BY
JACOB WAISWA
GRADUATE PEACE AND CONFLICT PROGRAM
P.O. BOX 7062,
MAKERERE-UNIVERSITY
KAMPALA-UGANDA
jwaiswa@arts.mak.ac.ug
Introduction:
The study rotates around family conflicts (or family mental health issues) which, if mismanaged, potentially, spills over into the wider community. It goes further to trace individual concerns (inner conflicts) that families consciously or unconsciously perpetuate –which, if not given due attention, like a time-bomb, blows up into serious social costs like substance abuse, aggressive and risky behaviors, increased HIV/AIDS prevalence, low productivity, poverty and looming ignorance to solve those problems. It is, thus, pertinent to address such problems from the environment around the root (individuals at family level) in order to achieve sustainable peace in the wider community (global peace).
A family is a fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children (thefreedictionary.com, retrieved October 7, 2010) defines. Family mental health is critical determinant of future wars, turmoil and their consequences while parenting justified parenthood through realization of noble roles in respect of child development and growth that sees the child re-socialize and project himself or herself to independence, learn to co-exist peacefully with family members and society as well as be in position to prioritize among the various interaction sources in the environment to achieve defined goals in life. Fancher R. (2010) explained, “…Because what other people think determines what opportunities you're going to have in life, and other people already have that power, whether you and your therapist recognize it or not."
Background
There are nearly 54 million people around the world with severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder (manic-depressive illness). Estimated 154 million people suffer from depression. People living in developing countries are disproportionately affected. Mental disorders are increasingly prevalent in developing countries, the consequence of persistent poverty-driven conditions, the demographic transition, conflicts in fragile states and natural disasters. At the same time, more than 50% of developing countries do not provide any care for persons with mental disorders in the community. These disorders bring significant hardship not only to those who suffer from them, but also to their caregivers -- often the family, given the lack of mental health resources found in developing countries (WHO, 2007).
Throughout the world, more than a billion people are seriously ill or malnourished resulting into death of some ten million children each year in Africa alone. The Earth’s population nearing 6 billion continue to grow by more than 90 million each year, more than 90% of that growth is in developing countries. This constantly expanding population increases the need for food, housing, water and industry –which brings further damage to land, water, and air from industrial and other pollutants.
The Problem
The poor quality of childhood upbringing characterized by malnutrition, visual inputs, poor model objects, neglect and domestic violence has a toll on child’s wellness and peace, peace and wellness of his or her family, community and global peace. To address the existing global conflict situation we need track personal history, mend it and prevent future conflicts through early diagnosis of children growth and development antagonisms.
Main Objective of the Intervention:
The main objective of the intervention is to proactively deal with violence against children and family level to achieve sustainable global peace.
Intervention Objectives:
The intervention set out to find out how best to make X’s movements safe, to identify origins of the sudden break down of mental functioning, develop ways to recovery of X, and X’s recovery and its implication on peace of the family and wider community.
Scope of the Intervention:
The scope of the intervention is child abuse and neglect in families and their implication on peace in the wider community (global peace).
Significance of the Intervention:
The significance of the intervention is to reach sustainable peace for future generations to thrive by addressing conflict issues (or psychological concerns) right from within individuals in the families to the wider community.
The Case:
There was a case involving a youth (X) who had suddenly broken down –mentally and began loitering on the streets in areas perceived to be secure –since trust had been lost for everyone and everything. No longer could X work, live in a family setting and trust friends. X was sleepless and often rushed out of bed claiming some people wanted to take X’s life.
The Case Interventions:
The interventions involved consulting various mental health professionals in psychiatry and psychology fields, faiths known for their healing powers, seeking networks of people thought to have cared a lot about X, enactment to review and re-show loving and caring scenes with people said to have victimized X, cognitive-based approaches to re-instate truthfulness or rightfulness of situations from the wrongfully perceived states, subjecting X to new environments free from people held responsible for X’s problem, medical care to assess X’s physiological state, examination of X’s love life, and signing in X to the world of social networking (i.e. facebook.com).
Findings:
The challenges of children growing in broken families included; the big burden to achieve life goals on their own –with no hope of parental intervention, inability to make wise health decisions, difficulty to ensure personal safety and healthy social relations, generation of high pressure to achieve and to break development barriers (mentally, socially and institutionally), the fear of dropping out of school due to inability to pay fees on his or her own that catapults into failure to concentrate and excel academically in order to attain a good career, inability to solve problems associated with choosing and having healthy relationships, and inability to manage chronic stress that characterizes his or her family life a condition that, potentially, pursues child into adulthood –and in responsible social positions. Also, there are critical challenges of lack of social support coupled with the lack of confidence to seek it –as viable path to building resilience required for the child succeed in life.
It was, then, upon community to proactively change the situation through actively granting political, economic, and socio-cultural and safety rights –to significantly avert insecurity in all its manifestations right from family level. It was concluded from an intervention in the life of an abused and neglected child that the amount of resilience resulting from positive reinforcement from friends, teachers and inspiring leaders or roles models from media products, supported adaptability or coping -and some kind of positive spiritual inclinations greatly catapulted abused and neglected children through traps of childhood suffocation, underachievement, psychopathological enclaves and demeaning parental hostilities.
It was noted that involvement of godly impressions as part of the intervention in addressing psychological implications of child abuse, worked best in situations –where the victim trusted no one –including those who really loved them. However, every intervention counted and complimented each other.
In addition, community interventions at village level, national level, regional and global forces of peace restructuring, reconciliation required actual provision of physical needs to victims of domestic violence –ensuring access to development needs and support information on successful human development –as critical means to control and prevent wars and psychological trauma. From the inner peace of individual family members, society can register sustainable peace.
