Children are innocent and God is always ready to protect them in one or the other..
Here's a typical incidence where God performed miracles to safe kids...
A Muslim man in Egypt killed his wife because she was reading the Bible and then buried her with their infant baby and an 8-year old daughter. The girls were buried alive! He then reported to the police that an uncle killed the kids.
15 days later, another family member died. When they went to bury him, they found the 2 little girls under the sand - ALIVE!
The country is outraged over the incident, and the man will be executed.
The older girl was asked how she had survived and she says:-
'A man wearing shiny white clothes, with bleeding wounds in his hands, came every day to feed us. He woke up my mom so she could nurse my sister,' she said. She was interviewed on Egyptian national TV, by availed Muslim woman news anchor. She said on public TV, 'This was none other than Jesus, because nobody else does things like this!'
Muslims believe Isa (Jesus) would do this, but the wounds mean He really was crucified, and it's clear also that He is alive! But, it's also clear that the child could not make up a story like this, and there is no way these children could have survived without a true miracle. Muslim leaders are going to have a hard time to figure out what to do with this, and the popularity of the Passion movie doesn't help! With Egypt at the center of the media and education in the Middle East , you can be sure this story will spread.
Christ is still turning the world upside down! Please let this story be shared. The Lord says, 'I will bless the person who puts his trust in me. 'Jeremiah 17.
Let's talk..
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Poverty and sex work
Here's a story that has shcked the world... Poverty is one of the most devastating problems that has affilcted humanity over the years. That's why there is need for concerted efforts in poverty alleviation.
Here goes the story..
There are basically four factors that push a person into to commercial sex work – poverty, human trafficking, drugs and easy access to good money. Poverty is the most prominent of them.
Two years back when I was working with WHO in one of the South East Asian countries I happened to visit one street based sex work site located in one of the prime cities of the country. I met a couple in that site.
The husband takes his wife on his bike to drop there everyday. He waits till she completes the dealing with her clients and takes them (generally3-4 clients/per night) to the near by hotel or lodge. After the sex work is over the husband picks up the wife from the notified place and gets her back home. This becomes their routine on all the seven days of the week.
I couldn’t stop asking the man how he looked into the profession of his wife. He answered, “We have no other option left for a descent livelihood. I work as a contractual labor and my income is far from being sufficient to make both ends meat with two school going children to support. So my wife gets into earning as well. She has also minimum education like me. Who will give us a good job, tell me? So I help her as much as possible to do her sex business smoothly. I accompany her at the streets to protect her from police and bad people. They are so troublesome in this business. Many a time I have to handle her unruly and rough clients.”
I asked him about the safe sex practices of his wife with the clients. He replied that his wife has sex with condom with every client. “We never allow the clients to go for unprotected pleasure. We don’t bother if she loses some clients in the process. We are well aware of the bad diseases.”
The man often felt dejected and frustrated to see his wife earning money through sex work. “Sometimes I feel like looting a bank to gather sufficient money so that she can stop sex work. But committing a crime can easily put you into the jail and then who will take care of your family. At least sex work is safe in that regards irrespective of police harassment”.
“How do you protect her from the police in the street?” I questioned.
The man said initially they faced lot of problems. Many a times the cops misinterpreted him as her client and troubled them a lot. Now they have made a kind of patch up with the local police station by paying them monthly ‘tax’ to run the business. “We have to give a lot to the police. They are so hungry for money”.
Like this many women in this world are regularly being dragged into sex work just because their husbands have not enough earnings to feed the family and recommend their wives with a heavy heart and sinful soul.
From public health point of view we should be happy if such couples are well aware of STIs and HIV/AIDS and the wives practice safe sex consistently with their clients.
But how can I forget that I am also a husband and father of a school going kid and I am lucky enough not to face the truth of life so nakedly like the man I had met on that day.
A deep sense of sorrow tore my heart apart, especially for the man who was helplessly and silently tolerating her wife’s sleeping with many men just because they badly needed the good money to give their children a better life.
Poverty is such a disgrace and shame in the ocean of humanity and we are simply helpless to bring a change in it irrespective of having many strategies and programs to alleviate poverty.
Are you listening my dear friends?
This story was posted by Dr Sugata Mukhopadhyay, New Delhi in India recently.
How do you feel about this? Let's hear your views...
Here goes the story..
There are basically four factors that push a person into to commercial sex work – poverty, human trafficking, drugs and easy access to good money. Poverty is the most prominent of them.
Two years back when I was working with WHO in one of the South East Asian countries I happened to visit one street based sex work site located in one of the prime cities of the country. I met a couple in that site.
The husband takes his wife on his bike to drop there everyday. He waits till she completes the dealing with her clients and takes them (generally3-4 clients/per night) to the near by hotel or lodge. After the sex work is over the husband picks up the wife from the notified place and gets her back home. This becomes their routine on all the seven days of the week.
I couldn’t stop asking the man how he looked into the profession of his wife. He answered, “We have no other option left for a descent livelihood. I work as a contractual labor and my income is far from being sufficient to make both ends meat with two school going children to support. So my wife gets into earning as well. She has also minimum education like me. Who will give us a good job, tell me? So I help her as much as possible to do her sex business smoothly. I accompany her at the streets to protect her from police and bad people. They are so troublesome in this business. Many a time I have to handle her unruly and rough clients.”
I asked him about the safe sex practices of his wife with the clients. He replied that his wife has sex with condom with every client. “We never allow the clients to go for unprotected pleasure. We don’t bother if she loses some clients in the process. We are well aware of the bad diseases.”
The man often felt dejected and frustrated to see his wife earning money through sex work. “Sometimes I feel like looting a bank to gather sufficient money so that she can stop sex work. But committing a crime can easily put you into the jail and then who will take care of your family. At least sex work is safe in that regards irrespective of police harassment”.
“How do you protect her from the police in the street?” I questioned.
The man said initially they faced lot of problems. Many a times the cops misinterpreted him as her client and troubled them a lot. Now they have made a kind of patch up with the local police station by paying them monthly ‘tax’ to run the business. “We have to give a lot to the police. They are so hungry for money”.
Like this many women in this world are regularly being dragged into sex work just because their husbands have not enough earnings to feed the family and recommend their wives with a heavy heart and sinful soul.
From public health point of view we should be happy if such couples are well aware of STIs and HIV/AIDS and the wives practice safe sex consistently with their clients.
But how can I forget that I am also a husband and father of a school going kid and I am lucky enough not to face the truth of life so nakedly like the man I had met on that day.
A deep sense of sorrow tore my heart apart, especially for the man who was helplessly and silently tolerating her wife’s sleeping with many men just because they badly needed the good money to give their children a better life.
Poverty is such a disgrace and shame in the ocean of humanity and we are simply helpless to bring a change in it irrespective of having many strategies and programs to alleviate poverty.
Are you listening my dear friends?
This story was posted by Dr Sugata Mukhopadhyay, New Delhi in India recently.
How do you feel about this? Let's hear your views...
Criminalisation of HIV: Criminal statutes and criminal prosecutions help or hindrance?
Today, one of the most serious issues in the AIDS epidemic is the use of criminal statutes and criminal prosecutions against HIV transmission.
We have lots of examples of how such laws are being implemented. For instance, in Texas, a homeless man was sent to jail for 35 years. The man had HIV. He was jailed because he spat at the officers who were arresting him. Saliva has never been shown to result in transmission of HIV so therefore the 'deadly weapon' the man was accused of wielding was no more than a toy pistol - and it wasn't even loaded. The man was punished not for what he did, but for the virus he carried.
In Zimbabwe, a 26 year old woman was arrested for having unprotected sex with her lover. The crime for which she was convicted was 'deliberately infecting another person' despite the fact that he tested HIV negative.
She was eventually sentenced to a suspended term of five years'
imprisonment. You merely have to realise 'that there is a real risk or possibility' that you have HIV - and then do something - 'anything' - that involves 'a real risk or possibility of infecting another person'.
The law creates a crime not of effect and consequence, but of fear and possibility.
