Thursday, March 13, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
WHAT TO DO IF YOU THINK A CHILD IS BEING HARMED
WHAT TO DO IF YOU THINK A CHILD IS BEING HARMED
You can call one of the following
1. CHILD LINE 3900900
TOLLFREE 0800300900
2. BOTSWANA POLICE TOLL FREE 999
3. HOSPITAL TOLLFREE 997
note: there are some social workers in hospitals.
4. Woman Against Rape 6860865
You will be asked for the following information:-
- Name of the child and location
- Suspected perpetrator's name and relationship to the child-
- Description of what you have seen or heard.
PLEASE NOTE- You can choose to report anonymously- Name of person reporting is not given out to the reported families.
LETS MAKE BOTSWANA A COUNTRY FIT FOR THE CHILDREN!!!!!.
You can call one of the following
1. CHILD LINE 3900900
TOLLFREE 0800300900
2. BOTSWANA POLICE TOLL FREE 999
3. HOSPITAL TOLLFREE 997
note: there are some social workers in hospitals.
4. Woman Against Rape 6860865
You will be asked for the following information:-
- Name of the child and location
- Suspected perpetrator's name and relationship to the child-
- Description of what you have seen or heard.
PLEASE NOTE- You can choose to report anonymously- Name of person reporting is not given out to the reported families.
LETS MAKE BOTSWANA A COUNTRY FIT FOR THE CHILDREN!!!!!.
ABOUT MY POEMS - INJURED SOULS
AFRICAN CHILD BLUES
The issue of culture is a very sensitive one. I have been privilaged enough to work with parent - child groups where issues of child rearing came up. In all these workshops,parents seemed to feel that children's rights has somehow disempowered them and the situation hampers their parenting.It is very important to note that there is no universal standard for child rearing. There are culturally diverse child rearing practices all over the world. However, it is also important to note that culture is no excuse for hurting a child.African culture is very rich and its child rearing practices has undisputed and far reaching benefits. Communal child rearing for instance,allows families to assist each other without much interference of outsiders or the government. With HIV/AIDS and an increasing number of orphans, the African family care system helps address problems such as child headed families - to mention a few.The poem, AFRICAN CHILD BLUES illustrates the events sorrounding the life of an African child.It starts from a child's arrival, which is cherished and celebrated in any African culture.Troubles come in later when the child does not display the "ideal behaviour of an African child like e.g fearfulness". The child is taken to be troublesome , then shunned by the whole society.The poem illustrates a situation whereby all children are treated like they do not matter,voiceless. The children, realising they do not have freedom of expression suffer in silence, in fear of being ostracized. Because of this silence, a lot more cases go unreported.INJURED SOULS would like to attract attention to the loopholes and blind spots these child behaviour expectations may create in child upbringing, for example - you see a child being physically abused , you take for granted that the child has been naughty and therefore deserves the beatings, afterall the elder is always presumed right. Moreover, the use of violence is condoned as a problem solving method.These blind spots are also illustrated in poems like CAN YOU whereby a child is being abused and people around her either don't see it or do not interpret it as abuse.In this poem, the following children's rightshave been violated.refer AFRICAN CHARTER ON RIGHTS OF CHILDREN -ARTICLE 4 : The best interest of the child - ARTICLE 7 : Freedom of expression - ARTICLE 9 : Freedom of thought, conscience and religion ARTICLE 21: The right to protection against harmful social and cultural practises
PREVIEW
CAN YOU
Can you hear me
As I call out to you
This place is so dark I cant see
So cold am shivering
So silent its deafening
I want to move out of here
Prision is much better
I try to appeal to you
You think Ooh! trouble child!
Is anybody there?
To hear me as I call out.
CHILD UTOPIA
How will you like to see the world child?
A world fit for children
Can you describe it?
Will it make you flourish?
Oh yes! love is a basic need
It will nourish me
It will shape how I percieve the world
Even when things are tough
It will definately guide the parent.
AUTHOUR Q&A
1. WHY DID YOU WRITE THIS BOOK?
Child abuse is very common in today's society. Emotional abuse in particular is the least understood form of child abuse and yet it can be just as destructive as other forms, possibly because it does not leave visible scars.With INJURED SOULS, I wanted to present child abuse as it happens in our homes, something which readers might have seen happen with their bare eyes. only then, maybe it didn't occur to them that " this child is being abused!". Basically,INJURED SOULS is a wake up call for every adult to be more vigilant, IT DEFINES CHILD ABUSE.It is generally taken for granted that home is the safest place to be, a place to escape all the injustices of the world, a place to protect our children.But it is also in these homes that our children are violated in the worst possible manner.They are shamed, rejected, terrorised, corrupted inside these homes .Child abuse is not something you go looking for somewhere, it might be happening right under your nose. INJURED SOULS seeks to challenge parents to make homes safer for the children.