Limitations of the Interventions:
There is never standard time of recovery; it can be very frustrating if you set your own time. Recovery is very gradual, slow, sometimes showing reversals and stagnation. However, with endurance, optimism and timeless patience, positive results show up.
Discussion:
According to the en.wikipedia.org (2010), Insecurity is a feeling of general unease or nervousness that may be triggered by perceiving of oneself to be unloved, inadequate or worthless (whether in a rational or an irrational manner). A person who is insecure lacks confidence in their own value and capability; lacks trust in themselves and/or others, or has fears that a present positive state is temporary and will let them down and cause them loss or distress by "going wrong" in the future. Insecurity may cause shyness, paranoia and social withdrawal, or alternatively it may encourage compensatory behaviors such as arrogance, aggression, or bullying. Insecurity is often rooted in a person's childhood years.
Indeed some of the outcomes can be in form of aggressive attitudes, fears, anxieties, and broken ambitions –which later go behavioral in form of acts like substance abuse, irrational decision making, forming socially dangerous alliances or relationships (as means to “address” personal insecurities), registering underachievement in all or selected aspects of life, concerns of anti-social personality disorders, problems associated with authoritative and abusive parenting, poor role-modeling along the path to becoming future parents, high levels of crime and prostitution (and its associated problems), and violence in homes and in the wider society –all of which are true manifestation of structural violence with roots right in the family.
Incidentally, some of the products from such families attain high social positions and, so, society begins to meet the costs. Such (products) are generated from broken families because of the conditions dictated by the negative past.
A 2005 national (US) study of psychiatric disorders revealed the origins of childhood anger –which included rejection by peers and siblings, parental anger, marital conflicts, low self-esteem, difficulty in trusting, separation and divorce, poor body image and academic difficulties (Fitzgibbons P., 2005).
But media too is another form of abuse for children (or adolescents). It influenced adolescent’s later years either to the good or for worst of that child. Psychologist Jeffrey Johnson, PhD, in a report by The Washington Post (2002) noted, “The more people watch [TV], the more they perceive the world to be frightening place. They are prepared to respond aggressively.”
It is important to look at children as human capital of the future through integrating health nutrition and early childcare services for young children in developing countries (Young, M. 1996). According to her, childhood problems are greatly influenced by poverty. Poor children in their earliest years faced problems such as stunted mental and physical development, and the lack of preparation for school set the stage for low academic achievement, high drop-out, functional illiteracy, lack of productivity in the work force, and even delinquency and dependence on society.
Brain studies demonstrate that early years are critical in the development of intelligence, personality and social behaviour before the age of three. Childhood education can reduce social costs in such areas as school repetition, juvenile delinquency and drug use (Young, M. 1996).
Absence of love, trust, and feeling of insecurity on the part of the child influences later development outlooks and, in years to come, it will be society that either benefits or suffers. Forgiveness reduces excessive anger in children and in teenagers and may prevent the development of later psychiatric disorders by giving children and teenager a proven method for resolving anger (Fitzgibbons, P. 2005).
By 2002, domestic violence was rife in Uganda as married couples in Eastern town of Jinja were still at war using –using knives, fuel, and other weapons –resulting in serious injuries and death. Violence is highly ‘contagious’ or learned. It swiftly spreads into the minds of growing up children who adopt that tool in future conflicts whether among peers or in a similar situation as marriage.
However, in his book ‘Toddler Taming –A Parent Guide to the First Four Years’ Green, C. 1992:7 outlines the foundation as; love (feeling wanted and welcome); consistency (knowledge where they stand and where they will be tomorrow); tackle tension (which is the most destructive influence in today’s child rearing); a good example to follow; reasonable expectations (what is normal and to expect); fun and enjoyment; and confidence.
Conclusion and Recommendation (s):
Family and individual members in it cannot be separated from the wider community. Indeed communalism is medicine of its own. The wider community had inexhaustible reserves for the family to access for survival and wellness purposes –which is a foundation for community survival and wellness –in return.
This is so because from the community the family obtained enabling policies, social services, physical and psychological security as well as development opportunities for junior members’ progress into the future. Such guaranteed security for the family, inner peace for individuals members of the family and, eventually, sustainable community peace.
As the family continues to play its children development roles –providing both moral and physical support, the community, too, begins to identify its development concerns and wishes in that child. That, though, can either be for the good or worse. Responsibility on the part of family and community and eventual decisions made, thus, contributes to mental wellness of the child that characterizes freedom from the means to psychological trauma as violence.
A multi-sectoral approach to peaceful building is core in recovery and, thus, ought to be put into consideration in any intervention design. This is so because human needs are holistic by nature. But, families must be very careful with what they sow in a developing child, so that society resources can be channeled to prosperity concerns. However, more research is needed to measure extents of each of the various interventions made. It would be interesting to find out differences in the degrees of impact for each intervention.
References:
En.wikipedia (2010) ‘Emotional insecurity’ Available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_insecurity last modified on 19 September 2010
Fancher R. (2010). ‘The Necessity of Moral Engagement’ Available at http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=40302&cn=91 Retrieved on October 7, 2010
Fitzgibbons P. (2005). ‘Protecting the Emotional Health of Children’ Available at http://www.maritalhealing.com/conflicts/conflictsinchildren.php Retrieved on October 7, 2010
Green, C. (1992) Toddler Taming: A Parent’s Guide to the First Four years. Vermilion London (UK) P.7
Odeke, A. (2002) Domestic Violence Ripe in Uganda. BBC Monday, May 20, 2002 Available at news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/Africa/1998977.stm Accessed November, 2010
The Washington Post (2002) Ed. by K. Hewlett (2002) Monitor on Psychology June, 2002 p. 13 Vol. 33. N0. 6
The free dictionary (2010) ‘Family’ Available at http://www.thefreedictionary.com/family Retrieved on October 7, 2010
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (1993) What is the Purpose of Life? P.1
WHO (2007) ‘Community Mental Health Services Will Lessen Social Exclusion, Says WHO.’ Available at http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2007/np25/en/index.html Retrieved October 7th, 2010
Young, M. (1996) The Benefits of Early Child Development Program World Bank
Showing posts with label Domestic Violence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Domestic Violence. Show all posts
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Decision Making and Children Health
Decision making referred to a choice reached after verifying available options to pursue a specific cause –which carried consequences (good and bad). It was as a result of a cost-benefit analysis of having children that a prospecting parent made, rather than making decisions based on urges or feelings because they (urges or feelings) did not think apart from causing excitement.
