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The girls who were sexually abused will have to learn how to trust again.
And they need to understand what is proper behaviour between adults and children, said seven counsellors and social workers interviewed.
They will also need to build up their self-esteem and sense of identity.
A psychologist with Touch Community Services, Dr Eliza Lian, said the girls need to be taught how to differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate forms of affection.
For example, she said, a handshake is all right, and a pat on the back is also acceptable to some people.
But touching of the genitals by a care-giver who is not cleaning the child has to be prohibited.
She said that some sexual abuse victims may also grow up thinking that the only way to get attention is through their bodies.
So it is important for them to know that it is possible for people to love them in non-sexual way.
This is particularly crucial since one of the girls was raped and now, at 12 years old, will soon be an adolescent.
Marriage and family therapist Esther Tzer Wong said child victims in general need to be helped to rebuild their sense of self-worth.
"They need to regain ownership of their body and know that it is not something to be manipulated by adults," she said.
Agreeing with her, Ms. Mary Bell, a family therapist who is a member of the Child Abuse Research and Action Team, an arm of the Society Against Family Violence, added : "Children should be taught that their bodies are their own, and that no one should touch them in a way that they do not like or makes them feel uncomfortable."
Studies have shown that most abusers are family members or people that the children are familiar with, she said. So children should be encouraged to trust other adults, apart from their parents, so that they will have someone outside the family to confide in.
The Ministry of Community Development said that it works with the police and the medical authorities to investigate and assess the kind of help needed for child abuse victims.
The victim and the family will receive counselling and advice to help them deal with the abuse. Psychological assessment and help are also provided.
They may also be referred to a family service centre for counselling.
In Singapore, the Children and Young Persons Act is in force to protect the young against such sex perverts.
It provides, among other things, for the prosecution of any person who commits any obsene or indecent act with a child or young person.
Anyone found guilty can be fined $5,000 or jailed for two years, or both. If a person commits the same offence again, the penalty is a $10,000 fine or four years' jail, or both.
The Act is administered by the Ministry for Community Development.
Twenty years in jail. Twenty-four strokes of the cane.
Yes, the court of law has passed its maximum sentence on this beast of a man.
But he will never be judged in the court of the people. They will never be able to spit his name in anger.
Unlike other criminals, this beast shall remain nameless - and faceless.
We want to expose him. So does his wife. He deserves to be shamed.
But he will never be. Because we can't expose him - ever.
The law forbis it. Because naming him will identify the two young children who suffered so horribly at his hands.
Under the Women's Charter, a man who rapes or molests his family members can never be named in media reports. This is to protect his victims, who may be identified through him.
There are many young women like Lina who put up with incest by a parent, step-parent, sibling or close relative for years. According to psychiatrist Dr Ang Peng Chye, they carry the burden all throghout life.
He says: "One of my patients, a successful career woman, couldn't have sex with her husband for the first five years of marriage. She was artificially inseminated but was too depressed to face childbirth so she had an abortion.
"She didn't reveal much during our sessions until the day I asked her to play with the sand tray in my office. She drew a picture of a seaside. Then she strated to cry. It reminded her of her cousin abusing her in Katong Park when she was seven."
Few victims seek therapy and even fewer report the crime. This happens a lot in Asian families, where losing face seems to be the biggest crime.
The abuser banks on the victim's helplessness and strikes, as in Lina's case, again and again.
In those rare instances that a victim does say something, the reaction she often gets is denial. Her mother may blame her for the problem if the offender is the father or step-father.
Hopefully, help is on the way. The police and groups like Aware have strated a support group for victims.
All police stations have female staff trained in sexual abuse counselling to help victims with their report. They ask questions like "What happened?", "How did you feel?" and "How are you coping?". Then they go with the victim to a hospital to gather medical evidence of abuse so that an arrest can be made.
Denial by sex offenders can be broken down as follows
(adapted from a workshop by Anna Salter);
1. Offense
Source: The Sun, Thursday, July 25, 2002.
By Mansor Puteh, Cheras, KL.
While the authorities, religious bodies and NGOs are contemplating what to do to reduce the incidence of rape and incest, I'd like to offer a simple and practical solution.
Highlighting such cases in the media does not work because the rapists and molesters are guided by lust and not the law.
Also, there can be no law that can prevent rape and incest, however harsh it may be. Tjhese laws are used to punish offenders and do not act as a deterrent.
It is on the personal level that rape, molest and incest take place, i.e. in secluded places and under the cover of darkness and far from the law and potential witnesses.
The solution cannot be found in laws.
If hanging has failed to stop drug-pushing in Malaysia, what are the chances of castration or public caning and hanging to deter potential rapists and molesters?
From the rape and incest cases reported in the media one can draw a few conclusions:
One, incidents of rape often occur when a woman is alone.
Two, there are no witnesses to these rapes.
And three, incest hap[pens when young girls are either left alone in the house or in the care of their fathers, step-fathers or male relatives.
We all know how a young university graduate was raped and murdered in a bus late at night some time ago. Many Malaysians will remember the tragedy for a long time.
Unfortunate as it was, this tragedy could have easily been avoided, if the woman had not travelled alone, especially at night when there are a few passengers. Often even the few passengers get off the bus midway.
The driver who raped her must have waited for such a moment.
And lately, a few young women were raped while travelling alone in taxis late at night.
These rapes could have been avoided, if the women had observed the same precautions and guarded their personal safety.
Women should never be left alone or go anywhere where they would be in a vulnerable position.
Whether she is wearing a mini-skirt or a tudung is immaterial. The fact that she is a woman and in a secluded place is the main issue.
I have read of cases where men charged with molest had their identity splashed all over the papers and on television while the women's identity was not revealed. And in the end the court found the men not guilty.
This document was prepared by using information obtained from the Sources listed above. All information contained herein is correct at the time of implementation of this Victims' accounts and its aftermath. Action-aicsa cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracy, omission or alteration that may occur.
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