Such laws are increasingly wide in their application, and frightening in their effects. They aggressively attack rational efforts to lessen the impact and spread of the epidemic and are creating a crisis in HIV management and prevention efforts. So what lies behind this increasing trend of criminalisation, what is the rationale for such laws?
HIV is a fearsome virus, and its effects are potentially deadly.
Therefore, the justification is that public officials should be able to invoke any available and effective means to counter its spread. African lawmakers and policy-makers, in particular, have good reason to look for strong remedies. Many African countries face a massive epidemic with agonising social and economic costs and therefore reversing the spread of HIV is vital. However, I believe these reasons are entirely counter-productive and they need to be challenged, rationally, powerfully and systematically.
1. Criminalisation is ineffective as in the majority of cases, the virus spreads when two people have consensual sex, neither of them knowing that one has HIV.
2. Criminal prosecutions are a misguided substitute for measures that really protect those at risk of contracting HIV. The focus should be on ending deaths, stigma, discrimination, and suffering.
3. Far from protecting women, criminalisation victimises, oppresses and endangers them. In Africa most people who know their HIV status are female. The material circumstances in which many women find themselves - especially in Africa - make it difficult and often impossible for them to negotiate safer sex, or to discuss HIV at all. These provisions will hit women hardest, and will expose them to assault, ostracism and further stigma. They will become more vulnerable to HIV, not less.
4. Criminalisation is often unfairly and selectively enforced.
Prosecutions and laws single out already vulnerable groups - like sex workers, men who have sex with men and, in European countries, black males.
5. Criminalisation places blame on one person instead of responsibility on two. For nearly three decades the universal public information message has been that no one is exempt from it. So the risk of HIV (or any sexually transmitted infection) must now be seen as an inescapable facet of having sex. It is inappropriate and unfair to place all the blame on the person with HIV.
6. Such laws are difficult and degrading to apply. This is because they intrude on the intimacy and privacy of consensual sex. No one suggests that a person knowing they have HIV, who sets out intending to infect another, and achieves their aim, ought to escape prosecution. But in cases where there is no deliberate intention, the categories and distinctions of the criminal law become fuzzy and incapable of offering clear guidance.
7. Many of these laws in existence are extremely poorly drafted. Partly because it is difficult to prove an offence that involves consensual sex, and because of the difficulties of applying the categories of the criminal law, many of these laws end up being a 'hodge-podge' of confused legislative intent and bad drafting.
8. Criminalisation increases stigma. It is stigma that makes those at risk of HIV reluctant to be tested; it is stigma that makes it difficult, often impossible, for them to speak about their infection; and it is stigma that continues to hinder access to the life-saving ARV therapies that are now increasingly available. Such laws and prosecutions in turn only add fuel to the fires of stigma.
9. Criminalisation is a blatant deterrent to testing. Across Africa, the life-saving drugs that suppress the virus and restore the body to health are becoming increasingly available. But why should any woman in Kenya want to find out her HIV status, when her knowledge can only expose her to risk of prosecution? The laws are not just a war on women. They are a war on all people with HIV, and they constitute an assault on good sense and rationality in dealing with the epidemic.
10. Criminalisation assumes the worst about people with HIV, and in doing so it punishes vulnerability. Evidence shows that countries with human rights laws that encourage the undiagnosed to test for HIV do much better at containing the epidemic than those that have adopted punitive, moralistic, denialist strategies, including those relying on the criminal law as a sanction.
In light of all of this, the clear goal should be to fight against stigma, against discrimination, and against criminalisation - and to fight for justice, good sense, effective prevention measures and for access to treatment. HIV is a virus, not a crime. That fact is elementary, and all-important. Law-makers and prosecutors overlook it.
We have lots of examples of how such laws are being implemented. For instance, in Texas, a homeless man was sent to jail for 35 years. The man had HIV. He was jailed because he spat at the officers who were arresting him. Saliva has never been shown to result in transmission of HIV so therefore the 'deadly weapon' the man was accused of wielding was no more than a toy pistol - and it wasn't even loaded. The man was punished not for what he did, but for the virus he carried.
In Zimbabwe, a 26 year old woman was arrested for having unprotected sex with her lover. The crime for which she was convicted was 'deliberately infecting another person' despite the fact that he tested HIV negative.
She was eventually sentenced to a suspended term of five years'
imprisonment. You merely have to realise 'that there is a real risk or possibility' that you have HIV - and then do something - 'anything' - that involves 'a real risk or possibility of infecting another person'.
The law creates a crime not of effect and consequence, but of fear and possibility.
Such laws are increasingly wide in their application, and frightening in their effects. They aggressively attack rational efforts to lessen the impact and spread of the epidemic and are creating a crisis in HIV management and prevention efforts. So what lies behind this increasing trend of criminalisation, what is the rationale for such laws?
HIV is a fearsome virus, and its effects are potentially deadly.
Therefore, the justification is that public officials should be able to invoke any available and effective means to counter its spread. African lawmakers and policy-makers, in particular, have good reason to look for strong remedies. Many African countries face a massive epidemic with agonising social and economic costs and therefore reversing the spread of HIV is vital. However, I believe these reasons are entirely counter-productive and they need to be challenged, rationally, powerfully and systematically.
1. Criminalisation is ineffective as in the majority of cases, the virus spreads when two people have consensual sex, neither of them knowing that one has HIV.
2. Criminal prosecutions are a misguided substitute for measures that really protect those at risk of contracting HIV. The focus should be on ending deaths, stigma, discrimination, and suffering.
3. Far from protecting women, criminalisation victimises, oppresses and endangers them. In Africa most people who know their HIV status are female. The material circumstances in which many women find themselves - especially in Africa - make it difficult and often impossible for them to negotiate safer sex, or to discuss HIV at all. These provisions will hit women hardest, and will expose them to assault, ostracism and further stigma. They will become more vulnerable to HIV, not less.
4. Criminalisation is often unfairly and selectively enforced.
Prosecutions and laws single out already vulnerable groups - like sex workers, men who have sex with men and, in European countries, black males.
5. Criminalisation places blame on one person instead of responsibility on two. For nearly three decades the universal public information message has been that no one is exempt from it. So the risk of HIV (or any sexually transmitted infection) must now be seen as an inescapable facet of having sex. It is inappropriate and unfair to place all the blame on the person with HIV.
6. Such laws are difficult and degrading to apply. This is because they intrude on the intimacy and privacy of consensual sex. No one suggests that a person knowing they have HIV, who sets out intending to infect another, and achieves their aim, ought to escape prosecution. But in cases where there is no deliberate intention, the categories and distinctions of the criminal law become fuzzy and incapable of offering clear guidance.
7. Many of these laws in existence are extremely poorly drafted. Partly because it is difficult to prove an offence that involves consensual sex, and because of the difficulties of applying the categories of the criminal law, many of these laws end up being a 'hodge-podge' of confused legislative intent and bad drafting.
8. Criminalisation increases stigma. It is stigma that makes those at risk of HIV reluctant to be tested; it is stigma that makes it difficult, often impossible, for them to speak about their infection; and it is stigma that continues to hinder access to the life-saving ARV therapies that are now increasingly available. Such laws and prosecutions in turn only add fuel to the fires of stigma.
9. Criminalisation is a blatant deterrent to testing. Across Africa, the life-saving drugs that suppress the virus and restore the body to health are becoming increasingly available. But why should any woman in Kenya want to find out her HIV status, when her knowledge can only expose her to risk of prosecution? The laws are not just a war on women. They are a war on all people with HIV, and they constitute an assault on good sense and rationality in dealing with the epidemic.
10. Criminalisation assumes the worst about people with HIV, and in doing so it punishes vulnerability. Evidence shows that countries with human rights laws that encourage the undiagnosed to test for HIV do much better at containing the epidemic than those that have adopted punitive, moralistic, denialist strategies, including those relying on the criminal law as a sanction.
In light of all of this, the clear goal should be to fight against stigma, against discrimination, and against criminalisation - and to fight for justice, good sense, effective prevention measures and for access to treatment. HIV is a virus, not a crime. That fact is elementary, and all-important. Law-makers and prosecutors overlook it.
