Scourge of domestic violence and children

The children, who live in homes where there is domestic violence, do not grow up in an ideal environment. Such violence can fill their lives with anxiety and fear. This can lead to significant emotional and psychological damage for children. Moreover, it can cause permanent damage to their physical, emotional and social behaviour. Statistics show that domestic violence can also become a learned behaviour. This means that children may grow up thinking it is okay to use violence to get what they want and as adults, it is okay for them to be violent in their relationships.
Domestic violence is a common evil in Bangladesh. However, we do not seem to talk about it freely. The more we choose not to talk about domestic violence the more we shy away from the issue and the more we risk making matters worse. Most people do not believe that domestic violence is detrimental to the health of children.
Domestic violence is so easy for people in our part of the world to ignore as it happens mostly without witnesses. Yet, by speaking publicly about domestic violence, we can challenge attitudes towards violence in homes and show that such violence is indeed a crime and simply not acceptable. We must remember that the effect of it on our children is huge.
Afroza Sheikh,
Dania, Dhaka,
ilcbd2008@gmail.com