Kathmandu, May 1:

Mass media can play an important role in controlling sexual abuse of children, speakers said at an interaction here today. Presenting a paper on ‘Role of media to control child sexual abuse’, Mahendra Bista, general secretary of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists, said that the media can create awareness among children and the parents about sexual abuse.

Citing an example of a recent media hype on Hollywood actor Richard Gere, Bista said: “Three rape cases of minors published in newspapers were given less preference compared to celebrities, and probably there would be no follow-up.”

Krishna Thapa, director of the Voice of children, an NGO, said: “Out of 790 street children in Kathmandu, 85 per cent were sexually abused. Out of this number, eight per cent comprise street girls, all of them are sexually abused. Sixty seven per cent of the abusers are foreign nationals.”

Thapa added that to check this scenario media and organisations need to coordinate.