A 2-year-old beaten, mother's boyfriend arrested
I have been conducting research over the past 17 years on child abuse and I am inclined to say that child abuse is on the increase worldwide. The abuse takes place in many spheres; in the home, at school, in the church and in the children’s homes. You can hardly read on the newspapers or switch on the television without hearing more about a child being molested or killed. Is the world community doing enough to combat child abuse? I have just come back from a World Congress on Sexual exploitation of children and adolescents which was held in Rio, Brazil. My observation is that most countries have started doing something about, which most is pleasing.
My intention is to create awareness among stakeholders on how to manage child abuse and neglect. So in my quest to give you strategies on how to handle child abuse, I will be collecting information or news from around the world for your consumption. There are many stunning cases from around the world that I will give from time to time.
Here’s a story of a 2-year-old child who was beaten by the mother's boyfriend who was later arrested. A 2-year-old Renton girl has life-threatening injuries and traumatic brain trauma after she was beaten by her mother's boyfriend, according to police reports.
The girl is now in Harborview Medical Center – the region's top trauma center – after first being brought to Valley Medical Center Saturday afternoon. The 30-year-old man suspected of beating her said she was hurt in an accident, Renton police spokeswoman Penny Bartley told our news partner, KOMO/4. The man is not her father, according to police reports. The culprit was arrested after Port of Seattle police allegedly found him, the injured girl's mother and the couple's 11-day-old daughter trying to fly out of Sea-Tac International Airport.
The man was booked Monday night into the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent on investigation of child abuse and for violating probation. He had been taking care of the 2-year-old, who was not his child. The mother of the child, whom the man recently had a daughter with, was staying with relatives. The name of the man is still withheld because he has not been charged.
Court records show the man, a New York native, has a history of domestic violence. In 2006, he was found guilty of violating a domestic violence court order, which is a gross misdemeanor. The man was also found guilty that year of two other gross misdemeanors: harassment and fourth-degree assault.
The mother of the 11-day-old girl is not in custody, but police said the girl has been taken by Child Protection Services.
Why is it that boy friends or step fathers seem to be very much involved in child abuse?
Let's talk…
My intention is to create awareness among stakeholders on how to manage child abuse and neglect. So in my quest to give you strategies on how to handle child abuse, I will be collecting information or news from around the world for your consumption. There are many stunning cases from around the world that I will give from time to time.
Here’s a story of a 2-year-old child who was beaten by the mother's boyfriend who was later arrested. A 2-year-old Renton girl has life-threatening injuries and traumatic brain trauma after she was beaten by her mother's boyfriend, according to police reports.
The girl is now in Harborview Medical Center – the region's top trauma center – after first being brought to Valley Medical Center Saturday afternoon. The 30-year-old man suspected of beating her said she was hurt in an accident, Renton police spokeswoman Penny Bartley told our news partner, KOMO/4. The man is not her father, according to police reports. The culprit was arrested after Port of Seattle police allegedly found him, the injured girl's mother and the couple's 11-day-old daughter trying to fly out of Sea-Tac International Airport.
The man was booked Monday night into the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent on investigation of child abuse and for violating probation. He had been taking care of the 2-year-old, who was not his child. The mother of the child, whom the man recently had a daughter with, was staying with relatives. The name of the man is still withheld because he has not been charged.
Court records show the man, a New York native, has a history of domestic violence. In 2006, he was found guilty of violating a domestic violence court order, which is a gross misdemeanor. The man was also found guilty that year of two other gross misdemeanors: harassment and fourth-degree assault.
The mother of the 11-day-old girl is not in custody, but police said the girl has been taken by Child Protection Services.
Why is it that boy friends or step fathers seem to be very much involved in child abuse?
Let's talk…
3 Children and their mother perish in an inferno: Ex-Boyfriend Rescued From Crowd Baying For His Blood
“Burn him! Burn him like he burnt the children,” an angry woman screamed as enraged Atteridgeville community members shoved a tyre towards the almost motionless body of an alleged murderer.
The man had apparently set fire to his former girlfriend’s room in the early hours of morning. The 37 year old Sibongile Chiloane, her three children, Liesbet (15) - who was handicapped – Nelson – (10) and Tsakane (4) and her new boyfriend, Walter Khoza, died in the blaze.
Her eldest sister, Portia, who was not at home during the blaze, said Liesbet could not walk, speak or eat. Family members living cheek by jowl in a backyard shack in Padi Street last night recalled the hysterical screams of the children. Although to douse the flames, their attempts were in vein.
As the Chiloane family sat in the front garden last night, trying to get to terms with the tragedy, someone came running in, shouting that they have found the alleged murderer on the nearby mountain.
The community rushed to the street corner, but nothing happened.
As people returned to their homes another shout came. This time it was real, as angry voices were heard from the mountain.
Within a minute an Atteridgeville police car arrived. The group of angry men, earlier seen at the Chiloane house, was dragging the suspect, face down in the tarred road. They threw him towards the waiting community.
The man at first lay motionless his body white from dust. Blood oozed from his head and was breathing heavily.
As police called for back up, the crowd pulled the tyre closer.
“We want to burn him life because he burnt the children, one disabled,” some women screamed.
When the armed police realized they were outnumbered, they formed a circle around the man. Some people picked up stones and threw them at the man.” He is a killer, he should die”, one man shouted.
This drama came less than 24 hours after the horrible deaths of Chilaone and her loved ones. Earlier last night Aunt Martha Chilaone pointed to the remains of her niece, room, which were less than a meter from her room.
“He poured it on Sibongile’s door frame,” I was scared so I hid below the window. When I looked again there were flames. “She recalled. She heard the children screaming, but could not get to them. She ran to the main house screaming for help.
Chiloane’s sister looked on in horror. “They say Sibongile maybe died first. Liesbet and Tsakane were clinging to the table, as if they were trying to get away from the flames. “My heart is broken” she said.
Jan Schoeman, Sibongile’s uncle, said when the police and fire brigade arrived , the flames were already out,. Then the mortuary van came, but, when the family later went to the burnt room again, they found a child’s foot still in the ashes.
“Please tell the police to come and get it. It is breaking us to think the children were burnt to pieces, ”he pleaded. They all felt a combination of fear and anger when the suspect was brought to the house.
“I am scared,”Portia said as she moved from the crowd. Some of the adults in the crowd chased the children away, but soon no one noticed them as they bayed for blood. Atteridgeville police spokesperson captain Bonginkosi Msimango last night said the police managed to get him from the crowd. He was taken to hospital, and would be charged with murder and arson.
It appeared Chiloane had a fight with her former boyfriend, about whom she broke up with about three months ago, according to family.
The captain said Khoza visited Chiloane on Saturday night.
“It appears the ex-boyfriend came after midnight. The victims were burnt beyond recognition,” he said.
In your view should the Police have let the crowd take the law into their own hands for the sake of the victims particularly the children?
Let's talk..
The man had apparently set fire to his former girlfriend’s room in the early hours of morning. The 37 year old Sibongile Chiloane, her three children, Liesbet (15) - who was handicapped – Nelson – (10) and Tsakane (4) and her new boyfriend, Walter Khoza, died in the blaze.
Her eldest sister, Portia, who was not at home during the blaze, said Liesbet could not walk, speak or eat. Family members living cheek by jowl in a backyard shack in Padi Street last night recalled the hysterical screams of the children. Although to douse the flames, their attempts were in vein.
As the Chiloane family sat in the front garden last night, trying to get to terms with the tragedy, someone came running in, shouting that they have found the alleged murderer on the nearby mountain.
The community rushed to the street corner, but nothing happened.
As people returned to their homes another shout came. This time it was real, as angry voices were heard from the mountain.
Within a minute an Atteridgeville police car arrived. The group of angry men, earlier seen at the Chiloane house, was dragging the suspect, face down in the tarred road. They threw him towards the waiting community.