Attachment denoted the nature of the bond between the mother and the child while level of attachment implied the degree of the existing bond between the mother and the baby or child. And circumstances at conception were merging issues during, or at conception while for environment, experts attribute the term environment to virtually everything visible, invisible, practiced, imagined, or reasoned and about life processes –including man himself, or her self –and all interacting and relating in a certain way with each other.
Children in Uganda have been most marginalized with child-friendly health services only limited to referral hospitals. Elsewhere in the country children share facilities and health care services with adults –an indiscriminate administration of health, yet special care for them was paramount. Direct, structural and institutionalized violence too claims the lives and right morals of children. Domestic violence does not only take the life of one of the parents, but also is psychological violence –moreover the worst a human being can experience that, now, becomes a children affair to deal with or shared experience upon observing parents fight.
Cultural environment –which is discriminative according to gender; never recognizes the rights of children –and the reproductive health rights of women have turned out to be a huge and overwhelming social cost –inclusive of HIV spread and under-development. It becomes a way of life that suffocates the rights of women and children as men behave the way they want as suggested by their cultures.
The economic environment disables parent’s ability to further children’s education, or not even at all affording it, yet it is through child education that the future a community is secured with a productive citizenry. The cycle continues from children dropping out of school and opting to marry or succumbing to wrong and untimely choice to conceive, then the burden becomes a product to be handed over from one generation to another –rendering the talk of children rights a dream.
Now, that way of life is one that begins to dictate the quality of life of a children, level of attachment –where insecurities and future behavioral problems begin, irresponsible parenthood, reckless and risky behaviors of a parents as children observe, low or no health seeking as there will be no money and, ultimately, no motivation to adopt a healthy lifestyle –even when health guidelines are issued –which in turn affects children health, leads to broken family situations, or broken marriage relationships –and which as the saying goes, “if elephants fight it is the grass that suffers,” the consequences accruing from broken-family situation hit children hardest as all the anger gets projected to them in form of abuse and neglect.
And in bid to come out of poverty traps using the much respected cultural or traditional remedy systems, children, still, are the soft target like commodities (without life) to offer to the gods. These are innocent children: why all that? What about the plight children in areas once ravaged by war in northern and north eastern Uganda? How about those affected by annual floods and, in recent years, the landslides? Is our scope of children health catering for that? It is from such grounds that families and communities face accountability for in the child’s teen or youthful years. No shall we have a moral fabric in society, violent free generations because society simply ignores the root causes of structural violence –whose origin is quality of care of children right from conception. And who should save the children of Uganda?
Parenting is, thus, a responsibility one finds himself or herself under voluntarily or involuntary. During adolescence, gradual changes that may be cognitive, emotional, biological, physical and social or environment occur. The qualities of changes are influenced by how well decisions are made at different levels of interaction (cognition, instinct or biology, emotional, social and/or natural environment) in relation to one’s sexuality. It all begins at conception –through important stages of birth, special care of newborns, weaning, and child in playful stage, socialization and learning, gender roles or interests, young stardom, youthful period and adulthood.
Becoming a parent was not only an urge, or by accident as some young women say, but an issue to think about critically before making a decision, not even pressure from elders or traditions counted. It was important to look at children as human capital of the future –through integrating health care, nutrition, and early child care services for young children in developing countries. Problems faced by children in early years, such as stunted mental and physical development and lack of preparation for school set the stage for low academic achievement, high drop out, functional illiteracy, lack of productivity in the work force –and even delinquencies and dependency on society (Young M., 1996).
It did not matter what age of pregnancy, but from the time of conception. But for the purposes of this submission care had to start from the time one started developing feeling to become mother or father, because ultimately the quality of decisions made counted in determination child health. Brain studies demonstrated that early years were critical in the development of intelligence, personality, and social behavior before the age of three. Environment, thus, dramatically affected how the infant brain developed –moreover the impact of early childhood programs on personality and behavior became significant and long-lasting. Indeed childhood education reduced social costs, juvenile delinquencies and drug use (Young M., 1996).
Under difficult or challenging parenting environments, HIV/AIDS emerged as an environment problem as young people and parents were pressured to adopt risky behaviors as means to “survive.” According to Tigawalana D. (Sunday Monitor Sept. 19, 2010), Young people between the ages of 15 and 24 constituted young women as most vulnerable –unexplainable by biological factors, but gender inequalities that existed in African society.
More than 5000 women still died every year in child birth across the globe –with the majority of deaths occurring in developing countries –where health systems were weak or non-functional –and health workers scarce (Lirri, Sunday Monitor July 31, 2010).
In the review on orphans and vulnerable children policy, ministry of gender, labor and social development (2004), 38 of the population lived in absolute poverty –constituting 62% of children. And the number of children living below the poverty line was likely to rise due to high fertility rates, HIV/AIDS, other preventable diseases and insecurity. The causes of poverty included limited access to productive assets (especially women), limited utilization of improved production technologies, large families, alcoholism, unemployment, lack of markets, inadequate opportunities for education and lack of information.
