CHILD ABUSE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

“THERE CAN BE NO KEENER REVELATION OF A SOCIETY’S SOUL THAN THE WAY

IN WHICH IT TREATS IT’S CHILDREN” – NELSON MANDELA

However, in the recent times there has been a degradation in the way people are
treating children around them leading to cascading effects on a child’s character.
Children which are the most beautiful gift of God to mankind are being abused by
the society in innumerable ways leading to an adverse impact on child’s
psychology. They are gullible and can be easily influenced by the society and the
atmosphere around them. Children imbibe the values, ethics and mannerisms
that the environment in which they are raised propagates. Certain social and
religious practices, traumatic events, home atmosphere also play a role in shaping
a child’s outlook and perspective.

E.g.- a child raised in a highly conservative environment will tend to have a more
orthodox view of things as compared to his/her peers.

The nations in this modern world have taken the note of this precarious situation
and various government and non-government organisations burn the midnight oil
to ensure safeguard of child rights. Stringent laws are in force, but they do not act
as a deterrent to the evil minded who tend to manipulate children for their
personal benefit. The environment and the people amongst whom these children
are raised is highly complex and dynamic and new ways are being devised by the
exploiters to lure and trap children so as take advantage of their vulnerability and
coerce them into undertaking unlawful activities or just simply misusing them.