COMMUNITY
TOPIC : CHILD ABUSE Group Members :
1. Mohd Nur Iman bin Mohd Zaki (Moderator) 2. Adlin Shazlen binti Amram (1st Panelist)
3. Nur Farah Aimi binti Abdul Razak (2nd Panelist) 4. Nur Nabila Alysha binti Asmadi (3rd Panelist) 5. Muhd Hifdzur Rahman bin Mohd Isa (4th Panelist) 6. Nor Rohimah binti Abdullah (5th Panelist)
Iman Assalamualaikum w.b.t. and a very good morning to Miss Norasmidar bt Hashim, our beloved English teacher and my fellow friends. I hope that all of you are in the pink because today with me, Mohamad Nur Iman bin Mohamad Zaki as your moderator will conduct this forum under topic “community”.
Nowadays, our community faces many problems whether in social aspect, economy aspects or politic aspect. But, what we are going to discuss today is one of the illnesses in social aspect which is child abuse as this issue is the most popular case that being reported in our community.
We as the community have to take care and look this problem in the biggest scope in order to ensure that this case will not be an illness with no medicine. In ensuring our responsibility as the community is done, here are the panelists from all around Malaysia that have a lot of knowledge and experience about this topic. Before we start our discussion, let me introduce all of the panelist to you. The first panel who sits on my right is Adlin Shazlen binti Amram. Next to her is the secong panel, Nur Farah Aimi binti Abdul Razak. The panel on my right is the third panel, Nur Nabila Alysha binti Asmadi, the forth panel is Muhd Hifdzur Rahman and the last one is our special panel,Nor Rohimah binti Abdullah who had experiences in being one of the victims of child abuse.
Without further ado, the first question to the first panelist, what is the concept of child abuse? Please welcome.
Adlin Thank you Mr. Moderator. Assalamualaikum and a very good morning I bit to all of the panelist and the audiences. I am so glad to be one of the invited guests here. As we talk about child abusing, generally we will be thinking as intentional acts that results in physical or emotional that harming the children. Plus, nowadays we always hear about child abuse and there are many children being abuse every year. Child abuse is an international phenomenon and getting familiar in Malaysia. Before that let me define the meaning of child abuse. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines child abuse and child maltreatment as all forms of physical or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child's health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power. It is important to understand that child abuse must involve injury, whether physical or emotional, visible or not immediately visible. According to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), there were almost 4,000 cases of child abuse in Malaysia and this case is on the rise in our motherland. From these statistics you can see how big a controversy child abuse is and how frequently it occurs. Thank you. That’s all from me.
Iman Thank you Adlin Shazlen with the nice information given. It is not enough if we just know the concept. So, let the second panel, Nur Farah Aimi to explain the types of child abuse.
Aimi Thank you Mr. Moderator. Assalamualaikum and my name is Nur Farah Aimi. I will share with you about types of child abuse. The World Health Organization (WHO) distinguishes four types of child maltreatment which is physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional and psychological abuse, and neglect.
1. Physical abuse is a physical injury which can cause a result such as punching, beating, kicking or otherwise that harming the children. Forms of physical abuse included acts of violence which are deliberate and can injured or sometimes kill the children. That includes corporal punishment that results in physical injuries, like bruises, scratches, welts, or broken bones.
2. Sexual abuse is any misuse of children for sexual pleasure or gratification. This sexual abuse included activities by parents or caretaker such as rape and
exploitation through prostitution or the production of pornographic materials. 3. Emotional and psychological abuse is a pattern of behavior that impaired a
child’s emotional development. This may included constant criticism, threats or rejection as well as withholding love, support and love. Emotional abuse can be difficult to pin down because there are no physical signs to look for. 4. Neglect is defined as a type of maltreatment that refers to the failure to
provide child’s basic needs. Neglect is also a lack of attention from the people surrounding a child, and the non-provision of the relevant and adequate necessities for the child's survival, which would be a lacking in attention, love, and nurture.