“…so many children in need of education but numbers are so overwhelming. If there’s any support your organization can give us, that’s welcome. Government has given due attention to basic education resulting into substantial increase in enrollment. Unfortunately, there has been decline in primary school retention in the past few years due to high drop-outs."
Geoffrey Muzusa,
Community Development Officer, Jinja
Child care was a cost the prospecting parents needed to think about long before deciding to conceive. In fact, child care began at conception. Pregnancy as physiological stress when various body functions of the mother underwent strain, need an excellent died to keep replenishing the body. With ante natal requiring time, rural areas were located several distances from health centers, so it was less likely that affected parents would visit ante natal clinic as advised.
Yet because of the need for PMTCT, to help the mainly teenagers to conceive safely, and those with height related defects (short parents) associated to difficulty delivery as well as to receive counseling on issues related to physiological reactions of the mother, appropriate dressing of mother and child, appropriate diet, preventive measures against malaria, handling of sibling rivalry and children discipline (Ebrahim G.J., 1971).
While appreciating Ebrahim G.J. (1971) understanding of pregnancy as a physiological reaction, one important component ought not to be underestimated –the psychological implications (e.g. anxiety and depression). Successful child care ought to put that into consideration, otherwise the psychological implications potentially turned out to be the most damaging to the child, or baby. Cumberbatch CJ Eta l (2005) revealed that conditions that were, themselves, psychosocial: anxiety disorders (GAD, OCD, panic disorder, PTSD), mood disorders, and schizophrenia, all of which were a background for a disturbed pregnancy would complicate pregnancy denominated high risk for some other reason.
25% of adolescents became pregnant at 19 as by 2006. Fertility was high at 6.9 children per woman (2001). Contraceptive prevalence rate was at 22.8% in 2001 and 23.7% in 2006. Only 14% of the people were employed in wage employment and the rest in self employment in the informal sector. Females constituted majority of the population at 51%, 32% females at the age of 10 were illiterate, 36% reached primary level, and 18% secondary (National Population Policy for Social Transformation and Sustainable Development, 2008). It was, however, impressive to note improvement in decision making by adolescents as by 2006 could conceive at 19 years. With wage employment at 14% and contraceptive use at 23.7%, the situation was getting better. If decision makers embarked on developing the education sector to have more children complete secondary and train in skills formation, then Uganda would be in a pole position to not only improve livelihoods but make child care as a right real.
Broken-family events are a result of extended family system to stand the test of times (twentieth and twenty first century new world order). As the urge to have children arose as traditionally demanded from the ages of 18 and above or less, the new order, instead, required productivity of prospecting parents before, at all, they decided to have children. Having children is thus no longer fashionable, nor marrying until one’s decision was in agreement with the new order.
Those who are there even when economically liberated will tell you that things are not really good while gaining confidence that God will provide. The question of sustainability of care and love within a family set-up is ignored yet critical. It is, therefore, important that policy makers embark on massive gender-conscious literacy or education program intertwined with aspects that address reproductive health concerns, impart life skills, or vocational skills –all of which empower communities with tools of rightful decision making that go as far as influencing health children development, or for that make transform children rights talk from theory to practice. When structural change is registered, no more shall see Bukedde news paper pictures of sacrificed children or domestic violence, among other concerns.
Jacob Waiswa
Graduate Peace and Conflict Studies Program
Makerere University
P.O. Box 7062,
Kampala-Uganda
jwaiswa@arts.mak.ac.ug
Attachment denoted the nature of the bond between the mother and the child while level of attachment implied the degree of the existing bond between the mother and the baby or child. And circumstances at conception were merging issues during, or at conception while for environment, experts attribute the term environment to virtually everything visible, invisible, practiced, imagined, or reasoned and about life processes –including man himself, or her self –and all interacting and relating in a certain way with each other.
Children in Uganda have been most marginalized with child-friendly health services only limited to referral hospitals. Elsewhere in the country children share facilities and health care services with adults –an indiscriminate administration of health, yet special care for them was paramount. Direct, structural and institutionalized violence too claims the lives and right morals of children. Domestic violence does not only take the life of one of the parents, but also is psychological violence –moreover the worst a human being can experience that, now, becomes a children affair to deal with or shared experience upon observing parents fight.
Cultural environment –which is discriminative according to gender; never recognizes the rights of children –and the reproductive health rights of women have turned out to be a huge and overwhelming social cost –inclusive of HIV spread and under-development. It becomes a way of life that suffocates the rights of women and children as men behave the way they want as suggested by their cultures.
The economic environment disables parent’s ability to further children’s education, or not even at all affording it, yet it is through child education that the future a community is secured with a productive citizenry. The cycle continues from children dropping out of school and opting to marry or succumbing to wrong and untimely choice to conceive, then the burden becomes a product to be handed over from one generation to another –rendering the talk of children rights a dream.
Now, that way of life is one that begins to dictate the quality of life of a children, level of attachment –where insecurities and future behavioral problems begin, irresponsible parenthood, reckless and risky behaviors of a parents as children observe, low or no health seeking as there will be no money and, ultimately, no motivation to adopt a healthy lifestyle –even when health guidelines are issued –which in turn affects children health, leads to broken family situations, or broken marriage relationships –and which as the saying goes, “if elephants fight it is the grass that suffers,” the consequences accruing from broken-family situation hit children hardest as all the anger gets projected to them in form of abuse and neglect.
