State of neglect

There is a dire need to facilitate underprivileged families

The chilling murder of two young boys, aged between 4 and 7 years, by their mentally-challenged mother in Islamabad’s Burma Town should make all citizens sit up and reflect on our growing neglect of those entrapped in the endless cycle of poverty and illness, whether it is physical or mental. Such cases have, in fact, become a regular staple of our news diet. Yet most of these tragedies are taken lightly by most sections of society and are forgotten the next day. In April, a man killed his five children by poisoning them before committing suicide. Upon closer examination, one would discover that most of these cases have very obvious connections. They usually involve low-income families struggling with poverty or mental illness — ironically, the two issues that have been paid the least attention by the state and its people.

Mental illness is often brushed aside owing to a lack of awareness of what it can do to a person and how debilitating it can be. We either brush them off as feelings we experience as we age and deal with adulthood or perhaps prefer not discussing them at all, owing to the stigma surrounding it. This is why, despite statistics available on the number of individuals in the country suffering from mental illnesses — and the number of suicides we hear about almost every day, we do little to try and help the sufferers. In most developed societies it would simply be unthinkable to leave a mentally ill parent to look after his/her children. But in Pakistan, very little is being done to amend that.

And as we move on with our lives, another mother perhaps will plot the murder of her children or another father will poison his children. There is a dire need to not only facilitate underprivileged families but also create awareness about the importance of mental health.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2017.

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