TURBAT:
Perhaps what a child needs most during his adolescent years is unconditional love. Such love later transforms and grows, seeping into the unconscious of young uncultured minds. Soon, when these minds grow, love plays an immense role in the growth and development of the child’s personality, encouraging them to achieve great things in life.
However, when that love is replaced with abuse and violence, the same child can very easily fall prey to mental or psychological illness which in turn may lead to the wrong kind of development. Experts claim that when children are exposed to violence at home, they are at higher risk of developing long-term physical and mental health problems. They soon tend to initiate violent relationships and become indifferent to the world. In countries like Pakistan, where poverty is at its peak and violence is a common ordeal, domestic violence takes the form of a social endemic. It is estimated that 5,000 women are killed every year from domestic violence, with thousands of others maimed or disabled. Even though the Domestic Violence Prevention and Protection Act was passed in 2012, little in being done at the grassroots level to ameliorate the issue.
The authorities concerned need to initiate awareness campaigns to teach parents how to behave in front of their children. Parents need to always be cautious that children are not exposed to violence at an early age.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 4th, 2021.
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