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Tinashe Nyamushanya University of Zimbabwe graduate, practising law
It is true children are not born with hate or violence imbedded in them but children are taught to hate through actions they see from the community and the parents as they’re growing up.
Not all households are perfect there’ll always be a shortcoming. The smallest decisions and reactions have turned some of us youths into monsters to others around us.
The issues of abuse among us youths have always been there due to the societies around us who normalize the abnormal with no regards to the emotional scarring some of these actions have on the lives of the victims.
Today all forms of abuse such as sexual abuse, physical abuse, and abusive languages are no longer a taboo to the today’s societies, this article will delve deep into some of the forms of abuse which have plagued us the youths of Zimbabwe and why we should reconsider or position as the future society.
With the shifting of music genre with each generation of the youths, various traits have been picked up by listening to music which promote abusive speeches during the shifts.
Don’t get me wrong in Zimbabwe we have the Zimdancehall which is a genre that is interesting to listen to due to the melodic beats which captures ones heart and freedom of expression through dance but the sad truth about all of that is, it is riddled with abusive and belittling language and at sometimes promote violence in the societies we live in.
As a result of the choice of music it has been evident that some of the vulgar languages that have been regarded as taboos in our societies have taken over and this has also affected the younger generations as they are now uttering such words without fear of whom might hear or whom might get offended.
Also linked to this kind of abuse is the psychology part of the abused, a daily dose of verbal abuse can affect the human mind as a result the outcome of such encounters have catastrophic results which includes suicides, murders, family separations and the list is endless.
As a former school student I can tell you the readers that bullying in school is actually real, a lot happens in the absence of teachers and parents/guardians and the painful truth is that bullying is normal among students.
It is a tradition to maltreat the newcomers in anyway one desires but what is not taken into consideration is that it deeply affects the students to the point of feeling inferior when around other students and even their in class performances are reduced.
Various videos have surfaced of elder students beating and humiliating younger students, by this one has to ask himself or herself as to the question “what is going on when the camera is not rolling and how many students have been affected by these acts”.
Many youths out there have been affected by this sort of abuse and have never recovered but their tormentors have gone on without even noticing the lives that they have destroyed.
Dear youths it is not manly to beat or torment the younger students but rather an act of cowardice, these young students require your guidance not in a violent manner.
It is also not shocking that youths who grow in abusive homesteads themselves become abusive when they finally marry, thus revealing the fact that the cycle of abuse never ends and it is up to us the youths to correct ourselves before we become parents or guardians to future generations.
Sexual abuse is defined by the Oxford dictionary as any sexual activity that is undesired by one participant but forced onto them nonetheless especially when considered to be more sustained or frequent than an incident of sexual assault.
Again due to our societies from the males’ point of view a no during sexual advancements to women is not considered and so in the process the guys end up forcing themselves on the women. Various youths have been victims of such belief that a no doesn’t necessarily mean no, what we need to understand is that youths don’t ruin your lives just to serve your egos, one silly mistake can haunt you for the rest of your life.
This is also not one sided, other young men have been raped by women and have failed to report the offenders as result of our beliefs, our societies need to wake up from our social constructs and realise that sexual abuse is found at both ends of the spectrum.
In schools also during the lockdown brief break last year, we witnessed a surge sexual activities among the students it will be no surprise also that some girls might have been manipulated into doing sexual acts in the name of love which then leads me to send this message to girls out there, know your value is far much greater than anything else, be bold on what you want, your dislikes and do not be abused sexually in the name of affection
In conclusion we are the leaders of tomorrow it is up to us as the youths to shape an economy that is palatable to the future generations and that is only if we unite and discourage all forms of abuse.
I’m not insinuating that our parents failed us in the society when I say that children are not born with hate and neither are they born being abusive in the society but let’s set the record straight we all have a conscience that tells us right from wrong, all forms of abuse must register as wrong let’s not copy from the wrong of or elders but rather the good that they have taught us.
All abuse whether physical, verbal, psychological or sexual is bad.
Online Reporter
dyton mupawaenda