Friday 30 December 2016
The Rise Of Violence In Children
I have been reading in the newspapers for some time now about the rising incidence of school violence in India encompassing stabbing, molesting, and rapes. This is not normal. What is happening to the youth of India? What is changing in our society to make children less sensitive? I do not remember the situation being so bad around 20 or 25 years back.
I have read about so many instances of school shootings and other violent behavior displayed by school children in the U.S. Horrible, horrible tales of kids, of teenagers thinking that the best way to vent out their anger and angst against the people who ignored them, bullied them, or just walked away from them, was to maim them, shoot them, or kill them. American society talks about gun control and how important it is to bring in regulations on using guns. While that is an important piece of legislation, the problem is more deep-rooted. It is a social problem. One of the reasons stems from a possible disconnect that these kids experience from their families and society in general. It would be absolutely wrong for me to judge the parents of these kids who take to violent behavior because I do not know their circumstances. According to a research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Justice, there are many risk factors that lead to school students behaving and thinking violently.
But, I also know that nobody is born a killer. Circumstances, society, and parental influence play a major role in transforming an innocent child into a cold-blooded monster. Many of these violent thoughts could be dealt with early on, only if children could talk to their parents openly about what was troubling them. And I believe that is the missing link. Sometimes parents of violent children are too caught up dealing with their own problems that they do not consider it important enough to understand what their child is going through. Many parents are blind to their children's faults, which is also another reason for children to not know the line that divides right from wrong. When a child is a bit different from others, society makes a mockery of their odd behavior, looks, or even dressing. This pushes children to withdraw within themselves. There are so many other reasons - socioeconomic, psychological, hereditary, and so on, but I do believe that with the right kind of support from family and society, such violent behavior and mindset can be nipped in the bud.
So, what has changed in the Indian society that has made children more violent than before? It could be the higher exposure to media, where certain stereotypes are formed of how one should behave or dress. It could be the rise of dysfunctional families in India. The earlier system of joint families had many advantages, one of the most important being the emotional support that grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins could give even if parents failed to do so. With both parents going to work within a nuclear family setup, the child comes back from school to an empty house. Most children do not have that emotional connect with their parents, which prevents them from discussing their problems or thought processes, even when their parents are around.
I have read about so many instances of school shootings and other violent behavior displayed by school children in the U.S. Horrible, horrible tales of kids, of teenagers thinking that the best way to vent out their anger and angst against the people who ignored them, bullied them, or just walked away from them, was to maim them, shoot them, or kill them. American society talks about gun control and how important it is to bring in regulations on using guns. While that is an important piece of legislation, the problem is more deep-rooted. It is a social problem. One of the reasons stems from a possible disconnect that these kids experience from their families and society in general. It would be absolutely wrong for me to judge the parents of these kids who take to violent behavior because I do not know their circumstances. According to a research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Justice, there are many risk factors that lead to school students behaving and thinking violently.
But, I also know that nobody is born a killer. Circumstances, society, and parental influence play a major role in transforming an innocent child into a cold-blooded monster. Many of these violent thoughts could be dealt with early on, only if children could talk to their parents openly about what was troubling them. And I believe that is the missing link. Sometimes parents of violent children are too caught up dealing with their own problems that they do not consider it important enough to understand what their child is going through. Many parents are blind to their children's faults, which is also another reason for children to not know the line that divides right from wrong. When a child is a bit different from others, society makes a mockery of their odd behavior, looks, or even dressing. This pushes children to withdraw within themselves. There are so many other reasons - socioeconomic, psychological, hereditary, and so on, but I do believe that with the right kind of support from family and society, such violent behavior and mindset can be nipped in the bud.
So, what has changed in the Indian society that has made children more violent than before? It could be the higher exposure to media, where certain stereotypes are formed of how one should behave or dress. It could be the rise of dysfunctional families in India. The earlier system of joint families had many advantages, one of the most important being the emotional support that grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins could give even if parents failed to do so. With both parents going to work within a nuclear family setup, the child comes back from school to an empty house. Most children do not have that emotional connect with their parents, which prevents them from discussing their problems or thought processes, even when their parents are around.
n is the key. So the first step in fighting against the rise of violence among the next generation is for parents to create a conducive environment for open conversations with their children. Children need to feel their visibility and importance. They need to know that they are being noticed and that they are valued. And that feeling and knowledge should start at home. When there are psychological causes for the violent behavior in children, parents need to take their children for counseling. There's no shame in getting professional help for children to become better people.
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