Beyond bruises: how domestic abuse shapes generations

The scars of domestic abuse often etch themselves into young and developing minds. A recent primary research conducted in the various districts of Karachi investigates how domestic violence and cousin marriages sway children's mental disabilities, seek pathways for awareness among the citizens, and bring about a social change where inclusivity may get ensured.

The research — conducted across six institutions under Centre for Business and Economic Research (CBER) at IBA, Karachi — divulged the harsh realities faced by cognitively challenged children. These six institutions include Scinosa Day Care Home; Society of Rehabilitation of Special Children (SRSC); Umeed Special Academy; Learning Hand Rehabilitation Centre; AUN (Asghar Un Nisa) Institute of Special Education; and Vislwes Rehabilitation and Slower Learner Center.

While society frequently attributes such impairments to cousin marriages or maternal nutritional deficiencies, it largely ignores the silent tragedies caused by domestic violence. It has evolved into a hidden epidemic — camouflaged in coercion, verbal degradation, isolation tactics, and chronic criticism of pregnant mothers. Alarmingly, the roles of in-laws and fathers during prenatal and postnatal care remain grossly overlooked and enforce women to carry out day-to-day tasks despite being emotionally wounded as a whole.

At SRSC, a mother stated, "I fell prey to non-consensual sex, which resulted in my deteriorating condition. I became debilitated day-by-day, and even daily chores felt impossible to be carried out. I still feel constant pangs of agony in my body due to such forcible acts — memories that cannot be wiped out at any point in my life."

The study features 87 females being interviewed in detail — 37.9% of them being married to their first cousins and 45.98% having no blood relation with their spouse. A startling finding was that women aged between 25 and 29 were disproportionately affected by domestic violence and frequently had cognitively impaired firstborn children, followed by the second born child. As per World Health Organization (WHO), the safest childbearing age is between 20 and 35; however, our findings showed a stark contrast. So not marrying early does not build a healthier generation; it only builds riskier ones due to prevalent nuances of violence against women.

The issue is more prevalent in low-income areas: 54.4% of the cases were from North Nazimabad and 52.38% from Saddar, where the average household income was below 30,000 rupees per month. Many of these mothers reported experiencing marital rape but considered it "normal". Their trauma does not end there — society often treats disability as if it were contagious. This stigmatization strangles even the few breathing spaces where vulnerable children could otherwise learn to adapt and grow.

One of the mothers said, "We know that we can avail institute's services of daily van; however, we are afraid of the branding of that van as it highlights our home as a home of mentally disabled child. It is scarring, but we cannot help it."

Another child's mother shared, "I have allotted a separate room for my mentally disabled child as our relatives still believe that he has no right to socialize and to play as normal child does. Such conduct has filled my child with impending fear that is difficult to cope sometimes."

At Scinosa, however, a different story is being written. Here, socialization is reinforced for children with Down syndrome and autism to address delayed speech and language development. Notably, it is the only school currently using music therapy to pacify the belligerent behavior of children. They are also working on children's vocational skills including, cooking, stitching, making handcrafted goods so that they may assist their parents financially in the forthcoming future. These institutions operate privately but heroically, but they cannot do it alone. As per the research findings, 62.07% of mothers believe that child's development has drastically improved due to children's attendance at schools.

There is a pressing need for government intervention, inclusive education, and public awareness programs to bolster these invisible victims. Rehabilitation centers like Scinosa and AUN are already equipping with standardized tools like the Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT) to assess intellectual abilities at early stages; however, there is a dire need to replicate such model of learning at national stage. The government must offer subsidized care and disability relief packages for low-income families. Constitutionally, these families must have rights to care and any negligence must turn into criminalized act. It is high time to turn the leafs of silent suffering into systematic national support.

But the issue goes beyond awareness — it's about evaluation and accountability. Why are there no mandatory medical screenings before marriage? Why are only mothers blamed when a child is born with a disability, while fathers remain unexamined and uninvolved? Why are women still being burned in the effigy of social and cultural orchestration when it comes to giving birth to cognitively disabled children?

We continue to treat the symptoms while ignoring the root causes. Instead of protecting and uplifting children with disabilities, we're stifling their potential to preserve our pride.

Until we stop measuring worth by blame and start building systems with empathy, these children will keep slipping through the cracks of a society too proud to care.