Translated by Lindsey de Haan
Some styles of raising a child seem more like instruments of torture than an effective way to help the development of a child. That is what specialists in children’s rights pointed out during a presentation of a study about violence in the family, implemented by Ririki Social Intervention.
Under the premise “better a good slap right away...”, in Mexico they are used to corporal punishment and other types of violence as a valid form of child rearing in the family.
The book 'Behind the Door...I Am Educating' shows that
“the worst atrocities against childhood are most often committed in the family, in the name of love, compassion and good intention to train them, and this puts the children at risk,” says Mónica González Contreras, a researcher from the Legal Research Institute of the UNAM [National Autonomous University of Mexico]Meanwhile, Adriana Segovia Urbano, member of the University Program in Bioethics, says that
“the family environment should be a place for protection and trust; however, there are times that it becomes a torture camp. Working proactively, it can be a place for peace and development.”She stressed that the book clearly emphasizes
“the authoritarian structure of families, where the justification of violence and of the lack of participation of children in the decisions is established.”She also stressed that the majority of those interviewed believe in dialogue as a means to resolve conflicts, although in practice most reverted to violence.
“People value dialogue, at least in their talk; it means there is a starting point” for modifying these cultural patterns.Nashieli Ramíez, coordinator from Ririki, said according to the Juvenile and Infant study by the Federal Electoral Institute in 2012, two out of every ten children under age six say that they suffer abuse at home:
- 4% feel that “at home they don't love me; they don' care about me; they don't accept me”; and
- 8% say that “at home they touch my body and tell me not to tell anyone”.
This is consistent with other figures reporting that 80% of sexual abuse cases occur with children under the age of 8 and within the family environment.
“The recurrent use of aggression with children is generating a normalized culture of violence, the results of which we are seeing: violent societies with a lack of respect for dignity and human rights,” said Verónica Juárez Piña, president of the Children’s Rights Commission of the Chamber of Deputies.She added that it is not enough to abolish corporal punishment, but it is necessary that civil or criminal law contain its explicit prohibition. Spanish original