THE reality of children voicing their fears about being raped is alarming enough but, according to youth advocates, to have said children say unflinchingly that they would commit suicide if they fall victim is another dimension of dread.

Children’s Advocate Diahann Gordon Harrison said it is “very sobering” to hear but noted that it exposes, in very real terms, just how much of a violation rape is.

“It violates the victim’s body and also affects them emotionally and psychologically. These children clearly understand that and don’t want to live through the pain of such an ordeal,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

Nonetheless, Gordon Harrison said it is troubling that children see committing suicide as a viable option.

“This is not a good indication and calls for continued engagement with these youngsters and their peers. It’s a part of the mental health conversations that need to be had as a matter of urgency so that these and other children can get the support that is clearly needed,” she said.

A group of 11 teenagers in Arnett Gardens, when asked to say how they feel about children being raped, said they would rather commit suicide than live with the trauma of such an experience.

The children, aged 12 to 18, participated in a Jamaica Observer/Rise Life Management session conducted in partnership with the Trench Town Development Committee, in a section of the community called Mexico, on Thursday, May 11.

Kayla Wright, youth advocate and policy assistant at the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network (JYAN), told the Sunday Observer that while all agree that children are to be protected from neglect, abuse, harm and threats to harm — including that of sexual abuse, assaults and threats of sexual abuse — it is equally “alarming and heartbreaking” that children as young as 11 years old have significant fears of rape and are minded to end their lives if they ever fall victim to the heinous act.

“The unfortunate reality is that incidents of rape and assault are very common, and it is understandable why children would be fearful of something like that happening to them when they see it happening to their peers and other women in their communities and across the island, such as when reported in the news,” she said.

“It is a blatant failure of our duties under the Child Care and Protection Act that our children are not only being exposed to risks of sexual abuse, but that they live in constant fear of being victims. A paramount objective of the Act is to promote the best interests, safety and well-being of children. In light of the ever present threat of sexual assault and abuse of our children there needs to be sufficient resources and preventative measures in place to ensure that this objective, specifically, is being met,” Wright added.

Wright said such resources and preventative measures may take various forms, which aim to ensure that children are able to readily access mental and physical care in the event that they are sexually abused or witness sexual abuse.

“As such, emphasis must be placed on the need for psychosocial care to our children, especially given the sentiments expressed by the group of 11-year-olds.

“These resources and measures may look like implementing functional helplines — specifically for children and adolescents — which are manned by experts who can navigate these issues at an age-appropriate level and support parents and guardians in getting additional help for their children; upskilling of guidance counsellors to properly identify issues associated with sexual abuse and to offer support to children in navigating the feelings associated with these acts; and ensuring that professional psychosocial care is available to all affected children and their support systems — at little to no cost,” Wright said.