By Mahamisha Habib The citizen
Dar es Salaam.The Global Network for Religion and Children’s (GNRC) is providing training for religious leaders, involving various organisations in an effort to combat violence against children.
Religious leaders have become involved in this initiative because they believe that they can influence changes by educating parents by using their religious teachings. The training is being provided jointly with the Inter Religious Council for Peace Tanzania (IRCPT).
Speaking at a conference yesterday, Parish Priest of Chang’ombe Parish Christian Nyumayo spoke about examples of the cruelty of Child Violence. Some of these sources include: poverty, bad politics, single parent upbringings and abusive language from parents and guardians.
“Although sources like poverty and bad politics leads to child violence, the root of child violence begins at home,”said Nyumayo.
He said these sources affect a child’s ability to actively participate in school and may cause a child to inferior at school, by being unable to contribute because they have lost confidence because of abusive words uttered by their parents, such as “Mjinga”.
He urged that, “we Christiansbelieves that words create actions. If you speak something and utter abusive words to a child, it will affect them and they will believe it. It may lead a child to lose confidence and they may have an inferiority feeling of being unable.”
“We also believe that violence is a brutal actwhich has deep frame effects on mental and spiritual, parents should stop violence acts so children won’t be harmed,” he added.
He urged parents to be close with their children by being kind and not using abusive language.