Woman recalls witnessing a man hit a child in Umhlanga
A woman asks why we turn a blind eye to abuse, "If he can't control his anger in public, what happens behind closed doors."
Have you ever asked yourself – what would I do if I witnessed child abuse?
No matter how you look at it, it's a heavy question with no clear-cut answer. There’s no single way to interpret situations like these, either. They demand the utmost respect and sensitivity, as they can quickly become difficult – and even dangerous.
Recently, a woman named Aaliyah shared a snippet of a man hitting his daughter in public while she was driving through Umhlanga.
In the video, a man is seen gripping a girl's arm. When she tries to break free, he smacks her head, causing her glasses to fall to the ground. Aaliyah believed the man to be the girl’s father and recounted how she witnessed him hitting her repeatedly – at one point, even knocking her to the ground.
Read more: NPO calls for reform against GBV
Aaliyah said she approached the topic on social media with a heavy heart, and even though she wanted to help this girl, something stopped her.
"I really wanted to intervene, but it's always so scary dealing with these aggressive male figures, so you never really know how it's going to go down," said Aaliyah.
Watch the video below – courtesy of TikTok.
Please note that this video may contain content that may be offensive to sensitive viewers.
@queen_of.the_south This is not supposed to be happening to our kids... #SAMA28 #viral_video #fyp #abuse #saveourkids #saveourwomen ♬ original sound - Aaliyah
Although people were disturbed by the video, many said that reporting this to the police doesn't always mean a resolution is in sight. Law enforcement officials often don't want to get involved in parent/child discipline.
The Childline website states, "According to our law, corporal punishment in schools is not allowed. However, getting a smack at home is not against the law (although steps are being taken to stop this too). This does not mean that your parents are allowed to hit you senseless and get away with it. If your parents did continuously hit you as a form of punishment, it would be considered abusive."
They explain that there's a crucial distinction between punishment and discipline. While punishment focuses on inflicting suffering after wrongdoing, discipline aims to guide children toward taking responsibility for their actions.
When disciplining, you can help your child make amends and understand the lesson behind their behaviour. For example, discipline might involve removing a privilege as a consequence.
If you suspect a child is being abused, please report it to Childline South Africa.
Follow us on social media:
HOW TO LISTEN TO EAST COAST RADIO
- Listen to East Coast Radio on the FM (frequency modulation) spectrum between 94 and 95 FM on your radio.
- Listen live to ECR by clicking here or download the ECR App (iOS/Android).
- Listen to East Coast Radio on the DStv audio bouquet, channel 836.
- Switch to the audio bouquet on your Openview decoder and browse to channel 606
- Listen to us on Amazon Alexa.
Image Courtesy of iStock