Iman Now, we know that there are many types of child abuse. Thank you to the second panelist for the share. To make our forum more exciting, Nabila Alysha can you share about the risk factor of child abuse?
Nabila Lets we continue with the risk factor of child abuse. Research has uncovered a number risk factor or attributes commonly associated with maltreatment. Children in families and environments where these factors exist have a higher probality of experiencing maltreatment. A greater understanding of risk factors of child abuse can help professionals working with children and families identify maltreatment and high-risk situations so that, they can intervene appropriately. It must be emphasized however that while certain factors often are present among families where maltreatment occurs, this does not mean the presence of these factors necessarily lead to child abuse and neglect.
Risk of abuse increases when a child’s:
1. Parents are not prepared or have no knowledge of critical issues surrounding parenting.
2. Parents lack an understanding of their children’s developmental stages and hold unreasonable expectations for their abilities. Parents also may be unaware of how to discipline their children most effectively at each age. 3. Parents are experiencing a lot of financial stress such as loss of job,
unemployment and diminished income.
4. Parents has mental health problems, is living with a chronic illness and experiencing depression.
violence in the household, undergoing marital problems, divorce, or feeling the stresses of single parenting, isolation and loneliness.
6. Parents are dependent and addicted to drugs or alcohol.
These circumstances, combined with the inherent challenges of raising children, may result in otherwise well-intentioned parents causing their children harm or neglecting their needs.
Iman Thank you Nabila Alysha for the very important information. To open our mind wider about child abuse, let Hifdzur Rahman shares with us about the statistic of child abuse in Malaysia. Please welcome.
Hifdzur Thank you to Mr. Nur Iman. Today I would like to share about the statistics of child abuse. Research indicates that abused children demonstrate reduced intellectual functioning and perform very poorly in school. Poor school performance can lead to long-term consequences. Academic failure has been associated with quitting school and antisocial behavior. These behaviors in turn increase the risk of long-term economic dependence, long-term decreased productivity and generally lower levels of satisfaction with life as adults. Children who are abused may effects on academic performance such as lower overall school performance test scores and lower language. Child abuse may also display to the grade retentions, disciplinary referrals and a high number of suspensions. Next, children who have been abused and neglected can be lost their sense of faith not just a religious belief in a divine being, but also their faith in themselves, other people and the world around them. Sexual abuse, emotional attacks, systematic battering or the long-term neglect of a child is likely to destroy his or her spirits or enthusiasm for life. Thank you.
Iman Thank you Hifdzur Rahman for the statistic of child abuse in Malaysia. The time that we are waiting for has arrived. We want to hear the voice of our very special panel, Nor Rohimah who is the victim of child abuse to share her dark experience. Please welcome.
Rohimah When I was 9, my mum met a new man. At first I really liked him but things started to change shortly after he moved in with us. My mum and I were really close and I think he was jealous. He was drinking a lot and started being mentally and sometimes physically abusive towards me. He would just start picking on me
for little things, or even nothing. I did my best to avoid him but if I couldn’t he would just start yelling at me.
Despite all of this, the hardest thing for me was seeing how he behaved towards my mum. He would shout at her about me and they would have huge arguments and I just couldn’t handle it. I shut up in my room, hearing his aggression, fearing for my mum’s safety, and it felt like it was all my fault. My name was brought into everything and he made sure I heard every word.
Eventually things just got too much. I was having thoughts about killing myself and knew I had to speak to someone. Finally, I picked up my courage and told it to my mum. Just knowing that she was there made me feel like I was less alone. We had a serious conversation and I confessed everything to her about how he treated me and how he made me scared and afraid to continue my own life. Finally my mum decided to separate with my stepfather.
We eventually moved from our house to get away from my mum’s ex-partner but what he did will stay with me forever.
Iman What was a pitiful story? Thanks Nor Rohimah for being open-minded to share your experiences for being a victim of child abuse with your ex-stepfather.
As conclusion, we know right our community are in a dangerous zone which have lots of problems in many aspects. So, we have to be strong and responsible in ensuring the positive environment to still alive till the end of the world. Thank you.
