Children's Consultation in South Asia, afternoon session

CRIN  |  17/05/2005  | Child Rights Information Network

Summary:

In the afternoon session today, children presented their views on what are the main issues affecting children in terms of violence in their countries. This was then followed by a discussion on what the UN Study is about and what it's aims are.

Further information:

Children’s consultation – 17 May 2005 PM

In the afternoon session, children got back together to present their findings. They had been divided into country groups to define what they thought were the main forms of violence affecting children in their respective countries. Children decided themselves how they wanted to present these, so whether they simply listed them, whether they divided issues into various forms of violence, or into places where violence occurs.

Afghanistan

Children from Afghanistan listed the following types of violence: - physical and psychological punishment - exploited in the child pornography sector - trafficking - children in conflict with the law - children are recruited to become soldiers - children are taken in to become servants, and are often abused in these contexts - children are made fun of, everywhere, particularly children with disabilities - some children are driven to commit suicide or harm themselves because of child abuse, for instance children burning themselves - children are threatened by teachers in schools, which often results in them not wanting to go back to school as they are scared of the pressure and humiliation - street children are beaten by the police

Bangladesh

Children from Bangladesh listed the six most common forms of violence 1. acid attacks against children 2. in schools, in the community, within the family, children are treated differently to adults, for instance, they are forced into early marriages, and this often means they no longer go to school 3. in different institutions, such as child development centres, children are being physically, mentally and sexually abused 4. girl children get a lot of comments shouted at them in the street and other community areas, for instance on their way to school 5. children who work often do not even get paid for their work, or much less than adults, and if they say something to their employers, they get beaten 6. in the family, parents do not listen to children and treat them as they please, often they treat their children the way they were themselves treated.

Bhutan

Children from Bhutan divided problems facing children into three categories: 1. Physical violence - physical punishment in schools, although minor, does occur - child labour, often this is in the form of domestic work, the main issue would be that children are forced to work long hours - bullying in schools - sexual abuse to some extent, but also sexual harassment - substance abuse, such as marijuana, glue sniffing, etc. 2. Verbal abuse - scolding - insulting - intimidation and threatening 3. Psychological - parents fighting in front of their children - academic pressure for children and young people - peer pressure, such as to try drugs. - Neglect from parents, which often results in children growing up and neglecting their own children - Negative impact of media

A brief discussion followed among children because the children from Bhutan explained that violence in their country is not as prominent as in other countries. This, they explained, was probably because family life is so important in their culture, there is little discrimination against girls, teachers treat children well, and there is a code of conduct called ‘respect for others’ which is aimed at everyone and basically explains to people how to treat others, the point being that to gain respect, one must give respect.

Maldives

Children from the Maldives listed the following issues affecting children - within the family, children are neglected, ignored or favoured over another - sexual abuse within the family, particularly as extended families often live together, so abuse can be perpetrated by the father, uncles, grand-fathers, brothers, etc. - boys are favoured over girls, but are also expected to work hard and provide for their families. They often work as hard as adults, but do not get paid as much - parents do not accept that children are independent beings, they have to do whatever parents want them to do - bullying in schools - young people whose parents are not around or neglect them sometimes roam the streets and find themselves involved in small crime, or taking drugs

Nepal

Children from Nepal divided the forms of violence affecting them into three categories: 1. In the home: - discrimination against daughters, sons are treated better - children face verbal abuse, such as calling them animal names, or using dirty words in front of them - children are also given heavy workloads in the home - when there are family disputes, between parents for instance, children get beaten 2. In schools: - children are mistreated by teachers, for instance if they have not done their homework, they are sometimes locked into toilets - they are also humiliated by being forced to stand on their desks - they are verbally abused in front of their friends - they are sometimes locked in a teacher’s office, or in a cupboard - they are shown obscene pictures or obscene language is used - touching and fondling 3. In society: - boys get more recognition than girls in all aspects of life - poor children are humiliated - there is discrimination based on caste - girls have no freedom - issues related to the Maoist situation

Pakistan

Children from Pakistan enumerated the main issues affecting children: - girls are low priorities for parents, as boys are seen as potential providers for their families - children are forced into labour, they have no choice - they are not given any time to play - parents treat their children badly, which will result in them doing the same later in life when they have their own children - severe punishment in schools, where children are forced to stand, holding their school bags high above their heads for long periods of time - parents sometimes get their children to bring them drugs, or illegal substances, which sometimes means children will try them - verbal abuse - discrimination, for instance against disabled children - children are mutilated so they can be used for begging - children are kidnapped to be used as camel jockeys - children are married off early, which means they do not get an education (most commonly between the ages of 14-16, but also happens at an earlier age, such as nine or ten, in some tribal communities) - many children are not registered

Sri Lanka

Children from Sri Lanka divided the types of violence they face into four categories: 1. Exploitation: - statistics from the National Child Protection Authority from 2003, claimed that there were around 2 to 3,000 child prostitutes. These children were often sent by their own parents, and up until a few years ago, most of them were boys. Parents preferred to send boys because they do not get pregnant. Clients are often foreigners visiting the country 2. Incest: - women are often living away from home because they work as domestics, so sexual abuse of children within the family increases. Children are often too scared of speaking out because it is their own families, they are ashamed and as their fathers support them financially, it is difficult for them to do or say anything 3. Child labour: - children gave a number of eight per cent of children that might be working, often as domestics - children are being recruited to become soldiers - after the tsunami for instance, children who were left orphaned were taken in to become soldiers, and they cannot leave as they are threatened to be killed if they try to escape 4. Physical abuse: - corporal punishment, especially in rural areas - children are being abused in orphanages, in work places, in the home.

The last session of the day was a question and answer session about the UN Study on Violence Against Children. The aim of this session was to gather what children knew about the study, its aim and purpose so that they can then work together to draft their own recommendations to be presented at the regional consultation for governments, NGOs and UN agencies

To find out more about this, go to the children’s section on the website: www.childrenandviolence.org/forchildren