There's all kinds of depraved and deranged out there and one of the most heinous of crimes is the sexual abuse of a child, which in some cases is repeated over years.

We cannot begin to imagine the trauma a victim goes through, especially when they are not mature enough to understand what's going on or able to put an end to it.

Very often its a relative or a friend of the family and threats are made not to reveal the perpetrator. As my friend implores, we have a Duty To Our Children, so make a PACT to #ProtectAChildToday.

Sexual exploitation of adults is another form and it goes on at work, in industry, in families too.

Domestic violence is another kind of abuse. Men have been known to beat their wives, even while pregnant, and in the case of kids coming to the mother's defense, the children too.

I beg to ask, where does the depravity and the pent up frustration or lack of self esteem come? I've explored more on this theme in my poems miscreants and beaten.

Mystic River talks about an adult whose entire life was shattered because of repeated abuse as a 10 year old. Score one for the dark forces.

Society for the large part turns a blind eye while victims lives are reduced to ruins.

I tried setting up a desk for abuse 2 years ago when #metoo kicked up something a little close to home.

Check back to this page for resources, links to champions - both individuals and organizations.

Learn about the signs of abuse among children and for heavens sakes do not sit by if you can prevent an episode from taking place / continuing.

For more resources, you may refer to the Spanda Foundation's Resources Page

Imran, 31 Aug 2020