And in bid to come out of poverty traps using the much respected cultural or traditional remedy systems, children, still, are the soft target like commodities (without life) to offer to the gods. These are innocent children: why all that? What about the plight children in areas once ravaged by war in northern and north eastern Uganda? How about those affected by annual floods and, in recent years, the landslides? Is our scope of children health catering for that? It is from such grounds that families and communities face accountability for in the child’s teen or youthful years. No shall we have a moral fabric in society, violent free generations because society simply ignores the root causes of structural violence –whose origin is quality of care of children right from conception. And who should save the children of Uganda?
Parenting is, thus, a responsibility one finds himself or herself under voluntarily or involuntary. During adolescence, gradual changes that may be cognitive, emotional, biological, physical and social or environment occur. The qualities of changes are influenced by how well decisions are made at different levels of interaction (cognition, instinct or biology, emotional, social and/or natural environment) in relation to one’s sexuality. It all begins at conception –through important stages of birth, special care of newborns, weaning, and child in playful stage, socialization and learning, gender roles or interests, young stardom, youthful period and adulthood.
Becoming a parent was not only an urge, or by accident as some young women say, but an issue to think about critically before making a decision, not even pressure from elders or traditions counted. It was important to look at children as human capital of the future –through integrating health care, nutrition, and early child care services for young children in developing countries. Problems faced by children in early years, such as stunted mental and physical development and lack of preparation for school set the stage for low academic achievement, high drop out, functional illiteracy, lack of productivity in the work force –and even delinquencies and dependency on society (Young M., 1996).
It did not matter what age of pregnancy, but from the time of conception. But for the purposes of this submission care had to start from the time one started developing feeling to become mother or father, because ultimately the quality of decisions made counted in determination child health. Brain studies demonstrated that early years were critical in the development of intelligence, personality, and social behavior before the age of three. Environment, thus, dramatically affected how the infant brain developed –moreover the impact of early childhood programs on personality and behavior became significant and long-lasting. Indeed childhood education reduced social costs, juvenile delinquencies and drug use (Young M., 1996).
Under difficult or challenging parenting environments, HIV/AIDS emerged as an environment problem as young people and parents were pressured to adopt risky behaviors as means to “survive.” According to Tigawalana D. (Sunday Monitor Sept. 19, 2010), Young people between the ages of 15 and 24 constituted young women as most vulnerable –unexplainable by biological factors, but gender inequalities that existed in African society.
More than 5000 women still died every year in child birth across the globe –with the majority of deaths occurring in developing countries –where health systems were weak or non-functional –and health workers scarce (Lirri, Sunday Monitor July 31, 2010).
In the review on orphans and vulnerable children policy, ministry of gender, labor and social development (2004), 38 of the population lived in absolute poverty –constituting 62% of children. And the number of children living below the poverty line was likely to rise due to high fertility rates, HIV/AIDS, other preventable diseases and insecurity. The causes of poverty included limited access to productive assets (especially women), limited utilization of improved production technologies, large families, alcoholism, unemployment, lack of markets, inadequate opportunities for education and lack of information.
“…so many children in need of education but numbers are so overwhelming. If there’s any support your organization can give us, that’s welcome. Government has given due attention to basic education resulting into substantial increase in enrollment. Unfortunately, there has been decline in primary school retention in the past few years due to high drop-outs."
Geoffrey Muzusa,
Community Development Officer, Jinja
Child care was a cost the prospecting parents needed to think about long before deciding to conceive. In fact, child care began at conception. Pregnancy as physiological stress when various body functions of the mother underwent strain, need an excellent died to keep replenishing the body. With ante natal requiring time, rural areas were located several distances from health centers, so it was less likely that affected parents would visit ante natal clinic as advised.
Yet because of the need for PMTCT, to help the mainly teenagers to conceive safely, and those with height related defects (short parents) associated to difficulty delivery as well as to receive counseling on issues related to physiological reactions of the mother, appropriate dressing of mother and child, appropriate diet, preventive measures against malaria, handling of sibling rivalry and children discipline (Ebrahim G.J., 1971).
While appreciating Ebrahim G.J. (1971) understanding of pregnancy as a physiological reaction, one important component ought not to be underestimated –the psychological implications (e.g. anxiety and depression). Successful child care ought to put that into consideration, otherwise the psychological implications potentially turned out to be the most damaging to the child, or baby. Cumberbatch CJ Eta l (2005) revealed that conditions that were, themselves, psychosocial: anxiety disorders (GAD, OCD, panic disorder, PTSD), mood disorders, and schizophrenia, all of which were a background for a disturbed pregnancy would complicate pregnancy denominated high risk for some other reason.
25% of adolescents became pregnant at 19 as by 2006. Fertility was high at 6.9 children per woman (2001). Contraceptive prevalence rate was at 22.8% in 2001 and 23.7% in 2006. Only 14% of the people were employed in wage employment and the rest in self employment in the informal sector. Females constituted majority of the population at 51%, 32% females at the age of 10 were illiterate, 36% reached primary level, and 18% secondary (National Population Policy for Social Transformation and Sustainable Development, 2008). It was, however, impressive to note improvement in decision making by adolescents as by 2006 could conceive at 19 years. With wage employment at 14% and contraceptive use at 23.7%, the situation was getting better. If decision makers embarked on developing the education sector to have more children complete secondary and train in skills formation, then Uganda would be in a pole position to not only improve livelihoods but make child care as a right real.
Broken-family events are a result of extended family system to stand the test of times (twentieth and twenty first century new world order). As the urge to have children arose as traditionally demanded from the ages of 18 and above or less, the new order, instead, required productivity of prospecting parents before, at all, they decided to have children. Having children is thus no longer fashionable, nor marrying until one’s decision was in agreement with the new order.
