KARACHI:
As a nation, we have failed to protect our children and exposed them to violence, life-threatening situations, and brutalities from a young age. A significant number of out-of-school children and children in work is itself evidence of our failure to ensure a good upbringing and development of our children. A recent report revealed that child abuse is extremely prevalent in all four provinces of Pakistan. In 2021, the average number of children subjected to abuse has increased by two children per day in comparison with the 2020 report. At least 10 children are physically abused daily, and the most targeted age group is 6-15 years. Unfortunately, these figures only reveal part of the story as there must be many other cases of child abuse that go unreported.
The government has passed several laws punishing child abuse, however, the laws are rarely upheld because not everyone has played their part effectively. These numbers will continue to rise until everyone acts decisively. Educational institutes should offer counselling services to students and encourage them to speak up about any abusive behaviour they have faced. In our families, we should be empathetic towards children and encourage them to speak up about anything that bothers them. The elders should establish trust and support so that children do not feel scared or ashamed to talk about any verbal, physical or sexual abuse.
Perhaps, the government should initiate a campaign to inform parents on how they can converse with their children over sensitive subjects like abuse. To ensure that the campaign is effective, it should be tailored to cater to different segments of the population. Parents need to understand that child abuse has a severe impact on children. Victims often suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and other mental health issues, which continue to impact them in their adulthood as well.
Neelam Yasir
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, December 24th, 2021.
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