Defending Children's Rights Means Defending Their Mothers, Too

This article describes the dilemma of children being exposed to violence against their mothers, both its frequency and its results, and advocates for what makes violence-free relationships more possible. It was written to honour International Child Rights Day, November 20, by taking the "opportunity to reflect on the health, safety and essential human rights of India's next generation".

As stated here, as many as 69 million children a year who grow up in violent homes face lifelong consequences. "For example, the World Health Organization has documented the link between violence during pregnancy and low birth weight and impaired brain development. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health have shown connections between violence against Indian women and malnutrition and anemia in their children."

Ensuring a childhood in a safe, violence-free home and family helps children thrive. "A growing body of research is affirming the positive relationship between women's rights and children's rights and the fact that healthy mothers create healthy homes for healthy children. The younger the child, the more this matters."

One factor that supports violence-free relationships for women is prioritising education. Women with opportunities for education are more likely to be free from and more likely to protect girl children from: early marriage, genital mutilation, and sex-selective elimination. The Bell Bajao campaign from Breakthrough [See Related Summaries below for more on the campaign and the organisation] calls on men and boys to stand up against violence against women. It uses multimedia and transformative community education. Reaching 130 million people, the campaign reports that it has achieved 11.5% increase in awareness about India's Protection of Women Against Domestic Violence Act and a 15% increase in requests for services for women. It has also created changes in attitudes and actions: "an increased understanding of stopping violence as a shared responsibility, and more people across India acting to stop it themselves." This programme serves to break the pattern of violent acts against women and their children.