You may think that children don’t care and aren’t worried when parents fight at home. You may think that children will quickly forget what they saw - a beaten mother or parents screaming and yelling at each other.

But children don't forget! Research has shown that children suffer great harm as a result of domestic violence and need help to get over it, to find themselves again. Many children believe that they are partly to blame or responsible for creating a peaceful atmosphere in the family. But it is never the child's fault!

Some consequences for children due to domestic violence:

Immediate effects include:

• in infants: restless sleep, slower development, drowsiness, neglected appearance, frightened response to louder voices;
• in preschool children: increased sickness, extreme shyness, lack of self-esteem, aggression, biting, problems in preschool care;
• in school-age children: increased sickness, fighting, stealing, lying, nightmares, eating problems, repeated self-harm, poor academic performance, feelings of self-perfectionism, alcohol, drugs.

Long-term consequences:

• children adopt the same behaviour as their parents. This is especially true for boys;
• boys often become hostile towards women in their vicinity, and may even abuse their own children later on;
• girls accept the role of “victim” with accompanying feelings of helplessness or abuse their children themselves.
  
  

Children have the right to a peaceful and happy life!

It is the duty of parents to help them when they need help. It is also the duty of other adults if parents are currently unable to do so. Remember, child abuse affects the whole society, not just the child and their family.

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