Zawaya

Violence against children: There should be a law to deter aggressive parents

By: Mohammed Cherkaoui

In early October 2010, the burn unit at the children’s hospital in Rabat received a 10 year-old with third-degree burns. He was the victim of his own father, who under the influence of alcohol, sprayed his son with a flammable product and struck a match.
This child will not be able to use his hands, arms and legs until after several extremely serious and expensive surgeries.

The observatory of child rights in Morocco reported the case of an infant whose chest was smashed by his mother, because she could not stand his shrill cries; the baby was just a few months old.

The majority of sexual abuse victims in Morocco are children aged below ten, and their offenders are mostly family members. The high profile cases of children who suffered sexual abuse from their adult relatives are only the visible part of the iceberg. Not to mention that the courts do not require medical expertise to assess the extent of physical and psychological damage endured by these children, who will keep indelible marks of these abuses that can jeopardize their mental health in the future.
Experts speak of a psychic breaking-in whose symptoms include panic, fear, sleep disorders, and even depression. Some children even have a relapse of enuresis and encopresis. Moreover, victims of sexual abuse isolate themselves, become disorganized, and perform poorly at school.
On another note, about 1000 cases of violence in schools were reported in Morocco in 2009. Physical violence consists mainly of corporal punishment ranging from slapping to beating with pipes, iron rules, electric wires, sticks and kicks; add to that the emotional abuse that is difficult to quantify, and which consists mainly of insults that hurt the child’s dignity.
It is urgent today, in societies like ours, to assess the extent of this phenomenon with rigorous studies, and to establish genuine programs of civic education targeting parents and educators.
Moreover, enacting laws to punish the perpetrators of these crimes against innocent children will deter parents who are known for their aggressiveness that is either spontaneous or triggered by specific circumstances. We should not bury our heads in the sand; this phenomenon is often ignored in our Maghreb societies. Using the excuse of risking to undermine parental authority is a mere attempt to shirk responsibility. In cases of serious trauma resulting from this violence, and in cases of repeated violence against children, they could be considered as a failure to provide assistance to persons in danger.