STOP CHILD ABUSE!!!

According to the Social Welfare Department of Malaysia, there are at least 1,000 children reported as victims. 1,000 at least! and this is not even taking into account the UNREPORTED cases which we know are many. Too MANY.

Abuse can come in many forms and I tell you this- Child Abuse is rampant! It is as rampant as people getting mugged or murdered, people contracting HIV and the list goes on. This abuse can be either from physical, emotional, neglect or sexual mistreatment. EVERYDAY a child somewhere in the world is being abused. Don't even talk about a child in a different country, just look at your neighbourhood, in your very own home. You might have been a victim and are still carrying the scars, the wounds.

WHAT IS PHYSICAL ABUSE?

Physical abuse of a child is when it involves hitting, slapping, bruising, choking, hard shaking or kicking a child and is not solely limited to those mentioned. Basically, it involves bodily harm to the child. Many a times we read in the news of domestic violence and usually, the mother bears the brunt to protect her children but there are times, many in fact, where the child, unfortunately is beaten up. Many children also die from this.

EMOTIONAL ABUSE IS...

Emotional abuse on the other hand is not physical but affects the emotional wellbeing of the child. When a child is constantly put down, called demeaning names or made to feel unwanted and not loved, it is called emotional abuse.

MY STORY

I remember when I was in my primary school years, whenever my dad said something not-too-nice, I would yell back at him saying that he may not physically abuse us but he definitely abuses us, emotionally, by calling us names etc. Emotional abuse is more subjective in the sense, if someone calls you names all the time, is that an abuse? And even if it constitutes as one, the fine line isn't clear. I think this is rather prevalent in Asian families where parents tend to talk down to the child, being harsh, thinking that it will toughen the child up.

A FRIEND'S STORY

Apparently he hates his father because when he was a child, his father, who was uneven tempered has very heated arguments with his mother. The mother would cower in fear as the father rage and sometimes throw furnitures in his fit of anger. When he drives and raves, he threatens to crash the car so that everyone will die!

What kind of father does that? What kind of person who claims to be an adult do such a thing?

There is a book "The boy called It" that was written from a personal experience of one who was abused as a child. The abuse that he suffered was definitely physical and emotional. The torture and horror he went through was inhuman and unnecessary and what made the crime worst was it was committed by someone who was supposed to love him unconditionally, someone who carried him for nine months, someone who "gave" life to him. Yup, his torturer was his mother.

His mother starved him, stabbed him in the stomach, forced him to drink ammonia and set him naked on a stove among other heinous abuses. I can only conclude that his mother was mentally instable because what sane, responsible adult would do that?

SEXUAL ABUSE IS AN ABOMINATION FORM OF ABUSE.

And lastly, sexual abuse is when a child is made to carry out sexual acts or forced to participate in one such as touching or being touched at their private parts or be looked at or forced to look at someone else's private parts.

SO, WHICH ABUSE TO CHOOSE FROM...

It's hard to say what acts of child abuse I never want to see happen when who wants ANY child to be abuse at all? In any form?? Would you ever want to be beaten, kicked, slapped or even burned? Called a garbage, a moron 24/7, every-single-day? Would you be able to withstand the shame, the pain, the scars of being sexually abuse?

Just the thought of it disgusts me. Just the thought of ANY child going through any of this horrors nauseates me.

Sadly, most cases of abuse is usually by someone KNOWN to the child- a parent, a guardian, a friend. And that is the worst crime ever- to breech a trust. Not just trust but it is inhuman, despicable! This are scars that the child will carry for life and sometimes, not seen nor empathise by the public, especially when they child does not receive appropriate help nor heals completely.

I recommend you to read more TRUE STORIES of child abuse and to go get "A child called IT" and read the horrors he went through to educate yourself on child abuse. The author, David Pelzer also wrote a few other books telling his journey to recovery which is a continual process.

If you know someone who is being abused or if you are being abused, don't keep silent. Seek help from a friend, from someone, anyone! Someone out there really cares and will help you.

So everyone, SAY NO TO CHILD ABUSE and never ever get BE an abuser, ever!