shielding children with truth, law and courage.
Let us be clear. Love does not grant legal immunity. Blood ties do not dissolve criminal responsibility. When adults hide abusers because they are uncles, cousins, step-parents, or respected elders, they become accessories to harm. Silence is not neutral; it is an active choice that extends the abuse to the next child.
If this sounds harsh, it should. Child sexual abuse is not a private misunderstanding to be managed over tea and clandestinely payments out of court. It is a crime that requires sunlight, statements and courtrooms. Here is the professional humour, delivered carefully: Family dinners are meant to pass salt, not secrets.
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The moment a child discloses abuse, the menu must change. The only acceptable recipe is report, protect and prosecute. Anything else is seasoning a crime. Parents and guardians must fight abuse the way public health fights disease: early detection, decisive treatment and community cooperation.
Teach children body autonomy early. Teach them the correct names for body parts. Teach them that “no” is a complete sentence, even to elders.
Most importantly, teach them to name openly those who abuse them, without fear or favour. Whispering protects offenders; naming protects children. Cooperation with law enforcement is not betrayal; it is duty. Every police station has a Gender Desk for a reason. Use it. Report promptly. Preserve evidence.
Seek medical and psychosocial support. When cases go to court, show up. Witnesses matter. Your testimony can be the difference between a predator returning home and a predator being stopped. Courts do not run on rumours; they run on brave, consistent witnesses. Some argue that court processes are painful and public.
True. Abuse is more painful and permanent. The temporary discomfort of legal proceedings cannot outweigh a child’s lifelong trauma. Justice, imperfect as it is, remains the strongest disinfectant we have.
Again, to our Police and courts, you must move with urgency in child sexual abuse cases. Delays, endless referrals and bureaucratic “come tomorrow” routines demoralise victims’ families and protect offenders by exhaustion. Swift investigations and timely trials restore trust, preserve evidence and prove that justice values children’s pain more than paperwork.
Finally, communities must retire the culture of intimidation that tells children to be quiet “for the family’s sake.” The family’s sake is the child’s safety. When parents and guardians report, cooperate and testify, they send a powerful message: Our homes are not hiding places for harm. Treat abuse like the disease it is, identify it, confront it and eradicate it. Our children deserve nothing less.
