Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Schools are supposed to polish students, however according to a report they are becoming a source of torture for children.

It was revealed that around 65 percent students in schools are victims of minor, severe or very severe physical assault in the country.

Out of them 59 percent students experienced physical violence whereas 6 percent have faced often or frequent physical violence while a high number of almost 63 percent experienced corporal punishments in both private and public sector spheres.

These statistics were compiled by the Ministry of Human Rights in a report on violence against children, a copy of which was obtained by Daily Times.

According to reports, common forms of physical violence in schools was slapping and using belts, sticks and other hard objects to hit the children with.

The report said that a significant number of teachers believed that slapping or pulling their students’ ears would not harm them while a substantial percentage of teachers are of the opinion that they only hit the children for their good and to train them, adding that “if a teacher orders a child and he does not obey, then a teacher has the right to slap him/her”.

Not only physical torture, but sexual violence in educational institutions is also common, particularly in co-educational institutions.

The compiled study stated that 2 percent of children in educational institutions are victims of sexual violence. The report added that such violence is usually perpetrated by the opposite gender.

“Girls are more at risk of sexual violence than boys by their male teachers and classmates. Because of stigmatisation, it is usually ignored and often goes underreported,” the report claims.

The report further stated that children are also victims of psychological violence that is more devastating than all other forms because it has traumatic affects in the development of a child.

“A total of 67 percent of children in schools have experienced psychological violence at least once in every month during the past three years,” the report highlighted in its findings, adding that most prevalent form of psychological violence in this study was ‘shouting, yelling and screaming at students. Besides this, it claims psychological aggression such as their humiliation in public calling them dumb or lazy or cursing the student and their families.

While quoting a report by the International Labour Organisation, it was revealed that 168 million children between the ages of five to 17 are involved in child labour.

While elaborating on the causes of child violence at workplaces, the report said that child labour was one of the major reasons for this issue.

It stated that 65 percent children are victims of psychological violence at workplaces in various forms. While among the interviewed children, 61 percent were found being punished physically at their workplaces.

“I have been working here (in workshop) since five years. I joined this workshop when I was seven years old. Since then, ustaad (employer) used to verbally abuse me. When I was young, I felt it so badly, but now I ignore it because I realise that abusing is a habit of my ustaad. It is usual for ustaad to scold us. My other friends working on other workshops also experience the same. So it is routine now,” the report quoted a boy as saying.

Child labour is relatively accepted due to some of its positive dimensions such as to earn money for the welfare of the family by holding a job at younger age and earning pocket money outside school.

“I face pressure from my parents to drop out of school. So I may help in earning money for the house and family. I am forced to do petty jobs like cleaning, or running errands. I face a lot of violence in such jobs. The employer abused me for no reason but I can’t leave the job as I need to pay the fees of younger brother and buy expensive medicines for my father,” another boy was quoted as saying.

Published in Daily Times, April 25^th 2018.