The man at first lay motionless his body white from dust. Blood oozed from his head and was breathing heavily.
As police called for back up, the crowd pulled the tyre closer.
“We want to burn him life because he burnt the children, one disabled,” some women screamed.
When the armed police realized they were outnumbered, they formed a circle around the man. Some people picked up stones and threw them at the man.” He is a killer, he should die”, one man shouted.
This drama came less than 24 hours after the horrible deaths of Chilaone and her loved ones. Earlier last night Aunt Martha Chilaone pointed to the remains of her niece, room, which were less than a meter from her room.
“He poured it on Sibongile’s door frame,” I was scared so I hid below the window. When I looked again there were flames. “She recalled. She heard the children screaming, but could not get to them. She ran to the main house screaming for help.
Chiloane’s sister looked on in horror. “They say Sibongile maybe died first. Liesbet and Tsakane were clinging to the table, as if they were trying to get away from the flames. “My heart is broken” she said.
Jan Schoeman, Sibongile’s uncle, said when the police and fire brigade arrived , the flames were already out,. Then the mortuary van came, but, when the family later went to the burnt room again, they found a child’s foot still in the ashes.
“Please tell the police to come and get it. It is breaking us to think the children were burnt to pieces, ”he pleaded. They all felt a combination of fear and anger when the suspect was brought to the house.
“I am scared,”Portia said as she moved from the crowd. Some of the adults in the crowd chased the children away, but soon no one noticed them as they bayed for blood. Atteridgeville police spokesperson captain Bonginkosi Msimango last night said the police managed to get him from the crowd. He was taken to hospital, and would be charged with murder and arson.
It appeared Chiloane had a fight with her former boyfriend, about whom she broke up with about three months ago, according to family.
The captain said Khoza visited Chiloane on Saturday night.
“It appears the ex-boyfriend came after midnight. The victims were burnt beyond recognition,” he said.
In your view should the Police have let the crowd take the law into their own hands for the sake of the victims particularly the children?
Let's talk..
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Why are Botswana students Falling from buildings in Malaysia?
Disaster in our hands, could it be true?
Why is it only Botswana students falling from buildings in Malaysia?
I hope this is not true, because if it is true then indeed we have a disaster in our hands...
Here's an e-mail which was apparently sent by a Malaysian students to others.
Subject: Beware of local university's African students..!!
Please pass the news and warn the parents, government, students and society. This is true and all happened within these two years!
I have a friend's daughter who is studying in Limkokwing University, and she was kidnapped by a Botswana student studying there as well. The African is 37 years old!
The daughter was kidnapped and managed to escape from that African.
However, she had been raped, beaten, tied up and punched by the man. That bastard even got his African friends (Botswana students too) to rape the daughter. Now the daughter is in trauma.
Because of this case, I have investigated amongst the Limkokwing students, and there are more serious cases that had been happening within these two years. Please read and spread the news to your friends, it's not rumours. Trust me, or you may ask any of the Limkokwing students! I am sad as it is all covered up by the Limkokwing's president - Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing.
The covered issues about Botswana students (African black):
(1) They take drugs in the University toilet and had been caught by security guard. However the president warned the guard not to spread the news.
(2) They take drugs in the university's event, especially in the Orientation night organized by the students' society and faculty. The lecturers saw the incident and they tried to stop, but they like to use the same sentence too against the lecturers: 'who the fuck you are, we paid to Tan Sri and Tan Sri paid you, just shut up!'
(3) They get drunk and many accidents happened in Cyberjaya (too many accidents, you can check with the police station)
(4) They keep drugs in their apartments, i. e. Desa Ria, and even bring drugs to class.. In the University party in Desa Ria, they took drugs and alcohol (Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing's daughter was there too).
(5) They disturb the female students, especially the Malay and Chinese students. They just take away and use their handphones without asking for permission (means they just grab!). The girls always feel scared and just keep silent as they do not know what the Botswana students (Africans) will do to them.
(6) There are classes in which of the students' population is 70% Botswana students. They do not pay attention and cannot keep quiet in the class and the local students are disturbed by them. They even argue in the classes (not only once) when the male local students asked them to shut up, end up they fight.
Lecturers tried to stop theBotswana students, again, they showed the same respond 'who the fuck you are, we paid to Tan Sri and Tan Sri paid you, just shut up!'
(7) They love to sexually harass the female students. This statement needs
no further explanation! Ask the students!
(8) They do not submit assignments and are late in submitting assignments,
but still pass! The concern is they still pass! What kind of quality I
wonder? They deserve to repeat and fail. Is it the University policy? Their (African) government paid more to Limkokwing University , so they can pass easily? They don't even follow the lecturers'guideline, how they can pass?
(9) They even act rude to the lecturers. The lecturers just keep quiet.
(10) They scratched the lecturers' cars.
(11) They insulted the students' counsellor in front of the crowd when
they not managed to cut queue.
(12) They forced the female students to give their contact numbers.
(13) They gather at their hostel every night and get drunk.
(14) They kidnapped my friend's daughter!
(15) They used Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing's and the vice president's names to
cover their ugliness, of which Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing and the vice president
knows! They allowed this to happen.
I hope you help to spread the news and I hope there will be a petition to
ask the Higher Ministry of Education to look into the African students'
recruitment in Malaysia,especially Limkokwing University . It is already the hell of crime in Cyberjaya. I am sure the African students bring harm.
If you do not believe, you can ask anyone of the Limkokwing students, and ask them how is the African students' attitude! The dark side of Limkokwing University is all covered up. Please take serious action and discipline the Africans (Botswana students). Just lodge the police report and do not feel fear! At least we stop them bring harm to our children!
PS: This email is also to tell the management of Limkokwing to take action
now. I need the students to spread the email and tell them that it is serious now, and no more covered! Soon we will record the videos and put in YouTube. It is so easy to capture their bad behaviour!
STOP GIVING THEM TOO MUCH POWER! STOP COVERING UP FOR THEM!!
Lim Teng Seng
A victim's Friend
What should be done to avert this deteriorating situation of Botswana students who have been falling from buildings in Malaysia?
Why is it only Botswana students falling from buildings in Malaysia?
I hope this is not true, because if it is true then indeed we have a disaster in our hands...
Here's an e-mail which was apparently sent by a Malaysian students to others.
Subject: Beware of local university's African students..!!
Please pass the news and warn the parents, government, students and society. This is true and all happened within these two years!
I have a friend's daughter who is studying in Limkokwing University, and she was kidnapped by a Botswana student studying there as well. The African is 37 years old!
The daughter was kidnapped and managed to escape from that African.
However, she had been raped, beaten, tied up and punched by the man. That bastard even got his African friends (Botswana students too) to rape the daughter. Now the daughter is in trauma.
Because of this case, I have investigated amongst the Limkokwing students, and there are more serious cases that had been happening within these two years. Please read and spread the news to your friends, it's not rumours. Trust me, or you may ask any of the Limkokwing students! I am sad as it is all covered up by the Limkokwing's president - Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing.
The covered issues about Botswana students (African black):
(1) They take drugs in the University toilet and had been caught by security guard. However the president warned the guard not to spread the news.
(2) They take drugs in the university's event, especially in the Orientation night organized by the students' society and faculty. The lecturers saw the incident and they tried to stop, but they like to use the same sentence too against the lecturers: 'who the fuck you are, we paid to Tan Sri and Tan Sri paid you, just shut up!'
(3) They get drunk and many accidents happened in Cyberjaya (too many accidents, you can check with the police station)
(4) They keep drugs in their apartments, i. e. Desa Ria, and even bring drugs to class.. In the University party in Desa Ria, they took drugs and alcohol (Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing's daughter was there too).
(5) They disturb the female students, especially the Malay and Chinese students. They just take away and use their handphones without asking for permission (means they just grab!). The girls always feel scared and just keep silent as they do not know what the Botswana students (Africans) will do to them.
(6) There are classes in which of the students' population is 70% Botswana students. They do not pay attention and cannot keep quiet in the class and the local students are disturbed by them. They even argue in the classes (not only once) when the male local students asked them to shut up, end up they fight.
