Case of child abuse serves as a “wake-up call”

An 11-year-old female student was allegedly sexually assaulted by a 12-year-old male student at a school in Phetchabun province’s Wichian Buri district on June 21. This is a wake-up call for society.

In a statement, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health noted that the case has sparked public concern about school safety and how children can learn about and protect themselves from sexual violence.

School systems must do their part to keep kids safe from both on- and off-campus sexual assaults. Dr. Varoth stated that if both the criminal and the victim are students, they must undergo recovery and rehabilitation processes. The community, families, schools, and medical professionals must work together to solve the problem.

He stressed the importance of the victim’s family not placing blame on the deceased, as well as the offender’s family not overprotecting the perpetrator. In either case, the issue will not be resolved.

Sex education in schools should be a priority, according to Dr. Varoth. Schools should have an effective mechanism in place to handle instances. It’s time to stop keeping sexual assault and other crimes out of the public eye, too.