How teachers can help with the biggest problem of culturally justified child abuse

the burden associated with child abuse

It is very true that most countries are made up a culturally diverse population. With this comes the attendant problem of culturally imposed ways and ideologies which translate in practices that are acceptable ways of doing things in these areas. However, some of these practices raise moral questions. How do we justify the pain a child goes through when he is beaten up by one who is obviously stronger than himself all because he or she erred when there are methods which can effectively be used to curb whatever vices we find these children in.

Having found ourselves in a society that encourages a culture of dictatorship, should there not be any move to change the status quo? Should children not be allowed to speak their mind or say their opinions when necessary? How can the rise in the cases of Vessico Vaginal Festila (VVF), child molestations and other harmful practices continue unabated all in the name of discipline? Why do we tolerate the refusal of parents to send children to school whatever their reasons may be? All these and many other forms of child abuse take place every day right under our noses and we act like nothing happened.

Are we not as a people supposed to adapt our culture to make room for the child irrespective of gender or age. Cultural practices in Africa and Nigeria in particular promote child abuse through like early and forced marriages of young girls. This practice, although somewhat legal under the framework of our different cultures are largely issues of child abuse. When a child is married off at age 13, that child is made to do things which she is not emotionally and physically prepared for. This leaves lasting psychological effects on such children leading to slow educational development in those concerned.

This is a clear picture of what is happening in the northern parts of Nigeria which has led to a huge educational gap between the north and south and extends to gender disparity between the male and female children and this disparity could spell doom for educational development in Nigeria.

These cultural provisions should be amended to pave the way for children to develop fully into mature, emotionally stable and functional members of society who are developed in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains. Doing this will, translate into children who are healthy body, mind and soul. And, position children to concentrate on their studies, build lasting relationships, and perform better in class and eventually in society even in the face of poor economic situations.

In the eastern parts of Nigeria, the male child is encouraged to take up apprenticeship where he gets to serve a master for a number of years ranging from 3-7 years, after which he is settled by his master. That is if no issues arise between him and his master, as opposed to getting formal education. Most often these children do not have a say in the decision making process which are largely influenced by poverty. In the course of their apprenticeship, many of these children are abused all in the name of discipline with scars to show as badges of accomplishments in the journey of life.

Petersen (2014) opines that the effects of child abuse and neglect are seen especially in regions that are dependent on environmental input. Umobong (2010) argues that in traditional African societies, children are merely seen and not heard. This places even more pressure on them to bottle up their pains and experiences in a bid to maintain the status quo or appear as though nothing happened especially when they feel they will only be abused once again if they speak out.

This scenario is no different from what is obtainable in western worlds. The difference being that, while child marriages may not be the norm, child torture and molestation seem to abound. As a people, we must collectively stand up against practices which place the child at risk. Every nation should as a matter of necessity arise to root out every evil activity which put children at the receiving end of these negative actions and ultimately stands in the way of our progress as a society.

The school should also play it’s part in the identification and elimination of child abuse by encouraging teachers to identify and help these students to get back on track as the effects of child abuse are far reaching.

Good teacher student relationship and the educational development of abused children.

The role of the teacher in the identification of abused children in the classroom and school environment and the actions taken to help these children to heal and make something out of their academics and life is very important. Research has shown that the child abuse practices have serious implications on child development and growth, and the longer it happens, the more damaging and lasting impacts on the child and the harder it is to identify.

This is because, though, the obvious physical injuries may have healed, the child remains at increased risks of impaired development in areas like physical, cognitive and language development. This puts the abused child at a higher risk of encountering academic challenges and in some cases outright failure in school.

The teacher is thus faced with the herculean tasks of providing special educational services like counseling and extra classes to help such students pick up academically while keeping an eye for signs which will indicate the need for the relevant law enforcement authorities to be brought in.

Also, the teacher doubles as a significant figure who gives support to these children.

References

Peterson, A.C (2014). Consequences of child abuse and neglect: New directions in child abuse and research. US. National press
 Umobong, M. E (2010). Child abuse and it’s implication for the educational sector in Nigeria. Ogirisi. A new journal of African studies