The children facing family violence are more likely to develop social, emotional, psychological and behavioural problems while those who witness domestic violence show more anxiety, low self esteem, depression, anger and temperament problems.
This was stated by Sarah Asad, Executive Director NGO-Pahchaan, striving for protection of children's rights, while talking to Business Recorder, here on Saturday.
According to her, the trauma children experience can show up in behavioural, social and physical disturbances that affect their development and can continue into childhood. A physically abused child is often emotionally abused as well, while a sexually abused child also may be neglected. The first step in helping abused or neglected children is learning to recognise the signs of child abuse and neglect.
She maintained that when a child shows sudden changes in behaviour or school performance, has learning problems, lacks adult supervision, comes to school or other activities early, stays late, and does not want to go home, it means that he/she is facing child abuse or neglect. When the parent shows little concern for the child, asks teachers or other caretakers to use harsh physical discipline if the child misbehaves, sees the child as entirely bad, worthless or burdensome and demands a level of physical or academic performance the child cannot achieve, it also effects his/her grooming.
To a query, she stated that when a child is frequently absent from school, begs or steals food or money, lacks needed medical or dental care, immunisations or glasses, consistently dirty and has severe body odour, lacks sufficient clothing for the weather, abuses alcohol or other drugs and states that there is no one at home to provide care, it means that he/she is facing abuse and neglect.
Consider the possibility of sexual abuse when the child has difficulty walking or sitting, suddenly refuses to change for gym or participate in physical activities, reports nightmares or bedwetting, experiences a sudden change in appetite, demonstrates bizarre, sophisticated, or unusual sexual knowledge or behaviour, becomes pregnant or contracts a venereal disease, particularly under the age of 14, runs away and reports sexual abuse by a parent or another adult caregiver, she added.
Sarah Asad further said that domestic violence affects every member of the family, including children. They affect children in different ways. The one thing that you can be sure about is that the violence is certainly having an impact on them. The effects on children tend to vary according to how old they are and also according to levels of violence, the length of time the violence has been happening for and how much support they have had from others around them. "Families under stress produce children under stress. If a spouse is being abused and there are children in the home, the children are affected by the abuse', she argued.
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