Press Centre 2004/12/10: Child Protection

Children Under Threat of Violence (4)

Ramazan Etyemez speaks about ‘Children Under Threat of Violence’ on the occasion of the launch of The State of the World’s Children 2005, Children Under Threat

First of all I would like to say welcome to you all.

Violence means causing physical or emotional damage to a person. Clearly defined, there are two kinds of violence -- the physical kind and the emotional kind.

Although street violence has been very much on the agenda in our country recently, domestic violence is more common and should not be ignored. It is very well known that everything starts with the family, so if an individual’s family situation is not good, he or she may encounter serious problems in the broader arena of the society in the future.

In our country, domestic violence is primarily associated with physical violence. However the nature and effects of emotional violence should also be considered. Let’s not ignore this -- especially when it comes time to look at school report cards.

When we think of the reasons for violence, educational and economic factors come to mind first of all -- personal disorders and social circumstances are also prominent factors.

Let’s consider the impact of education on violence. One family with a high level of education pays attention to the emotional and physical development of the child. Another family only considers the physical development of the child. The child is always seen as a matter of secondary importance and his or her emotional well-being is not taken into consideration.

From the economic perspective, if the family has a high level of income incidence of violence decreases. However when the income level is low, the incidence of violence increases. If the family is under continual pressure to make ends meet -- is it possible to raise healthy children in this situation?

Another factor is personal disorders stemming from the emotional problems or mental instability of a family member. The problem becomes more severe when the usual stresses and strains of the daily life are added.

Examples of violence in our country:

• The most common form is the beating of children at home;
• Scolding children;
• Pushing, shaking and intimidating children;
• Putting the child’s interests second and using emotional violence;
• Forcing the child to work;
• Rivalry between children in dormitories, care houses and at home often leads to physical and emotional violence -- particularly in dormitories where older children bully the younger children.

As I have mentioned earlier, emotional violence and physical violence is commonly used in our country when report cards are distributed. For example, comparing results between two students in class or when a parent compares a child’s progress with that of a neighbour’s child can lead to hurt feelings. The child feels left out of the family and questions himself or herself. Although specialists constantly point this as a wrong approach, we witness the same thing over and over. We should think hard about the implications of emotional violence against child because of low grades.

I think our duty starts at this stage since domestic violence may permanently affect children. Sometimes, we notice the effect very late.

So what are the consequences of violence?

• Social maladjustment, such as demonstrating negative behaviour at school or among friends and poor physical development;
• Poor emotional development and psychological disorders;
• Avoiding family contact, coming home late and domestic violence;
• Failure in studies;

There are many problems but the important thing is not to contribute further to them. So what can we do to prevent them? These are some ideas that come to mind at first:

• Members of the family must be informed and educated about violence;
• Family should not watch broadcasts that feature violence -- this may encourage violent behaviour;
• The State should open psychological consultancy centres providing services free of charge;
• Refuge centres for victims of violence should be promoted with advertisements.
• The Alo 183, help line network should be expanded and its infrastructure should be renewed;
• The principle of a social state should be applied in practice with the provision of economic support to families in need;
• Parents should be in harmony so that the children are not adversely affected;
• Young-old concepts in dormitories should be eliminated, students should be made aware of the effects of violence and the administration should take every step to avoid violence.

These are the solutions we thought of -- there may be hundreds of solutions. As I said at the beginning: domestic violence should be more prominent on the agenda. We should take the necessary steps to see that it is.

Remember that family is the foundation of society.

View the State of the World’s Children report online or order printed copies from UNICEF Headquarters in New York.

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