USING ROD SPOILS KIDS

Beaten children set up for failure

CHILDREN beaten by their parents do badly at school, often drop out and ultimately get lower-paying jobs.

A study of almost 5 000 children in Cape Town found that parents who beat their children are trapping them in a lifetime of under-achievement.

It also found that being beaten during early childhood causes permanent biological changes to the brain.

The findings from the study, which began in 2002 and were released on Wednesday, are particularly alarming in light of the high levels of childhood abuse in South Africa.

In its latest statistics Childline SA reported 664 000 calls and 13 000 texts from abused children seeking help.

University of Cape Town (UCT) researcher Duncan Pieterse found that being hit is associated with an 18% reduction in numeracy test scores. “This … is larger than the impact of the mother ’ s education and the household ’ s income.”

Also, being hit hard increases the probability of school dropout by 15%, while other forms of maltreatment, such as a fear of being hurt, and being “put down ” through negative comments by adults, have similar effects.

Pieterse ’ s research also found differences across racial and gender lines.

A higher proportion of coloured youth have been hit hard, pushed, and psychologically undermined, and more girls were maltreated than boys.

A report released by the Children ’ s Institute at UCT last year found that more than half of South African children frequently experience some form of violence from an early age.

This means that a high proportion of the next generation are unlikely to fulfil their potential because of how parents treat them at home during childhood.

Judy Andrew, a retired primary school teacher who now works in the non-government sector, said some children may confide in the teacher, but many hide it and feel ashamed, and therefore hesitate to confide in anyone.

“Often the child doesn ’ t even realise the behaviour at home is unnatural.”

Basic Education spokesman Elijah Mhlanga said abused children were “generally robbed of an opportunity to continue their school work at home ”.

The Children ’ s Institute director Shanaaz Mathews said changing social norms and attitudes was vital.

“… preventing violence against children is everyone ’ s business.”