Violent time for nearly 1mil kids

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Some 951,000 children in Malaysia are exposed to violence in their homes every year.
A global report, which stated this, also estimated that a staggering 275 million children worldwide are currently exposed to domestic violence.
The report, entitled Behind Closed Doors, was gauged from data submitted by governments, estimated unreported cases and the population.
It was jointly compiled by the United Nations Children Fund (Unicef), beauty care chain Body Shop International and UN Secretariat on Violence Against Children.
“Child development experts tell us that a child’s mental health is affected not only by direct physical violence and abuse, but also by witnessing abuse against loved ones in the home,” said Unicef representative Gaye Philips.
She said studies on domestic violence against women are useful indicators as to the number of children living in violent domestic settings.
In this region, she said, there is data on violence against children in its various forms and settings.
“The level of awareness here of what constitutes an act of violence against a child is still very low,” she added.

The report urges the Government to:
# raise awareness on the impact of domestic violence on children;
# create public policies and laws that protect children, and
# improve social services that address the impact of violence in the home on children.

It was presented to Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil here, yesterday.
She also launched the Stop Violence in the Home Campaign 2006, organised by Unicef, Body Shop and the Women’s Aid Organisation and donated RM25,000 to the drive.
The report took into account all forms of abuse – from verbal abuse to more severe forms of violence.