Lecturers tried to stop theBotswana students, again, they showed the same respond 'who the fuck you are, we paid to Tan Sri and Tan Sri paid you, just shut up!'
(7) They love to sexually harass the female students. This statement needs
no further explanation! Ask the students!
(8) They do not submit assignments and are late in submitting assignments,
but still pass! The concern is they still pass! What kind of quality I
wonder? They deserve to repeat and fail. Is it the University policy? Their (African) government paid more to Limkokwing University , so they can pass easily? They don't even follow the lecturers'guideline, how they can pass?
(9) They even act rude to the lecturers. The lecturers just keep quiet.
(10) They scratched the lecturers' cars.
(11) They insulted the students' counsellor in front of the crowd when
they not managed to cut queue.
(12) They forced the female students to give their contact numbers.
(13) They gather at their hostel every night and get drunk.
(14) They kidnapped my friend's daughter!
(15) They used Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing's and the vice president's names to
cover their ugliness, of which Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing and the vice president
knows! They allowed this to happen.
I hope you help to spread the news and I hope there will be a petition to
ask the Higher Ministry of Education to look into the African students'
recruitment in Malaysia,especially Limkokwing University . It is already the hell of crime in Cyberjaya. I am sure the African students bring harm.
If you do not believe, you can ask anyone of the Limkokwing students, and ask them how is the African students' attitude! The dark side of Limkokwing University is all covered up. Please take serious action and discipline the Africans (Botswana students). Just lodge the police report and do not feel fear! At least we stop them bring harm to our children!
PS: This email is also to tell the management of Limkokwing to take action
now. I need the students to spread the email and tell them that it is serious now, and no more covered! Soon we will record the videos and put in YouTube. It is so easy to capture their bad behaviour!
STOP GIVING THEM TOO MUCH POWER! STOP COVERING UP FOR THEM!!
Lim Teng Seng
A victim's Friend
What should be done to avert this deteriorating situation of Botswana students who have been falling from buildings in Malaysia?
Fatal Errors in Child Abuse Case
Insufficient management oversight and poor communication led to devastating results in a classic case of child abuse in the UK, The Guardian Newspaper revealed on December 2, 2008.Such cases are increasingly becoming common in the world today and children suffer grossly as a result.
The report indicated that the damning outcome on the way Haringey Council protects abused and vulnerable children landed on Ed Balls' desk on 01 December 2008. The Ofsted Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, revealed to the secretary of state for children some significant weaknesses in the north London borough's methods of protecting children from abuse. She concluded that management was inadequate in executing its mandate fully to safeguard the well-being of children.
The review was described as devastating; reflecting bad management and poor communication on the part of the officials charged with the responsibility of protecting children from abuse.
Following a classic case of child abuse and neglect, five years ago, the UK national child protection policy was overhauled in the wake of the death of an eight-year-old Victoria Climbié from Ivory Coast while she was in Haringey's care. The borough's leadership was found to have ignored key recommendations following her death and was confronted with a list of systemic mistakes, oversights and examples of inadequate management.
Ofsted's report, produced with the Healthcare Commission and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, found Haringey Council to have the worst child protection systems of any borough scrutinized by a review in the last 12 months. "This was not an investigation into the tragic death of 'Baby P', but it has shown that the serious concerns raised by his case, and the death of Victoria Climbié, remain," said Gilbert. "Haringey Council is clearly still not doing enough to ensure that children are properly protected."
In the review which took 13 days to complete, the Inspectors observed working life in a social care duty room, reviewed case files, including those of Baby P, held interviews, spoke to children and community representatives and considered performance data and the borough's policy on child protection. The findings were reflected as follows:
Bureaucratic Issues
1. The list of errors and malpractice discovered within the council and across local health agencies and the police begins with the way officials handle the first sign that a child might be in danger.
2. The borough's handling of referrals, which might come from a police officer or teacher, is "generally poor". Information about cases is not gathered properly and the person who makes the referral is often not told what action has been taken within 48 hours, a recommendation after the Climbié case to make different agencies to talk to each other about cases.
3. Even when case files are opened, they are not adequate. Entries are sometimes inaccurate and the distributions to partner agencies of minutes of important meetings where child protection measures are decided are frequently subject to unnecessary delays.
4. The result is that vital action which could safeguard an abused and vulnerable child may not be taken. Child protection plans are "generally poor". Social workers have no idea of who is doing what when they are drawn up.
Communication Channels
There is insufficient guidance for those who carry out most assessments on abused and vulnerable children. The review further found that some accident and emergency staff at the North Middlesex and Whittington hospitals, both locations where Baby P was treated, don't know how to check if a child is on the child protection register.
Different agencies involved in child protection do not share information properly. For instance, police reports of children being caught up in incidents of domestic violence often arrive with social workers late.
There is a concern that children are rarely interviewed by social workers about what is happening to them. If they are interviewed, it is unclear from records whether they are on their own and therefore able to tell the truth about abuse they are suffering, or with their abusers.
Management Issues
There was serious criticism of the management of child protection in Haringey. The Director of Children’s Services, Sharon Shoesmith, who was removed" from her post at Balls' insistence, was accused of insufficient management oversight over the assistant director of children's services. There was also insufficient supervision of front-line social workers by senior management.
The review concluded that there was little evidence that the local safeguarding children board made life any safer for young people in the area. It failed to challenge the work of its members and frontline staff. A total of 51 out of the 121 established social worker posts are filled by agency staff which results in a lack of continuity for children and their families.
Unfortunately, for those demanding answers about what happened to Baby P, the review did not address his case more precisely. Ofsted said the case review into his death was inadequate and Balls ordered a fresh review to be published by the end of March 2009. He resisted calls from the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats to publish the full text of the existing review which, according to those who have read it, is "a litany of disaster".
"This two week investigation leaves a swath of questions unanswered," said Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green. "I have never read anything as damning and devastatingly critical as this report is, but it looks at practice and management rather than the actual issues around Baby P and that is frustrating.
"There can be no halfway house when it comes to protecting our local children. Either Haringey council children's service is up the job or not and the report clearly shows not. It should be taken into full special measures now rather than after more reports."
Here are some of the major findings:
• Failure to identify children at immediate risk and act on evidence
• Social workers, health professionals and police did not communicate well
• Poor gathering, recording and sharing of information
• Inconsistent frontline practice and supervision by senior management
• Insufficient management oversight of the assistant director of children's services by the director of children's services and chief executive
• Over-dependence on performance data which was not always accurate
• Poor child protection plans
• Failure to ensure all requirements of the inquiry into Victoria Climbié's murder in 2000 were met
• Failure to speak directly to children at risk
• Inadequate serious case review into Baby P's death
• High turnover of social workers resulted in heavy reliance on agency staff
• Heavy workloads for social workers, with true number of children allocated to
them not always accurately counted.
Who suffers at the end of the day in such cases? Is it possible to curb some of the shortcomings that are highlighted above to ensure maximum protection of children?
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2008
The report indicated that the damning outcome on the way Haringey Council protects abused and vulnerable children landed on Ed Balls' desk on 01 December 2008. The Ofsted Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, revealed to the secretary of state for children some significant weaknesses in the north London borough's methods of protecting children from abuse. She concluded that management was inadequate in executing its mandate fully to safeguard the well-being of children.
The review was described as devastating; reflecting bad management and poor communication on the part of the officials charged with the responsibility of protecting children from abuse.
Following a classic case of child abuse and neglect, five years ago, the UK national child protection policy was overhauled in the wake of the death of an eight-year-old Victoria Climbié from Ivory Coast while she was in Haringey's care. The borough's leadership was found to have ignored key recommendations following her death and was confronted with a list of systemic mistakes, oversights and examples of inadequate management.
Ofsted's report, produced with the Healthcare Commission and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, found Haringey Council to have the worst child protection systems of any borough scrutinized by a review in the last 12 months. "This was not an investigation into the tragic death of 'Baby P', but it has shown that the serious concerns raised by his case, and the death of Victoria Climbié, remain," said Gilbert. "Haringey Council is clearly still not doing enough to ensure that children are properly protected."