Those who are there even when economically liberated will tell you that things are not really good while gaining confidence that God will provide. The question of sustainability of care and love within a family set-up is ignored yet critical. It is, therefore, important that policy makers embark on massive gender-conscious literacy or education program intertwined with aspects that address reproductive health concerns, impart life skills, or vocational skills –all of which empower communities with tools of rightful decision making that go as far as influencing health children development, or for that make transform children rights talk from theory to practice. When structural change is registered, no more shall see Bukedde news paper pictures of sacrificed children or domestic violence, among other concerns.
Jacob Waiswa
Graduate Peace and Conflict Studies Program
Makerere University
P.O. Box 7062,
Kampala-Uganda
jwaiswa@arts.mak.ac.ug
Friday, January 23, 2009
MANAGING SABOTEURS' ACTIONS AND SABOTAGE SITUATIONS
Saboteurs, according to wikipedia.org are people whose deliberate actions are aimed at weakening perceived enemy and oppressor -through subversion, obstruction, disruption, and destruction. Saboteurs can be classified in war terms as enemies or spies -whose core intention, like terrorist, is to destroy.
Indeed, if one had saboteurs around himself or herself, it would be a kind of war or struggle -whose duration can be had to calculate. Instead, it could more of just commitment to the relentless fight for self-liberation, or for others.
Some people might choose to call it psychological warfare (imagined attack or imagined planned attack). Also called mind game (s) between individuals and groups, or even nations -which could be followed by potentially injurious actions targeting their victims.
And some say it is the most decisive kind of war, since after disabling a victim, he or she retains life, but with untold trauma, as well. Actually, if not treated, the victim could lose himself to insanity.
The other kind of war is that involving physical confrontation. It might be an armed or an unarmed confrontation. An armed is that involving gun shoot-outs, metal bar or any other, but lethal weapon, while unarmed considers fist and kick-administration to physically harm another person, or other people.
It is important that individuals under constant acts sabotage from sadists form defense and escape values that clearly define their goals and relationship with others -along the path of positive individual growth and development.
In that disregard, appropriate ways of interaction and behavior will be developed not only to fail saboteurs' dangerous missions, but to reduce or control mental and physical damage. Lowly, animals have varied ways of dealing with enemies -like being confrontational, adapting or prisonisation, and retreating or relocating.
It is a trying moment -which requires highest possible adaptation abilities. These can be acquired through training, socialization with toughed-up people or through successful experiences of hardships caused by toxic environment or people.
Alternatively, others would be so focussed on their values that no attention to saboteurs' actions. Making them as of no meaning -during the time of sabotage -especially that is psychological.
It will not be very long when, they (saboteurs) begin to look foolish and retreat filled with shame, or asking themselves why they were doing such a thing -especially without attention-reward being given to them. It is a non-violent strategy proposed by the humanists , which calls on the oppressed not to acknowledge evil deeds of the aggressor.
Unfortunately, not many can keep off their attention to the worst provocation. They will want to revenge -which later turns out to be the long-awaited game for the aggressor, now that attention has been given.
Stress could be encountered whilst under too much pressure to deal saboteurs' distracting actions, and the fact that one might be surrounded by insults, acts to deprive and deface. At times, it can be so acute that everything as planned get stalled, and at the same time down with stress-related illnesses. This could interfere with normal work and social life, and, of course; general well-being.
Whilst in that situation, it would be important to successfully manage stress and keep track with life normal life routines, be healthy, able to work and overcome nasty people. Any moment one fell sick, would be a tea party and a kind of victory for the saboteurs.
They (saboteurs) would laugh their heads off. Unless portrayed as a camouflage to them, one's weakness should never be showed. If they were, saboteurs' position would be strengthed the more.
These people do anything to inflict pain on whoever they choose as their target. Their different forms of hurting might be to defame, hate campaign, attracting others into the hurting or suffocating business against their victim -while surprisingly devoting entire day's time on designing insults, negative wishes and actions, or pray for calamity to befall their victim.
The climax could be making plans to take away life of a person or people in target, and eventually, execute the plan. To them pain felt by perceived “enemy” would be their happiness or satisfaction -to keep reinforcing their actions.
The same reinforcement could encourage them to continuously fail progress of others, to damage their reputation, to grab only assets possessed and remorselessly destroy victim's good character developed over years.
In dealing with such troublesome persons, a survival, interaction or relationship-boundary management and achievement plan, or as a combination, ought to be pooled and pursued. For example, finding caring friends -to safely oversee one's sensitive assets, to provide safe food to eat and water to drink, or find trustworthy eating places, to share one's troubles with, to derive inspirations and encouragement, among others. Meanwhile, at personal level, the victimized person could make it a habit to do physical exercises -to help the body cope with pressure.
Making use an existing network of friends created over time -to support one's cause in terms of living-space sharing, discover career development opportunities, share and strength one's vision -through moral support given by the friends' network, and many other ways.
Doing so, would help one realize cherished peace and experience relief or reduced pressure, elevated self-esteem and confidence in pursuit of his or her goals, above the negative forces and subsequently escape the enslavement.
In the process of achieving one's goal, expectations must be known -like necessity to struggle and painfully accept to maneuver through the success path -regardless of the size of the “dragons” along. A lot of patience would be needed, and time bought to have the toxic situation overhauled.
Of course, so often, there can be set backs and tears of a suffering man or woman, but at the same time, one has to reassure himself or herself that through belief, hardworking, mental and action-focussed pattern, one runs several miles away from his or her troubles.
Through activities like meditation, physical exercises, religious or faith-related activities, creating healthy social circles, and channeling one's time on positive aspects of life, giving the toxic people space to reduce possible mental and physical damage or their recur.
One must set himself or herself into strength mode and continue to grow that way, with determination, self-belief and self-assurance that all will be fine. A kind of self-resuscitation, which requires putting an idea under frequent practice -to finally be there as planned.
