Local media have reported a spate of child abuse cases over the past week, with the most shocking involving a one-year-old girl who was allegedly killed by her mother and two other relatives on Tuesday.
The issue has even caught the attention of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who said that most abuse cases are reported by police and hospital workers, not through the 113 abuse prevention hotline. Tsai said that alcoholism, adolescent parents’ lack of parenting skills and resources, and parents losing their temper over children’s behavior were prevalent among the reported cases.
Prosecutors say that the one-year-old died because she was beaten for spilling a glass of milk.
In another case that shocked the public, a video posted online on Saturday last week allegedly showed a father beating his son for forgetting to ask for hot sauce on a meatball.
Parents losing their tempers and hitting their children points to a deeper societal issue where parents either do not feel there is anything wrong with the abuse, or cannot stop themselves.
Politicians, including New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) and New Power Party Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), this week called for information about child abusers to be made more accessible online. This would be an important step in preventing those with histories of abuse from being hired to work with children, but would do nothing to stop the abuse of children by parents.
An undated article on the Web site for the American Psychological Association says that some adults simply do not know how to correct a child’s behavior without causing physical harm. Parents might try other techniques, such as a “time out” or grounding a child, but become frustrated if the child refuses to listen. The situation can quickly unravel if the parent is already dealing with work stress, spousal issues or financial problems.
Parents who spend more time with their children — even if it is just to read to them before bed or participate in some recreational activity together a few times a week — find that their children are more receptive toward them.
However, if things do spiral out of control, parents should have a support group to lean on. This is especially true for adolescent parents who might still be going through their own development and are not adequately equipped to handle the challenges of parenthood.
The ubiquitous nature of the Internet provides a great resource — parents can network with peers to share ideas and ask questions. When they feel that they are losing their temper, they can share their feelings with their online peer group and receive feedback that could help them avoid actions they might later regret. The government and hospitals could facilitate online support networks by having their own social media groups that parents could be introduced to when they visit a hospital for prenatal care and childbirth.
However, in some cases, parents might not realize that hitting their children is unacceptable. Parents who themselves were abused as children can sometimes lack this awareness. This is a more difficult problem to solve and the government might educate the public through ad campaigns, but ultimately, abusive parents might need counseling and support to change.
Punitive measures alone will not solve the root problem. One of the best ways to reach parents who are unaware that their abusive behavior is wrong would be pre-existing peer groups. If peers could be convinced to intervene — with some training and assistance from social workers — they might be able to stop the cycle of abuse.
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