In the review which took 13 days to complete, the Inspectors observed working life in a social care duty room, reviewed case files, including those of Baby P, held interviews, spoke to children and community representatives and considered performance data and the borough's policy on child protection. The findings were reflected as follows:
Bureaucratic Issues
1. The list of errors and malpractice discovered within the council and across local health agencies and the police begins with the way officials handle the first sign that a child might be in danger.
2. The borough's handling of referrals, which might come from a police officer or teacher, is "generally poor". Information about cases is not gathered properly and the person who makes the referral is often not told what action has been taken within 48 hours, a recommendation after the Climbié case to make different agencies to talk to each other about cases.
3. Even when case files are opened, they are not adequate. Entries are sometimes inaccurate and the distributions to partner agencies of minutes of important meetings where child protection measures are decided are frequently subject to unnecessary delays.
4. The result is that vital action which could safeguard an abused and vulnerable child may not be taken. Child protection plans are "generally poor". Social workers have no idea of who is doing what when they are drawn up.
Communication Channels
There is insufficient guidance for those who carry out most assessments on abused and vulnerable children. The review further found that some accident and emergency staff at the North Middlesex and Whittington hospitals, both locations where Baby P was treated, don't know how to check if a child is on the child protection register.
Different agencies involved in child protection do not share information properly. For instance, police reports of children being caught up in incidents of domestic violence often arrive with social workers late.
There is a concern that children are rarely interviewed by social workers about what is happening to them. If they are interviewed, it is unclear from records whether they are on their own and therefore able to tell the truth about abuse they are suffering, or with their abusers.
Management Issues
There was serious criticism of the management of child protection in Haringey. The Director of Children’s Services, Sharon Shoesmith, who was removed" from her post at Balls' insistence, was accused of insufficient management oversight over the assistant director of children's services. There was also insufficient supervision of front-line social workers by senior management.
The review concluded that there was little evidence that the local safeguarding children board made life any safer for young people in the area. It failed to challenge the work of its members and frontline staff. A total of 51 out of the 121 established social worker posts are filled by agency staff which results in a lack of continuity for children and their families.
Unfortunately, for those demanding answers about what happened to Baby P, the review did not address his case more precisely. Ofsted said the case review into his death was inadequate and Balls ordered a fresh review to be published by the end of March 2009. He resisted calls from the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats to publish the full text of the existing review which, according to those who have read it, is "a litany of disaster".
"This two week investigation leaves a swath of questions unanswered," said Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green. "I have never read anything as damning and devastatingly critical as this report is, but it looks at practice and management rather than the actual issues around Baby P and that is frustrating.
"There can be no halfway house when it comes to protecting our local children. Either Haringey council children's service is up the job or not and the report clearly shows not. It should be taken into full special measures now rather than after more reports."
Here are some of the major findings:
• Failure to identify children at immediate risk and act on evidence
• Social workers, health professionals and police did not communicate well
• Poor gathering, recording and sharing of information
• Inconsistent frontline practice and supervision by senior management
• Insufficient management oversight of the assistant director of children's services by the director of children's services and chief executive
• Over-dependence on performance data which was not always accurate
• Poor child protection plans
• Failure to ensure all requirements of the inquiry into Victoria Climbié's murder in 2000 were met
• Failure to speak directly to children at risk
• Inadequate serious case review into Baby P's death
• High turnover of social workers resulted in heavy reliance on agency staff
• Heavy workloads for social workers, with true number of children allocated to
them not always accurately counted.
Who suffers at the end of the day in such cases? Is it possible to curb some of the shortcomings that are highlighted above to ensure maximum protection of children?
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
A Woman Tries to Hang Her Only Son
“Mmangwana o tshwara thipa ka fa bogaleng.” This is a Tswana proverb that says that mothers are the can do anything including risking their own lives to protect their children from any form of abuse. Whether this proverb still holds water is something that we will have to find out…
It is increasingly becoming common for parents and mothers for that matter to try to take away innocent lives of their own children. The cause for this is still to be established...
Here’s a matter in which a young mother tried to take away the life of her only son…
On November 27, 2008 there was a report that a twenty-six year old woman of Tsolamosese ward in Mogoditshane was remanded in custody after she allegedly tried to hang her 5 year old boy child.
The report revealed that the woman had an argument with the child, which resulted in the woman attempting to hang the child. The woman is said to have locked herself in the house with the child and tied him with a rope in an attempt to hang him. The child shouted for help and family members came to rescue the child.
The woman has been slapped with an attempted murder charge, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Extenuating circumstances are the only hope for a reduced sentence.
Reports from Mogoditshane Police confirmed that their office was handling the case involving a woman who nearly hanged her own child for inexplicable reasons. The woman had already appeared for mention on a Tuesday. According to Police reports the boy has been put under custody of her grandparents while the mother was still held under police custody.
If found guilty should this mother be sentenced to life imprisonment or do you think she can be pardoned?
Let’s hear your views…
It is increasingly becoming common for parents and mothers for that matter to try to take away innocent lives of their own children. The cause for this is still to be established...
Here’s a matter in which a young mother tried to take away the life of her only son…
On November 27, 2008 there was a report that a twenty-six year old woman of Tsolamosese ward in Mogoditshane was remanded in custody after she allegedly tried to hang her 5 year old boy child.
The report revealed that the woman had an argument with the child, which resulted in the woman attempting to hang the child. The woman is said to have locked herself in the house with the child and tied him with a rope in an attempt to hang him. The child shouted for help and family members came to rescue the child.
The woman has been slapped with an attempted murder charge, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Extenuating circumstances are the only hope for a reduced sentence.
Reports from Mogoditshane Police confirmed that their office was handling the case involving a woman who nearly hanged her own child for inexplicable reasons. The woman had already appeared for mention on a Tuesday. According to Police reports the boy has been put under custody of her grandparents while the mother was still held under police custody.
If found guilty should this mother be sentenced to life imprisonment or do you think she can be pardoned?
Let’s hear your views…
How Domestic Violence Affects Children
The effects of witnessing violence on children have gross negative impact on their psychological development. This is a serious problem that requires more robust intervention and yet it has not been receiving much attention across the globe in the past. Unfortunately the literature on this issue has been largely limited to clinical descriptions of children's behavioral and emotional problems elicited primarily from assessment of children in women's shelters.
Most of these assessments used a standardized checklist which measures internalizing problems such as depression, somatic or physiological complaints, anxiety and withdrawal. In many instances, externalizing problems such as disobedience, destructiveness and aggression have not been coming very clearly in most of the available literature. However, some recent studies have improved methodologically by including suitable comparison groups as well as additional standardized measures.
More importantly, the studies have also considered examining a wider range of children's dysfunctional and adaptive behaviors. These studies represent the beginning efforts to document the effects of domestic violence on children's behavior, their cognitive and social problem-solving abilities. This also includes their coping and emotional functioning. A discussion of this literature in terms of age, stage of development and gender has been outlined below.
Here is short summary of the effects on children of either witnessing and/or being victims of domestic violence:
Infants
Infants are reactive to their environment; when distressed they cry, refuse to feed or withdraw and are particularly susceptible to emotional deprivation. They are extremely vulnerable.
Toddlers
Toddlers, who are beginning to develop basic attempts to relate causes to emotional expressions, can often be seen to have behavioral problems such as frequent illness, severe shyness, low self- esteem and trouble in daycare as well as social problems such as hitting, biting or being argumentative. Gender differences can emerge at this stage.
Preschool age
At preschool age, children believe that everything revolves around them and is caused by them. If they witness violence or abuse, they believe they have caused it. Some studies have shown preschool boys to have the highest ratings for aggressive behavior and the most serious somatic difficulties of any age group.
Primary school age children
Primary school age children, particularly in the latter stage, begin to learn that violence is an appropriate way of resolving conflict in human relationships. They often have difficulties with schoolwork and girls in this age group have been found to have the highest clinical levels of both aggression and depression.