Coming out of the constantly provoking distracters of wellness, achievement, and the time-wasting on dealing with toxic people, requires identifying one's abilities that could foster success, developing self-belief and beginning the long walk to trouble-relieving success.
To do that, the victim must visualize, realize and recognize that it is a fact that they must save themselves from the toxic social environment and acknowledge that current conditions will change for the better. Then, a self-rescue plan could follow and subsequent change actions -integrating career development and relocating oneself in a better development-enabling area.
It is these that positively prove the real worth of oneself past progress-saboteurs, rather than languish in misery caused by the toxic individuals. The new standards set would be geared to redefining oneself -towards achievement and generate motivating power to come out of the oppressive chains and attain harmony and peace in life.
Personal hobbies and interests would be the closest “ally” to make use of. These help take one's time away from the distractions of toxic people -as well as help reduce the emotional and mental damage that could have penetrated deep into the self.
Similarly, making social contributions through one's hobbies and interests could help undo their negative criticisms and plans. They too could help market the best of one's personality to the community. In the area of career development it could as well be a big plus, as one might identify a talent to exploit or even attract employers.
It would be important, as well, that one creates partnerships in the course of developing career goals. They could, in most cases, be of the type -who have been the the field longer. Such partnerships may be with old friends to begin with, much as good approach to strangers too yield excellent partnerships.
After some time of testing ones abilities and competencies with partners or business friends, further introductions could be made of ones accomplishments to organizations and firms that may need the services, skills or knowledge. But adding problems to already existing ones must, with immediate, be minimized. Some strangers might rake any little achievement so far.
Networks too could be invested into in terms of time, and if need be -spend money. Much of the information one lacked would with network members. They could be effectively utilized, when searching for opportunities out there -through strategic interactions, chats or otherwise, and conclusions would be made -as to where opportunities for personal development are.
Also necessary, would be; seeking any chance available of furthering one's education or strengthening curriculum vitae -through experiential learning. They could be either short term or long-term training -aimed at acquiring new skills. As a consequence, one's goal of positive personal experiences, and of peace and harmony would be enabled.
An opportunity got from one's social networks could be rather act as a ladders to higher career steps, than calling it the end of career-goal pursuit. It could be habit for one to send job applications elsewhere and everywhere in relentless attempts towards positive changes in his or her life. As career authors put it, “the moment one enters an organizations, he o she soon makes possible attempts to exit,” which indeed is a true reflection of an ambitious person.
For one to swiftly move through a career development course successfully, he or she must consult with most relevant information and resource persons around. And, be the kind, who has concretized a reading culture.
Important, also, would be the act of sharing one's vision with friends -who are positive about life. This could help greatly strength mentally one's commitment to the set plan for change actions, give confidence and enhance more creativity around obstacles in the path to one's goal (s).
Friends' compliments, encouragement and advices or constructive criticisms would be the source of positive personal attributes. It would be doing injustice to oneself, if helpful criticism was not taken for self correction. Most of it might be re-directing or suggesting him or her to re-think and get onto the right path.
Sparing time for prayer and/or meditation would be another avenue to consider along one's path to positive personal growth and development, and liberate oneself from the infringes of poverty, dehumanization and misery. Saboteurs, like any life challenge or obstacle, could stall or delay progress and toxic to individual survival, but manageable -if one really knew what he or she wanted in life.
Indeed, if one had saboteurs around himself or herself, it would be a kind of war or struggle -whose duration can be had to calculate. Instead, it could more of just commitment to the relentless fight for self-liberation, or for others.
Some people might choose to call it psychological warfare (imagined attack or imagined planned attack). Also called mind game (s) between individuals and groups, or even nations -which could be followed by potentially injurious actions targeting their victims.
And some say it is the most decisive kind of war, since after disabling a victim, he or she retains life, but with untold trauma, as well. Actually, if not treated, the victim could lose himself to insanity.
The other kind of war is that involving physical confrontation. It might be an armed or an unarmed confrontation. An armed is that involving gun shoot-outs, metal bar or any other, but lethal weapon, while unarmed considers fist and kick-administration to physically harm another person, or other people.
It is important that individuals under constant acts sabotage from sadists form defense and escape values that clearly define their goals and relationship with others -along the path of positive individual growth and development.
In that disregard, appropriate ways of interaction and behavior will be developed not only to fail saboteurs' dangerous missions, but to reduce or control mental and physical damage. Lowly, animals have varied ways of dealing with enemies -like being confrontational, adapting or prisonisation, and retreating or relocating.
It is a trying moment -which requires highest possible adaptation abilities. These can be acquired through training, socialization with toughed-up people or through successful experiences of hardships caused by toxic environment or people.
Alternatively, others would be so focussed on their values that no attention to saboteurs' actions. Making them as of no meaning -during the time of sabotage -especially that is psychological.
It will not be very long when, they (saboteurs) begin to look foolish and retreat filled with shame, or asking themselves why they were doing such a thing -especially without attention-reward being given to them. It is a non-violent strategy proposed by the humanists , which calls on the oppressed not to acknowledge evil deeds of the aggressor.
Unfortunately, not many can keep off their attention to the worst provocation. They will want to revenge -which later turns out to be the long-awaited game for the aggressor, now that attention has been given.
Stress could be encountered whilst under too much pressure to deal saboteurs' distracting actions, and the fact that one might be surrounded by insults, acts to deprive and deface. At times, it can be so acute that everything as planned get stalled, and at the same time down with stress-related illnesses. This could interfere with normal work and social life, and, of course; general well-being.
Whilst in that situation, it would be important to successfully manage stress and keep track with life normal life routines, be healthy, able to work and overcome nasty people. Any moment one fell sick, would be a tea party and a kind of victory for the saboteurs.
