This post is written in conjunction with BlogCatalog’s Monthly Blogging Challenge. This time around, the challenge is to blog against abuse. I had initially wanted to blog about “turtle abuse” but I figured it would be better to blog about the more pressing issues in the society that involves the public in general.

Two months ago in July, we in Malaysia were shocked by the brutal killing of four-year-old Shearwel Ooi, three days after she was reported missing. She was murdered and her bone fragments were strewn in at least four different places — a cemetery, river, an apartment dumpsite and another river elsewhere (Source: Girl killed, The Star, 9 July 2007).

Two months after that, eight-year-old Nurin Jazlin was kidnapped and murdered. Her body was stuffed into a sports bag and left outside the premises of a book distributing company. But the most sickening news is that the post mortem report revealed that the killer had placed a cucumber and a brinjal in the girl’s private parts (Source: Child found sexually assaulted and killed, The Star, 18 September 2007).

The questions are…

How could anybody do such things to children these days?! What kind of sick person kills a four-year-old who barely knew her ABCs?! What kind of animal would stuff a brinjal (a.k.a. eggplant) and a cucumber into an eight-year-old girl?! What have these two little girls done to deserved to be tortured and killed they way they were killed?! What could they have possibly said to deserve to die they way they did?!

What is child abuse?

Child abuse is the physical, sexual, or emotional maltreatment or neglect of children by parents, guardians, or others. While most child abuse cases happen in the child’s home, large numbers of cases of child abuse have been identified within some organizations involving children, such as churches, schools, child care businesses, and in particular native residential schools, or in government agencies. It also sometimes occurs almost anywhere (e.g. kidnappings, random murders, etc.)

There are many forms of abuse and neglect and many governments have developed their own legal definition of what constitutes child maltreatment for the purposes of removing a child and/or prosecuting a criminal charge.

Did you know that…

1. Child abuse is reported on an average of every 10 seconds and three children die every day as a result of such abuse?
2. Boys and girls are equally likely to be abused or neglected?
3. Approximately 80% of child abuse is perpetrated by a parent or caregiver?
4. Neglect occurs more frequently than abuse and can be equally damaging and deadly. 30% of all child fatalities are due to neglect?
5. The majority of children in residential care have been victims of significant physical or sexual abuse?

Ten ways to prevent child abuse:

1. Be a nurturing parent. Children need to know that they are special, loved and capable of following their dreams. They need to know that they are loved and supported all the time. Use your actions to show children and other adults that conflicts can be settled without hitting or yelling.
2. Know what child abuse is. Physical and sexual abuse clearly constitute maltreatment, but so does neglect, or the failure of parents or other caregivers to provide a child with needed food, clothing, and care.
3. Help a friend, neighbour or relative. Being a parent isn’t easy. Offer a helping hand take care of the children, so the parent(s) can rest or spend time together. Greater investments are needed in programs that have been proven to stop the abuse before it occurs — such as family counseling and home visits by nurses who provide assistance for newborns and their parents.
4. Help yourself. When the big and little problems of your everyday life pile up to the point you feel overwhelmed and out of control – take time out. Don’t take it out on your kid. Remember that abuse is not just physical. Both words and actions can inflict deep, lasting wounds.
5. Teach children their rights. When children are taught they are special and have the right to be safe, they are less likely to think abuse is their fault, and more likely to report an offender.
6. Educate yourself and others. Simple support for children and parents can be the best way to prevent child abuse. When talking to a child about abuse, listen carefully, assure the child that he or she did the right thing by telling an adult, and affirm that he or she is not responsible for what happened.
7. Promote programs in school. Teaching children, parents and teachers prevention strategies can help to keep children safe.
8. Discipline your children thoughtfully. Never discipline your child when you are upset. Give yourself time to calm down. Remember that discipline is a way to teach your child.
9. Report abuse. If you witness a child being harmed or see evidence of abuse, or if a child tells you about abuse, make a report to your state’s child protective services department or local police.
10. Volunteer at a local child abuse prevention program. Get involved with other parents in your community. Help vulnerable children and their families. Start a playgroup, for example. After-school activities, parent education classes, mentoring programs, and respite care are some of the many ways to keep children safe from harm. Be a voice in support of these efforts in your community.

We may not be able to bring little Shearwel and Nurin back, but we can definitely do our part to ensure that whatever happened to them do not happen to other children in the future.

Together, we CAN stop child abuse.