The growing number of sexual assault cases on the young in Singapore is worrying.

The trauma that these incidents inflicted on them is immeasurable and irrevocable.

These cases highlight the importance of teaching children the necessary skills to protect themselves from such harm.

We must teach them early on in life which parts of the body are private and the importance of boundaries - even if the person is someone they know or is close to. Often, an offender would ask the child to keep the assault a secret. We must teach them that such secrets are not okay, that they should not be afraid to tell, and that they would not get into trouble for it.

Providing youth with knowledge will help them better understand assault and teach them to speak up instead of staying silent.

Grace Chua Min Li, 18

Polytechnic student