Causes of Child Abuse in Pakistan

Abstract

Child abuse is a serious issue in current age in which children are mistreated by adults, sometime by their own parents or relatives. They may be abuse physically, emotionally as well as sexual and neglect. Abuse child have long-lasting emotional and physical fear which can be affect the mental development and physical health. Here one thing is very important that children should recognize the signs of abuse. Parents also noticed the unexplained injuries, fear of adults, or changes in behavior in children. So it is the obligatory duty of families and authorities to ensure that children grow up in safe environments.

Introduction

From several years’ child abuse is recognized a serious issue in Pakistan. Large number of children affecting every year. Although there are many organizations working for the child protection. But unfortunately many cases not reported due to our social setup such as lack of awareness, and fear as well. So now at this scenario government should create awareness and provide support to victims and their families. Here in this article I am going to discuss the main causes of child abuse in Pakistan. It is important to educate communities and strengthen laws to protect children from abuse.

Child abuse is a crucial and widespread issue all over the country.  A number of children are victims of this type of abuse. It includes many aspects such as physical, emotional, sexual, as well as neglect. The situation is becoming alarming because mostly children suffered in mentally and physical disturbance. Here in this part of my article I highlight the types of abuse.

Physical Abuse:

This is one of the most visible factors of child abuse in Pakistan. Overall officially physical punishments are banned in schools of Pakistan, but it is still a common practice in some parts of the villages and rural areas. Physical abuse includes,

• Beatings
• Harsh punishments
• Physical abuse
• Severe injuries
• Death

 Emotional Abuse:

Emotional abuse is not easy to understand or identify. Although emotional abuse has no physical marks, but it has very deep impact on a child’s development and psychology.

• Low self-esteem
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Mental health issues
• Psychological trauma
• Constant criticism
• Humiliation
• Threats
• Rejection

Sexual Abuse:

Sexual abuse is the most hidden aspect of child abuse in Pakistan. Many Cases of sexual abuse are not reported and highlighted due to fear, and shame. Further the social setup leads the victims into silence due to some pressure or family norms. Sexual abuse involves,

• Unwanted sexual activity
• Behavior imposed on someone without consent
• Manipulation
• Rape

Neglect:

Neglect is another common kind of child abuse in society of Pakistan. Here many children live in poverty, and their parents may not be able to provide them basic necessities of life. So they remain busy in livelihood and neglect their children. This neglect can lead,

• Malnutrition
• Poor health
• Lack of education
• Lack  of family support

Verbal abuse:

Verbal abuse means using such  words which can hurt someone. This will  happen when a person yells at a children and says bad things about them. This type of abuse can make the child feel  worthless. It includes,

• Yelling or Shouting
• Name-Calling
• Constant Criticism
• Threatening
• Blaming
• Humiliating Remarks.

Why Children are abused?

Child abuse is a serious issue not only in Pakistan but across the globe. There are many factors which are contributing in spreading the child abuse . Here  in this article, I am going to discuss  some common causes of child abuse in Pakistan :

Poverty:

It is understood that poverty is the main cause of child Abuse in Pakistan. Actually being a  developing country so here many families are fighting with poverty. So it is very difficult for a lower middle class family to provide the basis necessities to their children. In this situation some parents neglect and abuse their children due to stress and frustration.

Lack of Education:

There is very low literacy rate in Pakistan So people who are not educated cannot understand the issues and worries of their children. Further such type of parents cannot judge the odd behavior of abuse child and not know better ways to handle their problems related to any mistreated.

Cultural Norms:

In some backward areas of Pakistan, parents considered that physical punishment is necessary and normal for the child training. Further some madrasa and schools taught discipline through beating or punishment. It is seen as a normal way to teach children. This situation sometimes turns to harsh punishment and abuse.

Family Stress and Domestic Violence:

Due to marital conflicts children may suffer in stress or abuse. Actually when the parents involve in family tensions and stress then they neglect their children. As a result, these neglected children often becomes harsh hand cruel. They also suffered in anxiety and depression because they are tensed and stressed. This environment can also lead to direct abuse of the Child. We can say that family Stress and domestic violence is one of the  most dangerous causes of child abuse in Pakistan.

Child labor:

Many teenagers in Pakistan are forced to work due to poverty in dangerous conditions. So they have to do a lot of work for long hours and paid very little amount. These children usually don’t get a chance to rest.in such circumstances child feel unhappy, or scared and lose its mantel health as well. Infect in civilized societies child labor should be restricted for the welfare and betterment of society.

Deficiency in Law Enforcement:

It means that there is no proper legal framework to combat the child abuse. So culprit remained unpunished and chances of abuses leads towards a very terrible situation. Infect many people try to influence and manipulate the legal processes. This situation creates a system where the powerful avoid accountability.   That’s why every government should formulate a coherent policy to meet this challenge  and uproot the causes of child abuse in Pakistan. That is the only way to ensure justice for all victims regardless the status of culprit .In short through proper legislation causes of child abuse in Pakistan can be minimized.

Unawareness About Child Rights:

Unawareness about rights of children is a major cause of child abuse in Pakistan. In developing countries like Pakistan people are unaware of the laws and protections measures related to children. So this lack of knowledge allows   adults to abuse the teenagers and children.  So government should educate and aware the locality to ensure their safety.

Conclusion 

After the critical examination of the causes of child abuse in Pakistan we may assume that It happens due to many reasons. Poor parents struggle to provide the basic necessities to their family. That’s why they neglect their children and treat them harshly. Further lack of awareness about children’s rights also causes the child abuse in Pakistan. Moreover, lack of proper legislation and punishments allows abusers to abused the children. All these factors are considered main causes of child abuse in Pakistan.