We have reached this point because we hold different views and assumptions about child abuse
KARACHI: Many people think child abuse just has to do with the physical abuse that a child has to bear. However, there is much more than physical bruises and broken arms. There is the emotional trauma caused by neglect and emotional abuse that follows soon after the incident. This trauma is attached to the child all their life. It should be the role of the community as a whole to see to it that all cases of child abuse are reported and addressed properly. The earlier an abused child gets psychological help, the greater chances they have of detaching or ridding themselves of the trauma that is in their unconscious. It is therefore important for parents, guardians and teachers to learn about signs of child abuse, so that they are able to help and make a difference. Unfortunately, most cases of child abuse being reported today are perpetrated by the same people that are trusted to be taking care of children. Parents, teachers and guardians and have been implicated in many ways. We have reached this point because we hold different views and assumptions about child abuse. The prevailing view, which is a misleading fallacy, is that children are only abused if it is physical. We forget that emotional abuse and child neglect will have an adverse and even more damaging impact on the child. Others believe that only the bad people can abuse children. Physical scars are visible, but emotional scars may have the most damaging effect. Most of the children that have been abused will have trust issues and will find it difficult to build relationships. This is especially true if the people they trusted have abused them. Such children will also develop the feeling of being worthless or develop self-loathing. This may affect them even in their adult life. They will be reluctant to reach for what is best for them because they feel that they are not good enough for it. We all have to take a stand and make a change in how our society thinks about this.
Maham Shah
Published in The Express Tribune, February 18th, 2020.
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