Train school health teams to detect child abuse, urge experts

 One says regular visits by nurses and trained community volunteers could help build trust, while stronger support services are needed to handle disclosures.

Two cases of long-term sexual abuse were uncovered during routine school health visits in Johor recently.

PETALING JAYA:

Any move to expand school health checks to detect child abuse must be accompanied by better training for health teams in handling disclosures, say child rights advocates.

Dr Amar-Singh HSS.

Consultant paediatrician and activist Dr Amar-Singh HSS said school health teams could play a bigger role in identifying abuse, but cautioned that the current system was designed for health surveillance rather than formal screening.

He said presently, routine school health visits were primarily focused on physical health assessments, immunisation and general wellbeing, with teams following up only when they notice behavioural indicators that could point to abuse.

“If we are serious about identifying children with sexual abuse using the health ministry’s school health teams, we need to routinely use a screening tool or student self-report questionnaires,” he told FMT.

Amar also said school health teams must be adequately trained to ensure they respond to disclosures with sensitivity and professionalism.

They would need to be trauma-informed, maintain confidentiality, listen to children’s concerns and avoid judgement or cultural and religious bias, he said.

“Most importantly, adults need to trust children when they disclose any sexual abuse, and not dismiss it,” he added.

The call comes after routine school health visits helped uncover two long-term sexual abuse cases in Johor.

On Aug 27, a 49-year-old plantation worker was charged in Muar with raping his daughter over two years after she disclosed the abuse during a school screening. This followed a similar case on May 6 in Batu Pahat involving a 12-year-old girl.

Hartini Zainudin.

Yayasan Chow Kit founder and child advocate Hartini Zainudin agreed that school health checks could provide children with an opportunity to speak privately to an independent professional.

“The child is alone with an adult who has a legitimate reason to ask about their body, so the question doesn’t feel like an accusation or a set-up. Rather, it feels expected,” she said.

Hartini said that similar opportunities for private disclosure could be created outside schools through mobile or community health posts, particularly in plantations and kampungs.

She said regular visits by familiar nurses could help build trust, as disclosure rarely happens during a first encounter.

Other options included child helplines and safe spaces run by NGOs, as well as trained community volunteers who already have regular contact with children, she said.

“The common thread isn’t ‘medical’ per se — it’s privacy plus routine, plus an adult who isn’t entangled in the child’s home dynamics,” she said. - FMT