Child Abuse – a serious problem
By Sobia Salman
I know it’s a cliché topic but people in our society do not wish to talk about it openly. Just because they think it will ruin their public image. I am writing about it because I want to portray this message that it is okay to talk about child abuse and that, by highlighting this issue and spreading awareness the problems can be solved. It’s important to talk about this issue to spread awareness so in the future we can avoid this problem.
Over 3700 cases of child abuse were reported during 2015(CSA). And the growth rate of these cases is 7% per year, which is exceedingly alarming.
As we already know that there are 3 types of child abuse and those are: Physical, sexual and emotional abuse. All these types of child abuse are equally destructive and deteriorating to the child who goes through child abuse. In Pakistani society, the most child abuse is seen in lower class, although it depends upon the nature of the household as well.
It has been observed that in our society a child goes through all three types of child abuse at the same time which deprives the child of their innocence at such an early age. Also they go through these different types of child abuse separately, in some cases. Abuse by a loved one belonging to a child’s own family is devastatingly traumatic for the child. For example, sexual abuse by a father or uncle, physical abuse like beating a child frequently that creates a kind of fear in them, suppressing a child’s dreams by the parents and family; forcing him/her to follow the will and demands of parents or family; that’s emotional abuse.
The after effects of these abuses are highly negative and hazardous. As that child grows up, he/she faces a lot of issues like mental problems, depression, lack of socializing, learning disability, emotionally unstable etc. In our society, not only female child is abused but also male child is abused. This abuse of children is not only done by their own family, now they have started abducting children to brain wash them, abuse them and use them for illegal practices as well as sadistic and cruel activities.
In Pakistan, children are being abused in every way possible. Even hearing stories of abuse and just imagining them is so painful for us. People have literally become some worst kinds of animals and they have no humanity left in them. When he/she tells his/her mother that they have been abused by their father or step father or brother or even uncle, the mother being very weak and does not have the guts to stand up against this, tells the child to never talk about it. Most people shut their children because they care more about their family’s public image and think that it will be ruined if their children discuss about their abuse openly. So they seal the children’s mouth, never to talk about it and harming them even more from the inside out. Children with physical abuse also face some very cruel inner trauma and if not treated properly and given real love and affection, they go through a phase of destruction themselves, maybe even become abusers too.
There are so many child abuse stories out there from which you learn, what actually they go through and how are the children affected. So i want to give a message through my article, that don’t be a weak woman, fight for your freedom and express yourselves. To the men who are abused, i would like to say that don’t give up on yourselves because each of us are strong, whether it be a man or a woman. When you will start fighting back and speak up for your self that is when the things will start changing. Don’t suppress your stories, write it down, share it because it is important to let go all that suppression and free yourselves of that invisible cage that you’ve built inside you. Change will come when we start figting for ourselves. Change will come when you start listening to these stories and help these people out there who have faced this abusive trauma.
