It is a scary thought that a child can be kidnapped while walking home because a depraved maniac is looking to satisfy his twisted pleasure. It happened and, luckily, the young victim managed to escape his captor.

The court this week sentenced a 57-year-old nurse to five years in jail for kidnapping a 15-year-old boy. The man’s maliceful intention was to fornicate with the child. Such was this person’s depravity that he was driven to kidnap a child from the streets.

The kidnapping happened in Magiagi and the teenager escaped in Siumu. It is hard not to think that the nurse, Alatise Oge Sefa could have done far worse than just kidnapping if the child had not managed to escape.

Alatise stopped his car near the Magiagi bus stop, grabbed the 15-year-old from behind, carried him to the backseat, and pressed him down. He also strapped the victim’s eyes preventing him from seeing anything and told him not to move.

This shows the confidence with which Alatise carried out the act.

This incident shines a light on how society has changed. Things that were regarded as safe for children are no longer that. If a child can be abducted in broad daylight, think of the many who are outside their homes during the evenings when none of their parents are home.

Justice Vui Clarence Nelson hopes the sentence sends a loud and clear message to the defendant and those that contemplate kidnapping children on the street for sexual purposes.

“Let it be clear that this court has zero tolerance for such behaviour.”

“This is a case where you a 57-year-old mature man forcefully kidnapped a 15-year-old off the street while he was walking home intending to subject him to some kind of sexual act.”  

The court should also be applauded for entering Alatise’s name in the sexual offenders registry and ordering that he would never be able to be employed at a place that deals with children.

This is an act that should be sympathised with. It should be condemned.

The child was walking home from school, something that he may have done most of his life without incident. It is worrying that there are people who would go to any length to satisfy their sexual urges.

In a similar incident highlighted by Samoa Observer a few weeks ago, a teenage girl was baited to believe that her father had sent a taxi for her. In this case, the alleged offender was a taxi driver who abducted the teenager and allegedly drugged her while raping her.

She was later found abandoned in a jungle.

This kidnapping incident has been irked by many and the convicted person has been perceived as a monster. However, the fact about child sex offenders remains. According to some estimates, most children who officially report sexual abuse are victimised by someone they know.

Knowing the perpetrator has been identified as a significant barrier to children’s disclosure of abuse, and it can severely impact whether others believe the disclosure. It is easier to accept a narrative wherein an unknowable monster harms a child than to believe that children are at potential risk of being sexually abused by a familiar, friendly, trusted individual.

If statistics of sexual offences are looked at, most perpetrators are known to the victim. Just ask the police officers who deal with sexual offences or look at the sentences given by the court.

Every family must ensure that their children are not alone and always accompanied. Village councils, mayors, and matai have a responsibility in this as well. Parents and elders of the family should be able to discuss such matters with children in their homes, especially teenagers.

Child sexual abuse is a global problem with multiple long-term adverse effects and public health consequences. In a recent umbrella review, child sexual abuse was associated with elevated risks of various negative long-term psychosocial, psychiatric, and physical health outcomes.

Prevention is better than cure. In the case of sexual attacks on children, all action must be taken to prevent harm to children. There is no other proven way of attacking sexual attacks on children.