Many different ways to help stop child abuse

Last Nov.  27, the Inquirer published an article about a teacher facing 25 cases of child abuse after her students complained that she hit them on the head with the heel of her shoe. They could not pay P25 for new tiles for the school floors. She violated the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act. But sadly, not all children are able to report child abuse.

Child abuse happens when an older person mistreats a child, which leads to the child getting harmed or neglected. Statistics show that every 10 seconds, someone calls to report child abuse. Thirty percent of people who were abused as kids will also abuse their children.

There are many aspects of child abuse such as physical abuse and child labor, but the most common and the biggest problem is neglect. Neglect happens when a parent or elder ignores a child’s physical, mental and emotional health. Child neglect usually occurs when parents are unemployed or underemployed, have a severe injury, or a strong addiction to drugs and alcohol. Since parents are unable to take care of their children, they usually ignore them. Signs of neglect include absenteeism from school, poor hygiene, begging, stealing, using alcohol or drugs, and constant emotional confusion.

Another problem is sexual abuse. When minors are raped, they carry emotional and physical scars for life. They lose faith and trust in grown-ups, particularly their own parents. Signs of sexual abuse in children include having trouble walking or sitting, refusing to participate in any physical activities (such as sports), frequent nightmares, secretiveness, accurate knowledge of sexual activity, or trying to run away. Abused children don’t know whom to turn to. And when they finally tell someone, most often they are not believed.

Lars C. Jorgensen and Monica D. Ray decided to address child abuse by forming Stairway Foundation, which helps children learn more about their rights. Stairway gets about 15 children of ages 10 to 14 from jails or detention centers and puts them under the foundation’s 10- to 12-month residential program, which includes getting an education, therapy, sports and arts classes. It helps children discover their talents and what they want to be when they grow up. It also teaches kids certain crafts so that they can earn money.

Stairway currently has a campaign, called “Break The Silence,” which makes videos and animation about sexual abuse for general audiences. Stairway believes that child abuse is less likely to happen when there is more awareness.

What can we do to stop child abuse? We can call the police when we see signs of it. We should listen if a child says he or she feels neglected or abused. And we can educate others about child abuse.

You can visit Stairway’s website at: www.stairwayfoundation.org or contact them at [email protected].

—ANDREA PANGANIBAN MANALAC, EIDAI KAN, DANIEL JUNG, International School Manila