Incestuous and paedophilic acts in society today remain a scourge, leading to adolescent pregnancies and long-term sexual abuse of children.
Perpetrators, often blood relatives and family friends, take advantage of the rather laid-back approach towards inappropriate touching of youngsters in Thai families to receive sexual gratification.
The fact that such child abuse often goes unnoticed until the victim is raped or becomes pregnant made the recent Instagram posts by well-known music producer Neung Jakkawal Saothongyutitum, aka Neung Jakkawal -- who is seen clowning around with his nine-year-old daughter and touching her improperly -- very disturbing to watch.
The contentious clip includes the father cupping the little girl's buttocks, hugging and rubbing her tummy with both his arms under her shirt and the most bothersome near her crotch area, which he later explained he was scratching at the request of the child.
Of course, public uproar due to the sexual nature of these posts took Twitter by storm with his name Neung Jakkawal mentioned over 1.84 million times in late October after a video of one of the incidents was released on TikTok.
Bowing to criticism, Jakkawal has publically apologised and deleted the posts. The 49-year-old has acknowledged that he accepted the opinions of those who viewed the content as inappropriate and that from now he would be more careful in expressing his love for his daughter.
While an overwhelming majority lambasted him for his actions, they gave him the benefit of the doubt by saying that his intentions were more inappropriate than criminal. I just wonder how far Jakkawal would have survived if this occurred in the West, where such behaviour would have gotten him in deep trouble with the law. His daughter would also need counselling, for not just how she was inappropriately touched by her father but the fact that her mother posted the photos on social media. Just what was going on in her mind at the time, I can only wonder.
As a woman, I can honestly say that if I saw my husband behave in such a manner with our daughter, I would fly off the handle and call the police. I believe this is a more normal reaction than finding the "endearment" between father and daughter cute enough to post on social media. It is as if there is more than meets the eye.
Jakkawal's severe lapse of judgement has put the spotlight on the need for Thai parents to realise their children are not their private property and thus are not at the beck and call of their whim.
Child services should be prioritised by both government and the private sector. They should be offered proper financial support to be better equipped to help victims of physical and sexual abuse.
The bottom line is that we need to realise as a society that sexual abuse isn't always sex -- it can also include a range of sexual behaviours that can be physical, verbal or emotional. Case studies on the subject have shown that children are usually abused by someone they know and it often starts when they are very young. Sadly, sexual abuse is generally not an isolated one-off incident. The rampant use of pornography has also been attributed to child sexual abuse in families.
Incest and paedophilic behaviour should be taken seriously in Thai society. Adult family members found guilty of overstepping their boundaries when it comes to showing affection to a child should be reprimanded right away.
It is not a laughing matter people.
Not only are children not the property of parents, the convention on children's rights states that parents have a duty to protect their children and enable their development so they can grow up and live in a normal society.
For starters, this can begin with explaining to children about setting boundaries. I would suggest parents read My Body My Rules, a handy book put together by UN Women's Regional Goodwill ambassador and rights activist Cindy Bishop. This is her latest endeavour to highlight issues connected with children's understanding of their bodies and their rights over it.
Needless to say, it is a must-read and it enables parents to educate children about their bodies and the meaning of consent.
It is my hope that this unfortunate incident will encourage public discourse, and not be swept under the rug when the hype of the scandal dies down.
Thai society needs to wake up to the fact that children are suffering silently. They need to be taken out of dysfunctional and abusive situations and receive proper counselling and fostering to help them grow to become well-rounded adults, while sexual predators, who are hiding in the guise of blood relatives, need to be made an example of by the law so others will not follow suit.
Yvonne Bohwongprasert is a feature writer for the Life section of the Bangkok Post.