They (saboteurs) would laugh their heads off. Unless portrayed as a camouflage to them, one's weakness should never be showed. If they were, saboteurs' position would be strengthed the more.
These people do anything to inflict pain on whoever they choose as their target. Their different forms of hurting might be to defame, hate campaign, attracting others into the hurting or suffocating business against their victim -while surprisingly devoting entire day's time on designing insults, negative wishes and actions, or pray for calamity to befall their victim.
The climax could be making plans to take away life of a person or people in target, and eventually, execute the plan. To them pain felt by perceived “enemy” would be their happiness or satisfaction -to keep reinforcing their actions.
The same reinforcement could encourage them to continuously fail progress of others, to damage their reputation, to grab only assets possessed and remorselessly destroy victim's good character developed over years.
In dealing with such troublesome persons, a survival, interaction or relationship-boundary management and achievement plan, or as a combination, ought to be pooled and pursued. For example, finding caring friends -to safely oversee one's sensitive assets, to provide safe food to eat and water to drink, or find trustworthy eating places, to share one's troubles with, to derive inspirations and encouragement, among others. Meanwhile, at personal level, the victimized person could make it a habit to do physical exercises -to help the body cope with pressure.
Making use an existing network of friends created over time -to support one's cause in terms of living-space sharing, discover career development opportunities, share and strength one's vision -through moral support given by the friends' network, and many other ways.
Doing so, would help one realize cherished peace and experience relief or reduced pressure, elevated self-esteem and confidence in pursuit of his or her goals, above the negative forces and subsequently escape the enslavement.
In the process of achieving one's goal, expectations must be known -like necessity to struggle and painfully accept to maneuver through the success path -regardless of the size of the “dragons” along. A lot of patience would be needed, and time bought to have the toxic situation overhauled.
Of course, so often, there can be set backs and tears of a suffering man or woman, but at the same time, one has to reassure himself or herself that through belief, hardworking, mental and action-focussed pattern, one runs several miles away from his or her troubles.
Through activities like meditation, physical exercises, religious or faith-related activities, creating healthy social circles, and channeling one's time on positive aspects of life, giving the toxic people space to reduce possible mental and physical damage or their recur.
One must set himself or herself into strength mode and continue to grow that way, with determination, self-belief and self-assurance that all will be fine. A kind of self-resuscitation, which requires putting an idea under frequent practice -to finally be there as planned.
Coming out of the constantly provoking distracters of wellness, achievement, and the time-wasting on dealing with toxic people, requires identifying one's abilities that could foster success, developing self-belief and beginning the long walk to trouble-relieving success.
To do that, the victim must visualize, realize and recognize that it is a fact that they must save themselves from the toxic social environment and acknowledge that current conditions will change for the better. Then, a self-rescue plan could follow and subsequent change actions -integrating career development and relocating oneself in a better development-enabling area.
It is these that positively prove the real worth of oneself past progress-saboteurs, rather than languish in misery caused by the toxic individuals. The new standards set would be geared to redefining oneself -towards achievement and generate motivating power to come out of the oppressive chains and attain harmony and peace in life.
Personal hobbies and interests would be the closest “ally” to make use of. These help take one's time away from the distractions of toxic people -as well as help reduce the emotional and mental damage that could have penetrated deep into the self.
Similarly, making social contributions through one's hobbies and interests could help undo their negative criticisms and plans. They too could help market the best of one's personality to the community. In the area of career development it could as well be a big plus, as one might identify a talent to exploit or even attract employers.
It would be important, as well, that one creates partnerships in the course of developing career goals. They could, in most cases, be of the type -who have been the the field longer. Such partnerships may be with old friends to begin with, much as good approach to strangers too yield excellent partnerships.
After some time of testing ones abilities and competencies with partners or business friends, further introductions could be made of ones accomplishments to organizations and firms that may need the services, skills or knowledge. But adding problems to already existing ones must, with immediate, be minimized. Some strangers might rake any little achievement so far.
Networks too could be invested into in terms of time, and if need be -spend money. Much of the information one lacked would with network members. They could be effectively utilized, when searching for opportunities out there -through strategic interactions, chats or otherwise, and conclusions would be made -as to where opportunities for personal development are.
Also necessary, would be; seeking any chance available of furthering one's education or strengthening curriculum vitae -through experiential learning. They could be either short term or long-term training -aimed at acquiring new skills. As a consequence, one's goal of positive personal experiences, and of peace and harmony would be enabled.
An opportunity got from one's social networks could be rather act as a ladders to higher career steps, than calling it the end of career-goal pursuit. It could be habit for one to send job applications elsewhere and everywhere in relentless attempts towards positive changes in his or her life. As career authors put it, “the moment one enters an organizations, he o she soon makes possible attempts to exit,” which indeed is a true reflection of an ambitious person.
For one to swiftly move through a career development course successfully, he or she must consult with most relevant information and resource persons around. And, be the kind, who has concretized a reading culture.
Important, also, would be the act of sharing one's vision with friends -who are positive about life. This could help greatly strength mentally one's commitment to the set plan for change actions, give confidence and enhance more creativity around obstacles in the path to one's goal (s).
Friends' compliments, encouragement and advices or constructive criticisms would be the source of positive personal attributes. It would be doing injustice to oneself, if helpful criticism was not taken for self correction. Most of it might be re-directing or suggesting him or her to re-think and get onto the right path.
Sparing time for prayer and/or meditation would be another avenue to consider along one's path to positive personal growth and development, and liberate oneself from the infringes of poverty, dehumanization and misery. Saboteurs, like any life challenge or obstacle, could stall or delay progress and toxic to individual survival, but manageable -if one really knew what he or she wanted in life.
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