2. HOW DID YOU BECOME INTERESTED?
It seems our society wants to deny and pretend child abuse does not exist.During the 16 days of activism for no violance against women and children, our communities remained far too quiet. Why? I got interested because it occured to me that may be people do not appreciate the gravity of the problem. statistics show that child abuse is on the increase e.g sexual exploitation,defilement,neglect e.t.c. Sadly, a lot more cases go unreported despite the government and NGOs efforts to raise awareness about child abuse.INJURED SOULS compliments all other effort already in place.
3. WHAT DO YOU WISH TO ACHIEVE BY PUBLISHING THIS BOOK?
I am hoping to create a burning platform which will create an impetus for people to act.Its a fact, children are suffering and they are helpless. They are overwhelmed by the horrible situations they find themselves in, sometimes filled with feelings of guilt, then suffer in silence.INJURED SOULS hopes top break the silence.
4. WHO IS YOUR INTENDED READERSHIP?
Everyone! oh yes everyone!
CHILDREN:
The poems will increase their awareness about child abuse and they will be able to understand their feelings, environment and circumstances better and therefore be in a better position to seek help. It will decrease chances for self blame which easily engulfs children.
ADULTS.
INJURED SOULS can also induce parents to do a bit more introspection as far as their parenting styles are concerned.They would want to assess if they are endangering their children in anyway.For adults,these poems can also bring into consciousness problems they have experienced as children which appeared trivial or insignificant to them.The percieved insignificance made them to undersetimate the impact these childhood problems have made in their lifes.
COUNSELLORS
INJURED SOULS makes a very good reference guide for counsellors,victims survivors and perpertrators.The poems will help clients identify feelings they have experienced.
SOCIETY
INJURED SOULS challenges the society to acknowledge the child abuse problem and to tackle the problem. it also defines their role in the fight against child abuse.
The issue of culture is a very sensitive one. I have been privilaged enough to work with parent - child groups where issues of child rearing came up. In all these workshops,parents seemed to feel that children's rights has somehow disempowered them and the situation hampers their parenting.It is very important to note that there is no universal standard for child rearing. There are culturally diverse child rearing practices all over the world. However, it is also important to note that culture is no excuse for hurting a child.African culture is very rich and its child rearing practices has undisputed and far reaching benefits. Communal child rearing for instance,allows families to assist each other without much interference of outsiders or the government. With HIV/AIDS and an increasing number of orphans, the African family care system helps address problems such as child headed families - to mention a few.The poem, AFRICAN CHILD BLUES illustrates the events sorrounding the life of an African child.It starts from a child's arrival, which is cherished and celebrated in any African culture.Troubles come in later when the child does not display the "ideal behaviour of an African child like e.g fearfulness". The child is taken to be troublesome , then shunned by the whole society.The poem illustrates a situation whereby all children are treated like they do not matter,voiceless. The children, realising they do not have freedom of expression suffer in silence, in fear of being ostracized. Because of this silence, a lot more cases go unreported.INJURED SOULS would like to attract attention to the loopholes and blind spots these child behaviour expectations may create in child upbringing, for example - you see a child being physically abused , you take for granted that the child has been naughty and therefore deserves the beatings, afterall the elder is always presumed right. Moreover, the use of violence is condoned as a problem solving method.These blind spots are also illustrated in poems like CAN YOU whereby a child is being abused and people around her either don't see it or do not interpret it as abuse.In this poem, the following children's rightshave been violated.refer AFRICAN CHARTER ON RIGHTS OF CHILDREN -ARTICLE 4 : The best interest of the child - ARTICLE 7 : Freedom of expression - ARTICLE 9 : Freedom of thought, conscience and religion ARTICLE 21: The right to protection against harmful social and cultural practises
PREVIEW
CAN YOU
Can you hear me
As I call out to you
This place is so dark I cant see
So cold am shivering
So silent its deafening
I want to move out of here
Prision is much better
I try to appeal to you
You think Ooh! trouble child!
Is anybody there?
To hear me as I call out.
CHILD UTOPIA
How will you like to see the world child?
A world fit for children
Can you describe it?
Will it make you flourish?
Oh yes! love is a basic need
It will nourish me
It will shape how I percieve the world
Even when things are tough
It will definately guide the parent.
