Psychologists are unanimous in their view that parents must not resort to physical abuse to discipline their children. It is especially painful to see parents beating their children in public, when the physical and mental abuse is worse for the child because it takes place in front of strangers. This is something that cannot be forgiven or forgotten by any child as he is a human being who cannot bear to be humiliated in front of others. I once saw a boy, under the age of five, being dragged out of a souq in a rude way by his father. The father was shouting at him and scolding him. It was a terrible sight see. At the same time, I saw the boy's mother walking in a cool manner making no attempt to save the child from torture at the hands of his father. For me, the father and mother were two sides of the same coin. As for father, he was apparently not thankful to God for blessing him with a child, while the mother made no attempt to save the child from persecution. It is possible that the woman might have been afraid of herself becoming a victim of her husband's anger if she had tried to intervene. Whatever the truth may be, it was the small child who was the real victim. Can we imagine what this child might be like when he is older? It is not unusual that such children seek an outlet for their rage by harassing other children at school or by beating their younger siblings at home. It would also not be strange if he resorts to beating his wife and children when he is an adult. There may, of course, be exceptions with some of these children being kind and compassionate to their children and spouses in the future. However, they will never forgive their father for abusing them in public unjustifiably. A few days after this first incident, I saw another child victimized by his parent. The boy, who was around nine years of age, was slapped in the face by his mother in a supermarket. When the child insisted that she buy something for him, the woman became angry and without uttering a single word subjected the child to a thunderous slapping. Then, the weeping boy, who was seen trying to cover his face, followed his mother outside the supermarket. Punishing and humiliating children in public is not restricted to Arab societies; it also happens in America and in countries in Europe. It takes place despite measures those countries have taken to protect children from being victims of abuse. In those countries, children can lodge complaints with local authorities by phone, and there are community consultants and psychologists in schools to monitor the behavioral problems of children and to listen to their complaints as well as to visit homes where it is suspected that child abuse is taking place. Apart from this, the government intervenes to stop such abuse and in extreme cases to rescue abused children and to find alternative families to take care of them. If even after taking all these precautionary measures, cases of abuse are reported in these countries, then what is the expected fate of children in societies where there are no measures in place to protect them? The absence of parental affection is the main problem. Both father and mother must show mercy, remain patient and make sacrifices while raising their children.
