What are you doing to help your child?

“There is a culture of violence in South Africa.” My ears pricked up as I tuned in half way through a Third Degree Plus episode presented by Debora Patta on etv recently.
Violence is a familiar theme on the show. It has featured criminals who become repeat offenders; protests over service delivery in the townships; xenophobic attacks that threaten free trade in the townships; missing and murdered children - the perpetrators are often never found… “A child goes missing every six hours in South Africa. The Western Cape bears the heaviest mantle of shame – it’s where almost half the missing children are from,” states a press release. “Is South Africa failing its children?”
Patta was interviewing a young professor (I didn’t catch his name) who was talking about fractured families … children watching their parents or guardians deal with issues through violence … non-communication … They are also influenced by their peers and the media − violence on TV, in cartoons (Tom & Jerry is a favourite example) and shows like WWF where viewers are warned not to try what they’re doing at home.
He said that bullying among females is increasing right now and to watch out for blue marks or bruises as a sign that a child could be being bullied at school. He encourages parents and teachers to form committees to investigate and stop such incidents but warned that some schools prefer to keep quiet about it. The same goes for people wanting to introduce drug projects at schools – some principals block them because they believe their school does not have a drug problem.
The professor said the constitution protects the child but that parents need to be involved. He said self-esteem was a big thing and a ‘cowboys don’t cry’ culture could hamper progress.
What are you doing to help your child? – Debbie Hathway