Fighting child abuse

This is with reference to the cases of violence against children in Faisalabad, Haripur and Lahore. I am writing to get the attention of the policy makers and federal and provincial legislators in this regard. Children are subjected to severe torture and abuse including corporal punishment in schools, madrassahs and at work place while there is complete silence from the policy makers and legislators.
Like any civilised society, we need to legislate to respond the menace of corporal punishment across the country. Before the 18th Constitutional Amendment, there was a Prohibition of Corporal Punishment Bill 2009 placed before the National Assembly. However, the bill could not be enacted due to various hurdles. Even if the National Assembly can`t legislate for the whole country, at least it should be able to legislate for Islamabad Capital Territory. This will also help provinces to adopt certain legislation required for their respective province.
Besides legislation, as far as schools and madrassahs are concerned, teachers training is very important. The provincial and regional teachers training institutes should incorporate modern teaching methods and pedagogical techniques in their curricula which eschew dated practices like corporal punishment and mentally abusing children who are not as responsive and obedient as others.
Furthermore, an awareness raising campaign should be initiated involving civil society and various media channels to educate the masses about the negative effects of corporal punishment on children.
The Pakistani media can learn from India where Bollywood actor Aamir Khan has started an excellent TV show on social issues, ‘Satyamev Jayate’, that has helped create widespread awareness about sensitive issues like child sexual abuse. Why not in Pakistan? Our primetime should not be devoted exclusively to politics; rather there should be at least two days in a week on every channel for social issues like corporal punishment, child sexual abuse, child domestic labour, child marriages, high maternal and child mortality rates, etc.
MEHAK ALI NAQVI
Karachi

(II)
Paedophilia is a taboo subject to raise in any respectable society. Yet its pervasiveness necessitates that issue be discussed so that it can be dealt with. Paedophiles could be male and female both. Child molestation is quite common mostly in families where parents are either unaware of the danger or are too unsuspecting of the world around them. Dozens of children fall prey to such indecency which leaves life-long emotional and psychological scars. In certain cases, permanent damage is done to the child both physically and psychologically.
Parents must be vigilant at all times. Such a monster can be lurking within school teachers, religious teachers, close family members, friends, older caretakers etc. Thus, a parent should always take special care when letting their child out of the house or when entrusting them to their teachers. Often, religious teachers are found to be involved in this heinous act. This is not to generalise but to alert parents to the fact that they cannot blindly trust even those claiming to be guardians of religious morality. Sexual abuse is a severely traumatic experience as is, but when the abuser happens to be a person believed to be teaching faith and religion, the trauma accrues is exponential.
Parents must keep checks on their children and analyse any behavioural change in their child and report it to the requisite authorities or seek appropriate support. There is a voice in every abused child that needs support. Any child that goes through this experience needs much help as there are many effects of this traumatic experience. Physical consequences, such as damage to a child’s growing brain, can have a psychological implications such as cognitive delays or emotional difficulties. Psychological problems often manifest as high-risk behaviors. Depression and anxiety, for example, may make a person more likely to smoke, abuse alcohol or illicit drugs, or overreact. High-risk behaviours, in turn, can lead to long-term physical health problems.
We must deal strictly with such cases. The police should thoroughly investigate such cases and the courts must give out appropriate convictions. It could also help if Pakistan could have a register of sexual offenders as in other countries to help deal with such criminals. Many NGOs are doing good work in eliminating this menace and maybe the state can take them on board for a consolidated effort against this pervasive evil.
ZOHRA TAIYEB
Karachi