Why Parents Need To Shield Children From Violence At Home

 

 FAMILY violence including familial child abuse and neglect, and intimate partner violence is a major public health and social issue. It affects a large proportion of people and shapes every aspect of their life, from their physical and mental health to their education, ability to interact with people, employment, and even criminal involvement.

Yet what many individuals fail to understand is that child abuse is inextricably linked with violence later in life, and if nothing is done to help victims of child abuse while they’re still young, such will become caught up in the continuing cycle of violence.

A public opinion poll conducted by NOI Polls has revealed that 34 per cent of adult Nigerians have disclosed that they experienced some form of bullying during their secondary school days. More findings from the poll revealed that physical (65 per cent), extreme punishment (46 per cent) and exploitation (24 per cent) are the top three forms of bullying mostly experienced in various secondary schools across the country.

However, it is worrisome that out of the (34 per cent) who have been bullied before, (70 per cent) did not report the incident while (27 per cent) said they reported the incident. Also, of the (27 per cent) who mentioned that they reported, (41 per cent) of them claimed that nothing was done to the perpetrators after they were reported.

The evidence of the connections between childhood abuse and neglect, and family violence later in life is unmistakable. “ There are many risks in families that we don’t pay attention to like domestic violence, not only is domestic violence detrimental to women’s mental health, but it is also dangerous to raise children in such a toxic environment,” said Dr Olatunde Ayinde, a consultant psychiatrist.

Dr Ayinde spoke at the 2022 World Mental Health symposium organised by the Oyo State Primary Health Care Board in partnership with the Asido Foundation and the Medical Women Association of Nigeria.

He added, “if you notice, a new-born in his baby cot in the house and adults are fighting and shouting, even though the new-born does not understand what they are saying, you will notice, usually may just start to cry. They can feel the tension in the air.

“Also, individuals, including children that witness violence and trauma are also at risk of developing mental health conditions in the future. And that is why it is important to keep physical abuse, sexual abuse, bullying and intimate partner violence as far as possible from homes where we raise children to ensure they thrive well. Children model after parents.”

For example, children whose mothers have been the subject of substantiated child abuse or neglect have 10 times the risk of being the subject of substantiated child abuse themselves, and nearly 20 times the risk of being removed into out-of-home care of due to imminent and serious safety concerns.

Dr Haleem Abdulrahman, a consultant psychiatrist, at University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, added that the association between maltreatment when a child is young and subsequent development of suicidal behaviour or suicidal act is well-established.