Violence Against Children

In today’s world the fact is that the family violence is the trouble maker and irrefutable issue, whereas the home environment should be shelter until the members feel safety; it should provide an environment where the external exhaustions and problems should be forgotten. Unfortunately, for most of the people the home environment is just like a hell where the fire of enmity, anger, violence, hatred and revenge is always burning. Family violence is not targeting a specific society or layer but there are many families in our country where they are facing these problems in their daily lives.

Based on the views of the experts of this field, family violence is the control of other family members with power and other behavioral actions such as physical, sexual and psychological; which are negatively affecting the well-established environment of the family and even it destroy it.

Family violence has multiple types like physical, psychological, sexual, mental, financial etc, which are forced by the elders on the children.

Physical violence is the most dominant type of violence which could be conducted against the children, any type of the physical attempt that harm or control the body of the children could be considered as violence against children. Different types of physical violence against children include whipping, tightening the children with the rope, burning them with the boiled water or other hot liquids, use of cigarette fire and shocking them; therefore it is specified that mayhem is a part of violence. The important discussion is that from where this violence has started and what is the main reason behind this?

Based on the views of some experts; economic poverty, lack of awareness regarding children’s rights, illiteracy, mental or psychic problems of the elders, lack of effective training programs in the society, lack of implementation of laws and many other reasons could affect the society. Therefore, for further clarification regarding the children problems and the solutions for these problems, an interview is conducted with Ms. Shah Bibi Halimi Head of Children Support Center; which is going to be presented to you by me (Masoud Ansar).

Question: Ms. Halimi; first of all I would like you to give information about your activities for the audience?

Answer: thank you; Children Support Center was established in Afghanistan in the year 2009 and the main activity of this Center is about the imprison children, these are the children whose mothers are in prison because of different crimes and these children are kept with them because there is no one to take care of them.

For the first time in 2009 we supported these children with the collaboration of Ministry of Labor, martyr and disables, Ministry of Justice and Human rights commission with the financial support of European Union; this support was too much for these children for the first time.

Question: Are there other children who are brought to this center because of other problems and are kept here?

Answer: No, this center is only allocated for the children of female prisoners of Badam Bagh Prison and we cannot keep other children with other problems in this Center but only some children who had many serious problems are kept here which are exceptional. As I have already told you that this Center was established as pilot and once it bring positive results then the donors will provide more funds for these activities and we have plan to bring these kinds of children from the near provinces.

Question: You have named some of the children who are kept in this Center, what are their problems?

Answer: these children who are consisting of two girls and one boy are introduced by the independence human rights commission, these children escaped for the many times because of the family violence against them and they contact the near police office; who are finally brought to this center and are now kept in this Center.

Question: Is your organization working in the advocacy of the children rights, also please tell us that from which aspect the children are mostly harmed?

Answer: there are many reasons and aspects that the children are harmed i.e. heavy work, poverty etc are the aspects which causes violence against children and in these days we were also the witness of suicide attacks attempted by the children.

Question: what could be the reason behind the violence against children by the parents, where the parents are the protectors or shields of them?

Answer: there could be many reasons behind this i.e. many years war has brought many mental and psychic problems in people; where this violence is attempted involuntary and others could be lack of awareness of parents and economic problems.

Question: Based on your views; what should be done to eliminate the violence against children and also what stimulants should be given to the parents to desist of these actions?

Answer: the time we can prevent the violence against children; when the awareness of those who are involved in steerage of the children are increased at the society level; this could be from the parents to the people of the society because these are the ones who are making the destiny of the children.

Question: In order to familiarize the rights of the children; what steps and ways should be considered?

Answer: We can communicate to the people from different ways i.e. schools, mosques and media; these are the sources where we can preach about the rights of the children. Also if we consider the example of a father who is going to hand over his daughter to the opposition because of a clash solution and he harms the life of the child, so for this there should be a punishment to prevent the violence against children.

Question: Ms. Halimi, you have mentioned about the punishment; is there any punishment law for those parents who are attempting violence against their children?

Answer: well; if there is any law for punishment of parents is only in paper and is not implemented practically yet, it means that nobody has been punished yet who has attempted violence against the children but we hope that one day this law will also be implemented to protect the rights of the children.

Question: how you are evaluating the conditions of the children in the current circumstances; is there any variation observed from the previous years?

Answer: Yes, about the conditions of the children as compare to the previous years there are positive changes and the main reason behind this is that the doors of the schools are opening for the children and this is the way that they could be free from misery and this is a big change and it bring further hopes to us for the future of the children.

Question: Ms. Halimi in the elimination of violence against children; what could be the role of the government?

Answer: The government has a big role in this regard; first of all is the provision of school facility to the children where they will learn, it should focus towards the health of the children, there should be public awareness campaigns to open the minds of the people because any action done by the government has more effect and the reason behind this is that the government is the decision maker and about the recession of their rights the government is also respondent.

Question: Ms. Halimi; how effective the role of the Non-Governmental Organization is in this regard, please explain?

Answer: Yes, there are institutions working regarding the rights of the children and there are sources that are supporting them. The independence human rights commission; which has different sections working regarding the rights of the children and the current situations are hopeful and meanwhile we also have children with us that their parents are condemned from 2 to 18 years prison. If these children were not kept here may be in future they will face the same situation of their parents. These children have a bright future and among the 70 children that we have with us and those of them which are admitted to school have taken excellent marks; which has given us more and more hope regarding them.

Question: Ms. Halimi; at the end if you have a message please share with us?

Answer: Thanks, my message to the parents is that the overall luck and misery is in your hands; I request from all those who are involved with the children either directly or indirectly should feel responsible to ensure a better future for them.

With great thanks to all of you that you have read our interview; until next discussion Khuda Hafiz (bye).