Know the forms of child abuse in your home

By Dickson Tumuramye The former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela once said that the true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children. Child abuse comes in so many ways in our homes. The main four types of abuse are physical, emotional, neglect, and sexual abuse. Each of these types manifests itself in different forms in any home at any time and each has devastating consequences in the life of a child. The most common abuse in our homes is the use of harsh words against children. There are people who speak into the lives of children in the name of correcting them. The words used instead break their hearts though they may never show them to you. Some parents use threats, abuse, mockery, and belittling, spitting on a child among others. Such words humiliate, degrade, and cause low self-esteem, loss of self-confidence, and emotional stress. Some children are silenced or not allowed to talk about anything in their homes. They are ridiculed when they try to...