KARACHI: Keeping children safe is of paramount concern today as cases of child abuse continue to proliferate. "The unfortunate reality is that 70 percent of the assaults take place at residence and the perpetrator is known to the victim," said Dr Kishwer Enam during her presentation Wednesday at the Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development's public lecture titled, "Safeguarding Children: Communities, Schools and Online".
By better understanding what constitutes child abuse (be it within actual communities or online), the challenges that a victim faces, the structures of support available and the powerful role that schools can help, our society can collectively work towards stopping child abuse.
Dr Kishwar Enam, Consultant Paediatrician and President, Child Protection Services, Aga Khan University Hospital, explained the reasons why majority of cases are not reported. Being fearful of the perpetrator, feeling ashamed, economic dependency, inability to understand that something is wrong, lack of trust, unawareness of the system, are factors leading to underreporting. She noted that Pakistan has a battery of laws and procedures to address the issue, but lack of implementation and the tragically low conviction rate prevents the situation from improving. A child suspected of being abused, can be taken to the hospital, police can be informed at 15, or the child protection authority can be called on 1121. Children who are subjected to abuse also need counselling support. If a child fails to inform that he/she were abused, or their disclosure is suppressed by the family, often this can lead to long-term psychological problems.
Lubna Khan, Head teacher, Berrymede Junior High School, United Kingdom, spoke about the best Practices in her school to provide for children's safety. She drew attention to the fact that Ofsted, UK's educational inspecting body, is assigned the task to assess if a school is keeping a child safe. Within the school there are designated child protection officers. Also, all teachers are cleared through Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and regular training is imparted to everyone in a school to ensure that safeguarding is seen as a collective responsibility.
She highlighted the importance of having a co-ordinated, multi-agency model towards keeping children safe. Khan stressed that in any reported case of safeguarding, the wellbeing and safety of the child is of utmost importance.
Speaking about online safety, Azra Naseem, Senior Instructor AKU-IED and Director, Blended and Digital Learning Network, drew attention to the 3 Cs of risk. The child, as a recipient, could be exposed to disturbing 'content', she/he might become a participant through 'contact' such as talking to a stranger on a gaming site, or the child, through Conduct, becomes an actor when sharing problematic images. Parents, teachers and the overall society need to be familiar with these various types of risks when the child is online. Empowering children through dialogue and digital literacy, can help them become confident and critical citizens in the future.
During the question-and-answer session, moderated by Professor Farid Panjwani, Dean, AKU-IED, P, the participants discussed how best to stop child abuse, the long-term impact of abuse and legal and educational steps needed to respond to the situation. Presently, Pakistan ranks among the lowest in responding to the threat of abuse.
However, as Dr Enam noted, taking the right steps can change this situation: "When a child goes through trauma, like sexual assault, psychological consequences are bound to happen. When your child tells you about the incident, please listen to and support them. Be sure to encourage your child that they did the right thing by telling you. Do not silence them or tell them to ignore it or forget about it; this is something they may be unable to forget. Know that, with proper support and timely treatment, good outcomes are possible."-PR
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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