Adolescents
Finally, adolescents see the violence as their parents' problem and they often regard the victim as being responsible. Ongoing conflict between parents has a profound influence on adolescent development and future adult behaviors, and can be the strongest predictor of violent delinquency.
It must be emphasized that, while there is no doubt that children who either witness and/or are victims of domestic violence are all affected in terms of their behavioral, cognitive and emotional adjustment, the research is still not conclusive enough to determine that there is a definitive set response for gender, age or stage of development. Unfortunately the sample sizes of some of the studies are also often not large enough to warrant firm conclusions being drawn. The inconsistencies suggest that there are still many more factors to be taken into account, including: the extent and frequency of the violence; the role of the child in the family; the number of repeated separations and moves; and economic and social disadvantage.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it should be noted that children's responses to witnessing and/or experiencing domestic violence between their parents vary considerably. No typical reactions emerge, even though there is sufficient evidence that exposure to domestic violence can and often detrimentally influence the children's behaviors. Nonetheless, at various stages of their development, children are able to understand and cope with what is happening between their parents.
For this issue to receive the attention it deserves there has to be linkages between domestic violence and child abuse. In spite of this, changes in definitions and parameters of child abuse and domestic violence, as well as legislative reforms, though necessary, are not sufficient to bring about a fundamental shift in the attitudes by members of the community at large. The is need for an integrated response from a wide variety of agencies such as the law enforcement agencies such as police, professionals such as social workers, lawyers and health workers. Teachers and the community members need to be informed and should be willing to be part of a joint effort to bring about some serious changes.
References:
Alexander, R. 1988, The Crimes (Family Violence) Act 1987. Law Institute Journal. March pp 166-169.
Ammerman, R.T. and Herson, M. (eds) 1990, Treatment of Family Violence, John Wiley and Sons, New York.
Blanchard, A., Molloy, F. and Brown, L. 1992, 'I Just Couldn't Stop Them': Western Australian Children Living with Domestic Violence: A Study of Children's Experiences and Service Provision, Curtin University School of Social Work, Western Australia.
Bowker, L.H., Arbittel, M. and McFerron, J.R. 1988, 'On the relationship between wife beating and child abuse' in: Feminist Perspectives on Wife Abuse, eds K. Yllo and M. Bograd, Sage, California.
Calvert, G. 1993, Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect: the National Strategy, National Child Protection Council, Canberra.
James, M. 1994, ‘Domestic Violence as a Form of Child Abuse: Identification and Prevention’. Issues in Child Abuse Prevention Number 2 July 1994
Carlson, B.E. 1984, 'Children's observations of inter-parental violence' in: Battered Women and Their Families, ed. A.R. Roberts, Springer, New York.
Christopoulos, C., Cohn, D., Shaw, D., Joyce, S., Sullivan-Hanson, J., Kraft, S. and Emery, R. 1987, 'Children of abused women: adjustmenet at time of shelter residence', Journal of the Marriage and the Family, vol. 49, pp. 611-19.
Church, J. 1984, Violence Against Wives: Its Causes and Effects, John Church (Publisher), Christchurch, New Zealand.
Cummings, E.M. 1987, 'Coping with background anger in early childhood', Child Development, vol.58, pp.976-84.
Cummings, E.M., Zahn-Waxler, C. and Radke-Yarrow, M. 1981, 'Young children's responses to expressions of anger and affection by others in the family', Child Development, vol.52, pp.1274-82.
Cummings, E.M., Iannotti, R.J. and Zahn-Waxler, C. 1985, 'Influence of conflict between adults on the emotions and aggression of young children', Developmental Psychology, vol.21, pp.495-507.
Davis, L. and Carlson, B. 1987, 'Observation of spouse abuse: what happens to the children?', Journal of Interpersonal Violence vol.2, no.3, pp.278- 91.
Most of these assessments used a standardized checklist which measures internalizing problems such as depression, somatic or physiological complaints, anxiety and withdrawal. In many instances, externalizing problems such as disobedience, destructiveness and aggression have not been coming very clearly in most of the available literature. However, some recent studies have improved methodologically by including suitable comparison groups as well as additional standardized measures.
More importantly, the studies have also considered examining a wider range of children's dysfunctional and adaptive behaviors. These studies represent the beginning efforts to document the effects of domestic violence on children's behavior, their cognitive and social problem-solving abilities. This also includes their coping and emotional functioning. A discussion of this literature in terms of age, stage of development and gender has been outlined below.
Here is short summary of the effects on children of either witnessing and/or being victims of domestic violence:
Infants
Infants are reactive to their environment; when distressed they cry, refuse to feed or withdraw and are particularly susceptible to emotional deprivation. They are extremely vulnerable.
Toddlers
Toddlers, who are beginning to develop basic attempts to relate causes to emotional expressions, can often be seen to have behavioral problems such as frequent illness, severe shyness, low self- esteem and trouble in daycare as well as social problems such as hitting, biting or being argumentative. Gender differences can emerge at this stage.
Preschool age
At preschool age, children believe that everything revolves around them and is caused by them. If they witness violence or abuse, they believe they have caused it. Some studies have shown preschool boys to have the highest ratings for aggressive behavior and the most serious somatic difficulties of any age group.
Primary school age children
Primary school age children, particularly in the latter stage, begin to learn that violence is an appropriate way of resolving conflict in human relationships. They often have difficulties with schoolwork and girls in this age group have been found to have the highest clinical levels of both aggression and depression.
Adolescents
Finally, adolescents see the violence as their parents' problem and they often regard the victim as being responsible. Ongoing conflict between parents has a profound influence on adolescent development and future adult behaviors, and can be the strongest predictor of violent delinquency.
It must be emphasized that, while there is no doubt that children who either witness and/or are victims of domestic violence are all affected in terms of their behavioral, cognitive and emotional adjustment, the research is still not conclusive enough to determine that there is a definitive set response for gender, age or stage of development. Unfortunately the sample sizes of some of the studies are also often not large enough to warrant firm conclusions being drawn. The inconsistencies suggest that there are still many more factors to be taken into account, including: the extent and frequency of the violence; the role of the child in the family; the number of repeated separations and moves; and economic and social disadvantage.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it should be noted that children's responses to witnessing and/or experiencing domestic violence between their parents vary considerably. No typical reactions emerge, even though there is sufficient evidence that exposure to domestic violence can and often detrimentally influence the children's behaviors. Nonetheless, at various stages of their development, children are able to understand and cope with what is happening between their parents.
For this issue to receive the attention it deserves there has to be linkages between domestic violence and child abuse. In spite of this, changes in definitions and parameters of child abuse and domestic violence, as well as legislative reforms, though necessary, are not sufficient to bring about a fundamental shift in the attitudes by members of the community at large. The is need for an integrated response from a wide variety of agencies such as the law enforcement agencies such as police, professionals such as social workers, lawyers and health workers. Teachers and the community members need to be informed and should be willing to be part of a joint effort to bring about some serious changes.
References:
Alexander, R. 1988, The Crimes (Family Violence) Act 1987. Law Institute Journal. March pp 166-169.
Ammerman, R.T. and Herson, M. (eds) 1990, Treatment of Family Violence, John Wiley and Sons, New York.
Blanchard, A., Molloy, F. and Brown, L. 1992, 'I Just Couldn't Stop Them': Western Australian Children Living with Domestic Violence: A Study of Children's Experiences and Service Provision, Curtin University School of Social Work, Western Australia.
Bowker, L.H., Arbittel, M. and McFerron, J.R. 1988, 'On the relationship between wife beating and child abuse' in: Feminist Perspectives on Wife Abuse, eds K. Yllo and M. Bograd, Sage, California.
Calvert, G. 1993, Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect: the National Strategy, National Child Protection Council, Canberra.
James, M. 1994, ‘Domestic Violence as a Form of Child Abuse: Identification and Prevention’. Issues in Child Abuse Prevention Number 2 July 1994
Carlson, B.E. 1984, 'Children's observations of inter-parental violence' in: Battered Women and Their Families, ed. A.R. Roberts, Springer, New York.
