Don't just gawk, do something
Fact: Corporal Punishment is illegal in South Africa, yet it continues to happen.
Parents are polarised about this subject.
On the one hand there’s the “spare the rod and spoil the child” opinion and on the other hand there are people who absolutely will not spank!
Either way, when corporal punishment evolves into physical abuse, it should be reported and NOT filmed secretly to put up on social media later.
Facebook and Twitter are all abuzz with streams of secretly taped videos of children being hit.
What’s so gripping about these is the fact that it’s often the mother doing the taping.
Marc Hardwick from the child protection company, The Guardian, says that people don’t intervene enough.
If it doesn’t affect us, we’re not interested.
Marc feels it’s compulsory for the public to act when they witness this kind of abuse.
If you hear a child screaming next door, you should go over and find out if everything is alright.
“You might just save a life,” Marc says.
Would you intervene if you see a child being hit? Or if you witness a domestic violence incident?
Take a listen to the advice Marc gives...
Judging by a 'social experiment' done in Sweden, in which a man is recorded with a hidden camera - pushing his girlfriend around in a lift and verbally abusing her - we'd rather ignore this kind of thing than intervene.
Out of the 53 people they filmed, only one reacts.
Take a look at what happened below (click the bottom right-hand icon to get English subtitles)
We want to know:
If you come across a child being hit by his or her parent would you:
1. Step in and intervene
2. Just walk on (not my problem)
3. Haul out your camera and share on social media?
*If you know of a child being abused, you can contact Childline via their toll-free crisis line to report it: 08 000 55 555.
Marc Hardwick from The Guardian can be contacted via 0837966554 or email him at [email protected]
You can also email Terence Pillay at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @terencepillay1