Sunday, March 30, 2008

emotional abuse/maltreatment

We did a presentation on child abuse recently, regarding child abuse in Singapore. The issue of an overshadowed focus on emotional abuse/maltreament research has been intruguing me lately, especially in the context of Singapore.

The only link i can make with emotional abuse/maltreatment amongst Singapore children, is the issue of education. Sociology englighten us on education as a process and venue of socializatin and patriotism propagondism; social work englightens education as an indirect prevention effort at social issues; psychology shows that education creates the product of cognitive and developmental changes in the individual. Speak to any Singaporean parent, they'd dish out terms like "Shichida method", "remedial lessons", "tuition" blah blah. Its pathetic to see how the child is de-humanized and objectified as a 'sponge'. Intentions of "putting the child's interests at heart' are increasingly blurred with selfish intentions as spurred by competition at all fronts. i.e. among parents, between schools, local vs foreign student.

Nevertheless, I must take my hat off Singapore's capaibility at making a topic of conversation over anything and everything. Topics never run dry, from your neighbour's inconsiderate stereo music, to the 'ang mohs' increasingly plaguing the little humble streets of Singapore.

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