Christopoulos, C., Cohn, D., Shaw, D., Joyce, S., Sullivan-Hanson, J., Kraft, S. and Emery, R. 1987, 'Children of abused women: adjustmenet at time of shelter residence', Journal of the Marriage and the Family, vol. 49, pp. 611-19.
Church, J. 1984, Violence Against Wives: Its Causes and Effects, John Church (Publisher), Christchurch, New Zealand.
Cummings, E.M. 1987, 'Coping with background anger in early childhood', Child Development, vol.58, pp.976-84.
Cummings, E.M., Zahn-Waxler, C. and Radke-Yarrow, M. 1981, 'Young children's responses to expressions of anger and affection by others in the family', Child Development, vol.52, pp.1274-82.
Cummings, E.M., Iannotti, R.J. and Zahn-Waxler, C. 1985, 'Influence of conflict between adults on the emotions and aggression of young children', Developmental Psychology, vol.21, pp.495-507.
Davis, L. and Carlson, B. 1987, 'Observation of spouse abuse: what happens to the children?', Journal of Interpersonal Violence vol.2, no.3, pp.278- 91.
Learn How Domestic Violence Act Saves Children in Botswana
Domestic violence is not a new phenomenon in Botswana. It is been prevalent since time immemorial but what is new is the increase is number of women who are reported to be abused.
In the past most of the abused women chose to suffer in silence under the guise that they wanted to save the family from embarrassment. This is why the magnitude of this is still not known. What we know is that at least women now speak out and report some of the threats made by their partners unlike in the past when they chose to conceal their ordeal. Children were the most seriously affected victims under such circumstances because they get affected physically, emotionally and psychological which has a negative impact in their developmental well-being.
What I was taught in Child Psychology is that behavior is learnt and can be unlearnt. Children learn what they live… If children are living under abusive environments they will grow to become abusers.
The Botswana Domestic Violence Act is aimed at giving protection to people who are abused at home, including safeguarding the well-being of children in such families. The Act received overwhelming support from Members of Parliament, including men, since it is seen as being gender neutral. We have had that some of the men folks are also being physically, verbally or emotional abused by their female partners. For men the situation is even worse because they can’t talk about it or disclose the ordeal unlike women who freely share information with others about their experiences.
The Act is a step in the right direction and was applauded by many because abuse in the home affects everyone. It is believed that domestic violence can also contribute to the spread of HIV infection. The upbringing of children is crucial hence the need for couples or partners to live peacefully. As stated earlier, children who are brought up in abusive families end up being abusers when they grow up. Members of the public need to be fully educate about it.
Members of the public need to be taught all the laws that protect their rights and well-being including children. Enforcement of such laws should be effective to ensure protection of victims. The law provides that, a police officer can accompany an abused person to his or her home to take his or her clothing to seek refuge elsewhere particularly a place of safety.
Part of the Act deals with orders and it provides that an applicant may make an application in court for an interim or restraining order. According to provisions of the Act, the court may issue an interim order ex parte where it is satisfied that domestic violence has occurred. It can also be issued in a situation where there is a serious risk of harm to the applicant and the order is meant to ensure the immediate protection of the applicant from the perpetrator.
An interim order may direct a police officer or deputy sheriff to remove the applicant from the residence where the abuse takes place to a place of safety. The order could also prohibit the perpetrator from committing an act of domestic violence or entering specific parts of the residence. It could also restrain the perpetrator from entering the applicant's work place or communicating with the complainant. The court may also authorize the issuing of a warrant of arrest of the perpetrator where it is satisfied that the applicant or child is under imminent danger from the said perpetrator.
According to the Act an interim order shall be served personally upon the respondent and shall provide for a return date upon which he or she may be heard in court. The court can also issue a tenancy or occupation order. The Act provides that an occupation order shall grant the applicant or child the exclusive right to live in the resident occupied or belonging to the applicant or respondent.
The Act further provides that tenancy order shall grant the applicant or child the exclusive or non-exclusive tenancy of the residence with such order as to payment of rental or mortgage as shall be just. Where a lease agreement to a residence is in the name of the respondent and the applicant, who is not party to the agreement is granted an occupation or tenancy order, the landlord shall not evict the applicant on the basis that the applicant is not party to that lease agreement.
Unless the court directs otherwise, where an order is granted and the respondent was responsible for the payment of mortgage or the rent, he or she shall continue to be so responsible. The penalty for contravening the court order is a fine, not exceeding P5, 000 or imprisonment term not exceeding two years or both.
The penalties under this Act, we hope, will certainly deter people from getting involved indespicable domestic violence and putting other people’s lives at risk.
I don’t know what your views are but if you think otherwise let’s discuss the issue…
In the past most of the abused women chose to suffer in silence under the guise that they wanted to save the family from embarrassment. This is why the magnitude of this is still not known. What we know is that at least women now speak out and report some of the threats made by their partners unlike in the past when they chose to conceal their ordeal. Children were the most seriously affected victims under such circumstances because they get affected physically, emotionally and psychological which has a negative impact in their developmental well-being.
What I was taught in Child Psychology is that behavior is learnt and can be unlearnt. Children learn what they live… If children are living under abusive environments they will grow to become abusers.
The Botswana Domestic Violence Act is aimed at giving protection to people who are abused at home, including safeguarding the well-being of children in such families. The Act received overwhelming support from Members of Parliament, including men, since it is seen as being gender neutral. We have had that some of the men folks are also being physically, verbally or emotional abused by their female partners. For men the situation is even worse because they can’t talk about it or disclose the ordeal unlike women who freely share information with others about their experiences.
The Act is a step in the right direction and was applauded by many because abuse in the home affects everyone. It is believed that domestic violence can also contribute to the spread of HIV infection. The upbringing of children is crucial hence the need for couples or partners to live peacefully. As stated earlier, children who are brought up in abusive families end up being abusers when they grow up. Members of the public need to be fully educate about it.
Members of the public need to be taught all the laws that protect their rights and well-being including children. Enforcement of such laws should be effective to ensure protection of victims. The law provides that, a police officer can accompany an abused person to his or her home to take his or her clothing to seek refuge elsewhere particularly a place of safety.
Part of the Act deals with orders and it provides that an applicant may make an application in court for an interim or restraining order. According to provisions of the Act, the court may issue an interim order ex parte where it is satisfied that domestic violence has occurred. It can also be issued in a situation where there is a serious risk of harm to the applicant and the order is meant to ensure the immediate protection of the applicant from the perpetrator.
An interim order may direct a police officer or deputy sheriff to remove the applicant from the residence where the abuse takes place to a place of safety. The order could also prohibit the perpetrator from committing an act of domestic violence or entering specific parts of the residence. It could also restrain the perpetrator from entering the applicant's work place or communicating with the complainant. The court may also authorize the issuing of a warrant of arrest of the perpetrator where it is satisfied that the applicant or child is under imminent danger from the said perpetrator.
According to the Act an interim order shall be served personally upon the respondent and shall provide for a return date upon which he or she may be heard in court. The court can also issue a tenancy or occupation order. The Act provides that an occupation order shall grant the applicant or child the exclusive right to live in the resident occupied or belonging to the applicant or respondent.
The Act further provides that tenancy order shall grant the applicant or child the exclusive or non-exclusive tenancy of the residence with such order as to payment of rental or mortgage as shall be just. Where a lease agreement to a residence is in the name of the respondent and the applicant, who is not party to the agreement is granted an occupation or tenancy order, the landlord shall not evict the applicant on the basis that the applicant is not party to that lease agreement.
Unless the court directs otherwise, where an order is granted and the respondent was responsible for the payment of mortgage or the rent, he or she shall continue to be so responsible. The penalty for contravening the court order is a fine, not exceeding P5, 000 or imprisonment term not exceeding two years or both.
The penalties under this Act, we hope, will certainly deter people from getting involved indespicable domestic violence and putting other people’s lives at risk.
I don’t know what your views are but if you think otherwise let’s discuss the issue…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
