Child abuse, one of the many problems that persist in India today, is arguably the filthiest. Of late, we have heard of instances of children being exploited but the most gruesome abuse is child sex abuse. The Silent Scream takes up this issue which people normally turn a blind eye towards. Through the subtlety quoted instances mentioned in this narrative non-fiction we are exposed to the disturbing lives of child predators and their innocent, young unassuming victims. The Silent Scream is a ready guide to create awareness about this rampantly growing evil with the aim of sensitising the general public on the ways in which sex abusers operate. A humble effort is also being made to counsel the victims and carry forward the war against this menace so that other innocent souls are saved.
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The Silent Scream by Siddhartha Garg is a book on child abuse. What do I say about this book?
The book starts with one girl’s story and then moves on to other real life cases. Then there is a whole section on Rape. Some of the stories felt so bloody unbelievable – almost fiction but it is our society’s truth. The more I read, the more appalled I got… Who? How? And mostly WHY? I had so many questions in my mind. While most of them where answered, I still feel bewildered and reeling from the experiences of these young and innocent souls.
Most of us, sitting in our drawing room, would like to wave away the horrors of child abuse even though new cases are reported regularly. While most of us probably cannot even imagine hurting the innocence of a child, the fact remains that it happens more often than we realize. It is also a fact that we can avoid it – only if we are aware and armed with knowledge. This book acts as a guide to identifying the signs of dangers to identifying the source of that danger and also what steps one can take to ensure safety of a child. You may not be the perpetrator, but you may know one – they do come from amongst us – you may not have a child of your own, but you may know a child who is a victim… What do you do? Well, read this book and you will know.
There are two particular points highlighted by the author that I feel are most important and a ‘must know’ and ‘must do’ things… First, is sex education. Yes I know it is sort of a taboo in India for grownups, or anyone really, to talk about sex. As a result, most of the youth have wrong impressions about sex that they gather from adult magazines and porn videos. We really underestimate the importance of sex education and the value of consent. I implore people to talk to their children about sex, safe sex and consent. It is so important for both boys and girls to understand what is right and what is wrong. The other point that I was happy to see the author make a point of is the indirect child abuse… For instance, if parents constantly fight and abuse each other – verbally and/or physically, in front of their child – while that is not a direct abuse on the child, it starts a chain of domestic abuse that the child feels is natural and grows up to continue.
While I usually do not pick up non-fiction books, I am glad I picked this one up. Every single person should read this book in order to make themselves aware. A MUST READ book especially for parents, teachers and those who work around children.
Review Copy received from the Author
This is just too grim to be contemplated even. But this is also why it continues to be a part of our society, as a large number of us can't face up to it.
ReplyDeleteLoe the review!!
ReplyDeleteI wish more people write & talk about it so that people get to know about it..
ReplyDeleteNot something I would normally pick up either, but glad you did. I agree, more people need to write talk about it. Great review.
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