Doctors told to gear up to deal with child abuse

JAKARTA (JP): Doctors, particularly pediatricians and those assigned to the emergency ward, are being called upon to upgrade their knowledge on detecting and handling cases of child abuse.

Forensic expert Budi Sampurna of Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital (RSCM) said most doctors are still ill-equipped for such cases.

"As a result, many cases are unrecorded," Budi said here on Wednesday during a seminar on child abuse.

"Parents who abuse their children of course won't tell doctors that they did it. So, doctors must know the difference between abuse-related injuries and other injuries," he said.

The marks left by physical injuries caused by abusive acts, he added, usually scar random areas of the body.

Budi, who is the head of RSCM Integrated Crisis Center (PKT), said doctors must understand that child abuse is a complicated matter which needs integrated treatment, not just from doctors, but also psychiatrists, child experts, psychologists and law experts.

"Therefore, doctors must form a network with these people so they can provide referrals," Budi said.

It is also important, Budi added, to provide guidance for medical staff in health centers to tackle such cases.

Established in June, the Integrated Crisis Center is a foreign-funded organization which helps deal with child and women's abuse.

Currently six general practitioners, three nurses and four social workers as well as several on-call psychologists, psychiatrists, gynecologists and lawyers are employed by the Center.

Apart from the Center itself which is located on the second floor of RSCM, there is also a a 24-hour hotline (316-2261).

Since June the Center has handled 98 cases -- 30 cases of rape, 31 cases of domestic violence, and 37 cases of child abuse.

"For now, we only treat victims who come to RSCM," a staff member at the Center named Idun told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Besides providing medical treatment, the center provides assistance for psychological treatment and legal counseling, and works closely with police and institutions which run shelters for the victims.

According to Budi, the number of cases reported are still very few.

"Apart from doctors' inability to detect these cases, the abusers who are usually people close to or familiar to the abused intimidate their victims," he said.

This, he said, is because there are no regulations that sufficiently protect victims and those who report such cases.(09)