CAIRO: Recent cases reported in the press of parents and step parents murdering or torturing toddlers and small kids have shocked the nation. They sounded the alarm that some parents should remain under strict watch as they bring up their young ones. It was reported Thursday that two men were sentenced to death and hanged in Qena for having murdered a toddler, the stepdaughter of one of the killers. Her crime? Her cries and screams distracted him and his friend from watching a football match. This week the media also highlighted the case of a father who was arrested for cutting off his four-year-old boy's tongue and putting put cigarettes in different parts of his body, as punishment for wetting himself. Last month a two-year-old girl was murdered by her stepfather who banged her head several times against the bed post and dumped her body in the garbage container after bundling it in a plastic bag. Many other acts of violence are committed against children everyday, but go unreported. Perhaps they are not as flagrant as crimes that have caught the public eye, but the consequences of these forms of child abuse, according to educationists and psychologists, could mar future generations to come, especially since they are perpetrated by those who should be the source of love and care - parents and close relatives. Yet in a special episode devoted to the issue on Egyptian television's Channel 1 this week Dr Mohammed Khalil, a psychologist in Ain Shams University said stressed that the sensational media coverage of such crimes may be giving a wrong impression. Theses practices are not a widespread phenomenon, he said, but added that despite the dearth of statistics, parents must be educated on how to treat their children. Insulting, scolding, beating are all equally wrong approaches to raising children. The majority of such crimes are committed by uneducated working classes that, due to pressures and bad living conditions, vent their pent-up feelings in violent acts against their weakest family members. Khalil said that it is about time to investigate these issues because today's children are tomorrow's men and women. He pointed out that in some countries couples are not allowed to tie the knot unless they show certificates attesting to the fact that they are qualified to bring up children. Some parents protested when the idea of setting up special classes to instruct parents was suggested. Problems abound on all stages, whether infant or teens and parents need to admit that the way they were brought does not work in a changing world like ours. Although many references, books and conferences are available on the topic, parents are not encouraged to read or participate and always cite the excuse that they are committed to a tight work schedule and other obligations. He stressed that we should taking action before the only alternative would be to launch hotlines for children to seek help against abusive parents.
