By IANS
New Delhi : Premature exposure to television, pornography or even adult groups can lead to erosion of childhood, resulting in a violent society.
This was the message given to principals and teachers of various schools from the national capital who attended a seminar here Wednesday.
The half-day seminar, titled Children without Childhood – Awareness and Action, was organised by the Chennai-based NGO Service and Research Foundation of Asia on Family and Culture (SERFAC) at the Vishwa Yuvak Kendra (International Youth Centre).
“Whenever we talk about children without childhood, the first thing that comes to our mind is street or homeless children. However, they are a part of the issue, as premature exposure of children to violence via media, at home or schools steals his childhood from a child,” said Catherine Bernard, founder of SERFAC told IANS.
“The child then imparts this violence to the society, as he grows up. All this can be stopped if children are empowered at the school level where they spend the maximum time of their day,” said Bernard.
Speaking on the occasion Farida Vahedi, director (External Affair) Bahai International and Spiritual Assembly, said: “As our former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam rightly said that peace in the nation originates from peace in the family. Similarly, the dark side of globalisation is the increasing violence in the society.”
“If we want to establish a peaceful society, we must empower our children at the institutional level itself, so that they can choose between right and wrong,” she added.
The speakers also stated that to achieve the goal of a peaceful society, changes in the curriculum that facilitates violence by teaching war are required.