CHILD MALTREATMENT

 THE maltreatment of children is by far the closest social ill to my heart. When it occurred to me that I wanted to write about it (finally), I struggled to hold back tears for more reasons than one. Ngaze ngayisukela intfo letongikwatisa.

According to the World Health Organisation, one in four adults was physically abused as a child. This is a worldwide statistic. It’s already a staggering number but wait until you hear about Africa. The number of physically abused children on this continent is… man… I don’t even have the word. Imagine that. Me, out of words.

In Kenya, 73 per cent of boys are reported to have been physically violated prior to age 18; Kenyan girls reported a lower incidence of the same at 66 per cent. Zimbabwean boys and girls reported comparably at 76 per cent and 64 per cent respectively. Few studies have been conducted on issues of child maltreatment in Eswatini. The few that have been conducted are generally incomplete or limited in scope, especially the school-based studies. And that’s where my bone of contention lies.

The Ministry of Education and Training outlawed corporal punishment in schools in 2015. If you ask any of our school-going compatriots about the state of corporal punishment in their schools since the pronouncement by the ministry, you will find that little has changed, if anything at all. Pupils are still subjected to humiliating physical disciplinary measures.

The National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) stated that violence against children was rooted in culturally determined theories and practices of child rearing. Last year, the Parliament of Eswatini held discourse upon this serious issue that echoed the sentiments of the NCJRS.

It seems like adults are worried that if you outlaw flogging then the world will sink into chaos. They imagine a dystopia where pupils come to class in pyjamas and wear shades indoors or something. Like taking the cane away from educators will foster an environment where pupils perform WWE stunts during lessons. The basis for this fear is unclear.

There is no research that has ever been conducted that supports corporal punishment as means of effective discipline. There is no evidence that it is any better than not doing anything at all. In fact, there are studies that suggest that it is worse than not doing anything at all. Dr Ephias Gudyanga conducted a study on the effectiveness of corporal punishment in rural primary and secondary schools in Zimbabwe.

He found that 61.7 per cent of pupils, teachers, and school head teachers believed that corporal punishment was ineffective in eradicating deviant behaviour.
As a society, we think very little of physical punishment as a disciplinary measure. I’ll show you. Hitting one’s spouse over cheating allegations; or even a stranger for that matter, attracts assault and battery charges.

This, to me, proves that we know that physical punishment is abominable and gratuitous. We wouldn’t allow a company CEO to wait at the door with a switch for all staff members who arrive late to work, but somehow this is okay when the latecomer is a more vulnerable child. It’s like we are telling our children that we can do whatever we want with them and there is nothing that they can do about it.

Feelings cause behaviour! Physically assaulting an underage child stirs feelings of distress, anger, fear and shame. These feelings steer a child towards violence immediately; and in their adult lives later. If you’re still unsure how much respect is due to a child, I’ll help you; as much as you extend to your grandmother; to your boss and to your peers. Allow children autonomy over their bodies and protect them from the barbarians who are hell-bent on depriving them the same (I only cried twice).

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