Special Needs Parents of Pakistan: Identifying Policy to Reduce Risks of Sexual Abuse in Special Needs Children

Abstract

Background: Globally, special needs children are at a greater risk of child sexual abuse, but in the Global South there is an even greater risk due to lack of protective policy. The aim of this paper is to identify recommendations for improved support to special needs parents in improving protection for special needs children. Methods: A total of 21 mothers of special needs children were qualitatively interviewed across 3 cities of Pakistan through purposive sampling. Data was analyzed using the thematic content analysis approach. Findings: From discussions with mothers it was found that social and environmental factors in Pakistan increase the vulnerabilities of special needs children to child sexual abuse, such as: (i) lack of awareness about what constitutes as child sexual abuse generally; (ii) fear of reporting in special needs children; (iii) lack of knowledge in parents and guardians regarding how to train special needs children for protective behaviors to prevent child sexual abuse; and (iv) traditional taboos against sexual abuse awareness within the educational sector and curriculum development, in both conventional and special needs institutes. Recommendations: Parents - and mothers1 especially - are front-line care providers for special needs children who can play an empowering role in improving protection against child sexual abuse. Our detailed policy recommendations include the following broad features: (1) Systematic and longitudinal assessment of sexual abuse against special needs children, (2) Development of a strong and foolproof vigilance and surveillance system for special needs children who cannot report sexual abuse, (3) Training to the following groups: a. Parents and families of special needs children, b. teachers and development professionals working with special needs children, including healthcare practitioners, (4) The extension of the social workers taskforce to cover services for protection of special needs children, and to partner with the Lady Healthcare Program and Criminal Justice System.