Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) called for the rejection of violence in all its forms and manifestations for all, whether children, women, or others who are exposed to violence in their lives, or even among their families, or at work and other places.
On the occasion of the International Day of Non-Violence, PHCC called for systematic efforts to address the risk factors for exposure to violence, protect society and develop strategies to end it, to assist countries and local communities to prevent and eliminate all types of violence for its benefits in mental health, education and crime reduction.
Assistant Medical Director for Child and Adolescent Health at PHCC Dr. Sadriya Mohammad Al Kohji underlined the positive role of PHCC in combating violence, and its keenness in the children clinics of the health centers to investigate, through the programs of the well child clinics and the adolescent health clinics, how to communicate with children and adolescents at all age stages and whether there are any signs of violent dealing with them in home or school.
She said that PHCC is working to raise awareness among the medical staff about the different images that may result from dealing violently with children and training them on this while regarding cases of children with special needs medical advice and awareness education is provided along with psychological support for them and their families.
Dr. Al Kohji added that in cases of pathological behaviors such as involuntary urination, nail-biting, hair-pulling, etc., which could be a cause of violence, PHCC provides medical advice and explains the motivating and coercive ways to deal with it, and makes it clear to the family and parents that dealing with violence will not lead to treatment, but rather worsens the issue, in addition to transferring cases of violence or suspected violence in child clinics of the PHCC health centers to specialized centers in the country for treatment and follow-up.
She explained that violence against children is one of the most common types of violence, and it includes all its forms against people under the age of 18, whether it is committed by parents, other caregivers, or peers, noting that global estimates revealed that about one billion children between the ages of two and 17, they experienced physical, psychological violence, or suffered neglect.
She pointed out that most forms of violence against children involve at least one of the six main types of personal violence that usually occur at different stages of a child’s development, indicating in this regard that there are many types of child abuse and violence against them, including physical and sexual abuse. In addition to emotional abuse, which can be defined by using a range of psychological abuse methods that appear in many forms, including, for example, contempt, threats, physical abuse, isolating the child from those he loves, or being left alone for long periods, along with exploitation and corruption, including encouraging the child to deviate, such as teaching him criminal behavior or leave him with a servant or encourage him to escape from school and other related matters, she added. She further explained that the health abuse, which includes the child suffering from hunger, lean body, malnutrition, inappropriate clothes, or not taking him to health facilities, makes him feel that there is no one to take care of him when needed.
Dr. Al Kohji stressed the importance of including the protection of children within any sound and effective response and recovery plan, with the need for these plans to mainstream the protection of children in all sectors through an approach that recognizes the collective responsibility to protect them and the full readiness of all segments of society to enhance their safety and well-being.
She noted that there are seven strategies to prevent violence against children, including, implementing laws prohibiting violent behavior and restricting access to alcohol and firearms, changing rules and values, creating safe environments, supporting parents and caregivers, strengthening economic conditions, providing response services, developing educational and life skills to ensure that children attend school, and providing training to develop life and social skills.
Dr. Al Kohji underlined the role of the family and society in protecting the child from violence, stressing that there are some aspects that the family can take into account to protect their children from exposure to violence and physical and psychological abuse, by providing an appropriate environment inside the home in which the child’s ideas are respected, listened to them, solving their problems, providing them with the necessary care, using dialogue instead of punishment to reduce the violent behavior of the child, teaching the child his right to protection and how to protect himself from violence, encouraging him to speak for himself, supporting families to care for their children, and early childhood care and its development.
