Contents:
- Medical Video: CHILDHOOD: THEN VS NOW
- 1. Live in a conflict area
- 2. Experiencing violence
- 3. Drop out of school
- 4. Malnutrition
- 5. Must work at the age of children
- 6. Marriage at the age of children
- 7. Childbirth at the age of children
Medical Video: CHILDHOOD: THEN VS NOW
Childhood is an important phase in one's life. Not only physical growth, a person's mental development also occurs mostly in childhood, before entering adolescence and adulthood. The good or bad experiences that children experience in their childhood have a profound impact on life in the future.
Certain situations can make a child be forced to "mature" before his time. That is to say, inevitably the child must jump over the childhood phase because of the demands of life that exceed the abilities of children in general. Jumping over this phase is very likely to cause trauma and other developmental problems.
According to Save the Children child development organizations, one in four children in the world loses their childhood. According to the international organization, there are a number of situations that can take a child's childhood prematurely. Here's the full report.
1. Live in a conflict area
Social conflicts such as tribal warfare cause an unsafe environment for a child to live and develop. Living in areas with conflict also often requires them to move. This can also be followed by psychiatric problems such as PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder), missing opportunities to obtain education, and not getting health and safety services.
2. Experiencing violence
It is estimated that there are around 200 cases of child deaths caused by physical violence every day. Although the violence that causes death is not always physical, those who have experienced violence can have a serious impact. This is included in bad experiences for children or known as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
Experience of experiencing violence is one of the causes of depression, anxiety disorders, and causes health problems in the long run. According to the United States CDC, ACEs also have long-term effects that arise when a person is a teenager to adulthood. Experiencing physical violence in childhood can increase the likelihood of a child:
- Having risky behavior as an adult.
- Easier to experience chronic diseases.
- Have a low quality of life.
- Experiencing premature death.
3. Drop out of school
Education is the main core of childhood. Formal education such as school is the right place for children to learn to socialize and communicate. Even so, it is estimated that there are 263 million children in the world who experience dropouts.
Some of the causes of a school dropout include economic problems, health or disability problems, and other problems such as war or natural disasters where they live.
4. Malnutrition
Malnutrition conditions such as malnutrition or malnutrition are common problems throughout the world, especially in developing countries such as Indonesia. Chronic malnutrition or which occurs in the first 1,000 days of life is known as a risk factor stunting.
Condition stunting can be defined as shortness, or growth disorders that hinder a person's physical growth. Growth disorders can cause a child to have difficulty playing and interacting and can inhibit academic intelligence. Stunting can also have an impact in the long term, especially in health, education, and employment opportunities in the future.
5. Must work at the age of children
Economic difficulties are the main cause of children having to work. As a result, they lose time to learn, play, and take adequate rest.
Working at a young age without skills and education also causes them to be vulnerable to hazards in the work environment such as in the fields of construction, mining, or waste treatment. Not to mention the more vulnerable children are treated unfairly, harassed, and become victims of workplace violence.
Working at the age of children can also reduce the quality of life and health in the future. Because the body and psychology of children are not ready to bear the workload.
6. Marriage at the age of children
Besides working, economic difficulties also encourage parents to marry their children at an early age (under 18 years), especially for those who have daughters. When a child marries, they will be forced to start life as an adult too early. They also lose their freedom, the opportunity to go to school, and their lives as a child.
7. Childbirth at the age of children
A girl will lose her childhood when they give birth to a baby under the age of 18. This is because they have the responsibility to take care of a child while themselves are still classified as children or adolescents.
What's more, pregnancy and childbirth during childhood are a high risk of overall women's health. The risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth increases dramatically when a person gives birth at the age of adolescence and children.
Hormonal changes due to pregnancy at a very early age also increase the risk of chronic diseases in adulthood to old age.
