No matter how incomprehensible it is to most of us, to a dangerous minority in society our children do not simply represent innocence and life but instead hold connotations of sexual pleasure and fantasy.

Now every country around the world is being gradually forced to accept the realization that child sexual abuse and paedophilia exist – it is the dark shadow lurking at the base of humanity.

Our children, our most precious and loved possessions of all, are - to some - objects of desire, exploitation and corruption. Within the Western world, the reality of child sexual abuse has become increasingly visible since the mid-1980s. Over the last two decades, the fact that children around the globe are vulnerable to a more shocking and perverted abuse than previously accepted has steadily begun to be confronted and opposed.

Yet UNICEF now estimates that each year 1.2 million children continue to be trafficked as sex commodities. A further one million are believed to be exploited in the sex industry annually.

Asia, in particular, has been slow to react and Mauritius too is a culprit. Indeed, until a decade ago, child sexual abuse was never discussed publicly in this country.

It existed however and its existence was ignored as well as denied. The public was completely uninformed and, for those who were becoming aware of its occurrence, the absence of the knowledge, expertise or infrastructure to deal with it meant it simply got brushed under the carpet.

In England, much of Western Europe and America child sexual abuse is now a subject of intense social and media focus not to mention huge police and social service attention.

The Western world has gone through its period of shock and denial and it is now implementing greater and more appropriate policies to try to prevent and handle its occurrence.

In Mauritius the ‘denial phase’ has lasted far too long. Here the problem has continued relatively unabated and, on the whole, remains conspicuously ignored. Attitudes still need to be changed and greater action implemented.

The problem of child sexual abuse in Mauritius has manifested itself as three-fold. Such abuse is primarily located in the domestic sphere. Incest and sibling sex remain rife. The majority of child sexual abuse is committed by someone trusted by the victim-family member, relative, friend or teacher.

Secondly, there is exploitation within the community – brothels are increasingly common in certain ghettos and exclusion areas of the island – where a number of street children are recruited as prostitutes.

<B>Insufficient laws and regulations</B>

Thirdly, there is exploitation of children by foreign tourists. It is believed that international paedophiles may target our island, aware that laws and regulations regarding the prevention of child sexual abuse and the prosecution of offenders remain insufficient.

Today international paedophilia is a growing concern. With the tourism industry on the island booming there are concerns that trends may occur similar to those in ‘sex hotspots’ in Asia such as Thailand, where child abuse and prostitution are considered widespread. However, the problem remains basically rooted closer to home.

The government should try to change attitudes. Working alongside the police and with schools, the government needs to raise awareness and increase preventive measures.

Through the implementation of severe laws and increasing publicity on child sexual abuse without hurting the children, there is a possibility that paedophiles can be driven away. The present Ombudsperson for children institution should be done away with, as its existence is only cosmetic and it should be replaced by a National Child Protection Authority (NCPA). The task of the NCPA would be to raise awareness among the population about the rights of children and how these rights can be abused. Children must be protected not only in their homes but also in schools and in the communities where they live. Their well-being is dependent on caring and responsive adults, who do not violate the trust and innocence of children.

All of us should be concerned about this social disease of child sexual abuse. We have to give it some serious thought and work for the future. It is a slow process but the next generation, in 15 or 20 years’ time, should see the difference. The solution is not simply to catch people, but more to change attitudes so that people realise it is happening and come forward to report its occurrence.

Child sex ual abuse is like an iceberg – only a small part of the problem is visible, most of it is hidden from society beneath the surface. What we see on the surface is a reflection of a new awareness, within the community, by those who have detected the problem and by children who have spoken about it.