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Parents urged to be extra cautious during holidays

Lunar New Year is one of the peak periods of abuse and accidents involving children each year, World Vision Taiwan officials said yesterday, calling on parents to be extra cautious during the coming holidays.

"We receive approximately 10 percent more cases of child abuse and accidents involving children during the winter and summer breaks than during the rest of the year," said Hank Du (杜明翰), executive director of the group.

World Vision Taiwan is in charge of a telephone hotline for abused women and children, which can be reached by dialing 113.

In today's society, parents and children often do not spend much time together, "so when they do have the opportunity to spend time together for a long time, misunderstandings, tensions and conflicts can be the result," Du said.

Parents lose their temper more easily during the holidays because they are very busy preparing for the celebrations and they are often under tremendous economic pressure at the Lunar New Year, he said.

Echoing Du's remarks, Chen Chih-tsai (陳質采), director of child psychiatry at Taoyuan Mental Hospital, said that a "generational cultural gap" exists between parents and their children which also causes tensions.

"For parents, Lunar New Year is the time for the family to get together, but for the children, holidays may simply mean more time to play computer games," she said, suggesting that people should be more flexible when facing the new challenges this phenomenom brings.

"Besides conflict, children's safety is another thing to keep in mind during the Lunar New Year holidays," Chen said. "A combination of electric heaters, hotpots for the New Year's Eve dinner, firecrackers and adults occupied with house work, can mean children can easily get hurt."

Du urged all parents to be extra cautious and pay extra attention to their children during the holidays.

"After all, the rare chance for families to spend time together should be cherished," he said.
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