In a disturbing incident, a surveillance tape caught a man molesting children in an elevator. At first he is seen kissing two young school girls and then physically restraining them from leaving a lift.
The horrifying episode took place in Shanxi’s Jiexiu city in central China.
Initial media reports suggest that the accused stepped into the elevator of a residential building along with two young school girls. As soon as the doors of the elevator shut, he began kissing them on their cheeks. He then quickly moved on to kissing them violently on their lips.
The man first tried to kiss the girls. | Image courtesy: QQ video/screengrab
Camera catches man molesting children
As soon as he begins kissing the girls, one of them tries to get the elevator door open by pushing all the buttons on the panel. But as soon as the doors open, the man quickly pushes the button to close the door.
Eventually, he resorts to physically dragging the children inside the elevator. The pervert then holds them down onto the floor of the elevator.
The predator forcefully pulls the children inside the elevator. | Image courtesy: QQ video/screengrab
He continues this violent behavior for almost a minute and a half, until the elevator returns to the ground floor. Then, he makes a quick run out of elevator.
The entire footage of the man molesting children was caught on the CCTV camera placed inside the elevator. This helped the local police identify the accused and finally catch him. The police reportedly told a local daily that the man was 21 years old, and a local of the area.
This horrifying incident has once again highlighted the plight of children and the rising number of cases of sexual abuse.
Child sexual abuse at a critical point in Asia
As mentioned in our previous article, according to Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Minister in Indonesia, Yohana Susana Yembise, child abuse is at a critical level there, particularly in regard to sexual abuse.
“Violence toward children is increasing everywhere. Indonesia is facing an emergency over violence against children,” she said.
Unfortunately, many children do not share their ordeal unless it comes out, such as in this case with the CCTV footage. They may feel reluctant for a number of reasons:
- Children may be afraid that the abuser may hurt them or their families.
- They may fear that they will not be believed, or that they will be blamed for it instead.
- The children may be scared that if they tell the authorities, they will be taken away and separated from their family.
In case this ever happens, parents must try to remain strong and help the child through this difficult time. Here’s what parents can do to help kids who have survived a sexual attack.
1. Stay strong
Your child will look up to you for the strength they need to overcome this. So reassure them that you still support them. Help them break their silence. Assure them that they will recover and move on to a happy and fulfilling life.
2. Believe your child
As mentioned before, appreciate them for telling you the truth and do not doubt them. If the disclosure is hard to believe, keep reminding yourself that false disclosures are rare. Ask clarifying questions in a matter-of-fact way. Avoid showing disapproval of the answers they give you.
It is common that when children sense pain in others, they may hold themselves back from sharing. It doesn’t mean that it didn’t really happen.
Children can recover from sexual abuse. It is difficult to hear that someone you love has been hurt in such a way, but help is available.
3. Be supportive
Your kids should feel supported. Do not dismiss their claims. Instead, immediately do what is necessary to protect the child from further harm. This has to be a top priority.
Sexual abuse takes away a child’s sense of control over his or her surroundings and can reduce their belief that adults will protect them.
Establish a plan with other adults so that unsupervised contact with the person who has abused them is eliminated. Help the child understand that the person who abused them did something wrong, and that this person needs help to stop hurting others.
If you comes across any suspected cases of child abuse, do not hesitate to contact the authorities.
Source: Shanghaiist
ALSO READ: Telltale signs that an adult is indulging in child sexual abuse
Republished with permission from: theAsianParent Singapore