AUTHOUR Q&A
1. WHY DID YOU WRITE THIS BOOK?
Child abuse is very common in today's society. Emotional abuse in particular is the least understood form of child abuse and yet it can be just as destructive as other forms, possibly because it does not leave visible scars.With INJURED SOULS, I wanted to present child abuse as it happens in our homes, something which readers might have seen happen with their bare eyes. only then, maybe it didn't occur to them that " this child is being abused!". Basically,INJURED SOULS is a wake up call for every adult to be more vigilant, IT DEFINES CHILD ABUSE.It is generally taken for granted that home is the safest place to be, a place to escape all the injustices of the world, a place to protect our children.But it is also in these homes that our children are violated in the worst possible manner.They are shamed, rejected, terrorised, corrupted inside these homes .Child abuse is not something you go looking for somewhere, it might be happening right under your nose. INJURED SOULS seeks to challenge parents to make homes safer for the children.
2. HOW DID YOU BECOME INTERESTED?
It seems our society wants to deny and pretend child abuse does not exist.During the 16 days of activism for no violance against women and children, our communities remained far too quiet. Why? I got interested because it occured to me that may be people do not appreciate the gravity of the problem. statistics show that child abuse is on the increase e.g sexual exploitation,defilement,neglect e.t.c. Sadly, a lot more cases go unreported despite the government and NGOs efforts to raise awareness about child abuse.INJURED SOULS compliments all other effort already in place.
3. WHAT DO YOU WISH TO ACHIEVE BY PUBLISHING THIS BOOK?
I am hoping to create a burning platform which will create an impetus for people to act.Its a fact, children are suffering and they are helpless. They are overwhelmed by the horrible situations they find themselves in, sometimes filled with feelings of guilt, then suffer in silence.INJURED SOULS hopes top break the silence.
4. WHO IS YOUR INTENDED READERSHIP?
Everyone! oh yes everyone!
CHILDREN:
The poems will increase their awareness about child abuse and they will be able to understand their feelings, environment and circumstances better and therefore be in a better position to seek help. It will decrease chances for self blame which easily engulfs children.
ADULTS.
INJURED SOULS can also induce parents to do a bit more introspection as far as their parenting styles are concerned.They would want to assess if they are endangering their children in anyway.For adults,these poems can also bring into consciousness problems they have experienced as children which appeared trivial or insignificant to them.The percieved insignificance made them to undersetimate the impact these childhood problems have made in their lifes.
COUNSELLORS
INJURED SOULS makes a very good reference guide for counsellors,victims survivors and perpertrators.The poems will help clients identify feelings they have experienced.
SOCIETY
INJURED SOULS challenges the society to acknowledge the child abuse problem and to tackle the problem. it also defines their role in the fight against child abuse.
ABOUT MY BOOKS
INJURED SOULS
Description:
Injured souls is narrative poetry which is meant to give readers insight on common feelings experienced by abused children and the thorny road they have to travel in order to attain emotional health.It will also help adult survivors of child abuse identify with some of the feelings . Do our traditional african child rearing practises predispose our children to abuse in any way? What role does the family and society play in perpertuating these abusive behaviours and is there anything they can do to curb them?
SHADOWS
Description
In Shadows, Dawn Ndlovu details the troubled childhood of Kea. A life marred by intense hardship and emotional turmoil leading to despondency, poor self concept which eventually distorted her view of life. Shunned and treated like an outcast, her family always ensured that she remained invisible and in the shadows of everybody else. Thoroughly abused and overcome by powerlessness, hopelessness and despair Kea felt very pessimistic about life and attempted suicide during her late childhood. As parents, do we strive to acquire child rearing practices and norms which assist our children to appreciate the beauty of life? Do we equip them to be well integrated and accepted by society? How practical are our parenting styles in today’s world?
Description:
Injured souls is narrative poetry which is meant to give readers insight on common feelings experienced by abused children and the thorny road they have to travel in order to attain emotional health.It will also help adult survivors of child abuse identify with some of the feelings . Do our traditional african child rearing practises predispose our children to abuse in any way? What role does the family and society play in perpertuating these abusive behaviours and is there anything they can do to curb them?
SHADOWS
Description
In Shadows, Dawn Ndlovu details the troubled childhood of Kea. A life marred by intense hardship and emotional turmoil leading to despondency, poor self concept which eventually distorted her view of life. Shunned and treated like an outcast, her family always ensured that she remained invisible and in the shadows of everybody else. Thoroughly abused and overcome by powerlessness, hopelessness and despair Kea felt very pessimistic about life and attempted suicide during her late childhood. As parents, do we strive to acquire child rearing practices and norms which assist our children to appreciate the beauty of life? Do we equip them to be well integrated and accepted by society? How practical are our parenting styles in today’s world?
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