| Summary: | No === There is apparent under-reporting of child sexual abuse in Britain¿s Asian communities
and a varied capacity amongst professionals to respond with cultural competence. Professional
approaches originate in cultural contexts, which are often different from
those of most British Asians. If the proportion of children and non-abusing carers from
Asian communities who access relevant services is to increase, professionals need to
develop better understandings of cultural imperatives which determine behaviour in
those communities. Consultations with Asian women in Bradford reinforce the view
that culturally competent practice and respectful dialogue are essential to the protection
of children. They also highlight a number of recurring themes. Members of Asian
communities are aware of child sexual abuse, they recognize that the issue needs to be
addressed by all communities and they report that many of those affected within their
own communities have found it difficult to access relevant services. These consultations,
like reports of similar work elsewhere, indicate that difficulties, which appear to
arise from Asian women¿s fears about how agencies will respond, are frequently compounded
by the impact of cultural imperatives arising from izzat (honour/respect),
haya (modesty) and sharam (shame/embarrassment), which have a considerable influence
on how many will behave.
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