Author Aung Thein Kyaw says his son (pictured) was beaten at a hostel supervised by a doctor.

KHIN remembers countless times when, as a child, she would hide from her drunken parents. She remembers the confusion she felt, and wondering why the two people she loved and needed most would want to beat her. Finally – aged just 10 – she ran away from home, living on the streets so her parents could not track her down.

“The only way I could stop being beaten was to run away from home,” says Khin, now 16. She is one of the thousands of children in Myanmar who are victims of domestic violence or child abuse.

Most don’t receive any help or assistance but Khin considers herself lucky – she was subsequently accepted into a World Vision program at the NGO’s drop-in centre in Yangon’s Kyeemyindaing township. The program is currently assisting about 50 children, providing them with meals, accommodation and informal schooling until they are able to find work.

Because of the program Khin was able to finish school to the ninth standard and is now working at a garment factory in Yangon Division.

Khin’s story is not unusual, says Aung Thein Kyaw, who was one of the country’s first writers to publish a book about parenting, titled The Art of Cultivating the Character Traits of Young Sons & Daughters. But he says the most common form of violence against children in Myanmar is corporal punishment. (Child abuse is usually considered any form of physical, psychological or sexual mistreatment by parents or care-givers.)

He says violence towards children, particularly physical abuse, is “common practice” and an accepted part of Myanmar culture, pointing out that many schools and institutions still use canes to inflict punishment.

All forms of abuse, whether in the home, school or elsewhere, can be highly damaging to a child’s development and often result in psychiatric problems, depression and trauma later in life, as well as physical problems.

Even witnessing physical violence between parents can have a significant impact on a child’s mental wellbeing, according to a retired professor from Yangon University’s psychology department, who said children who are victims of or witnesses to domestic violence are more likely to commit violent acts when they are older.

Aung Thein Kyaw testifies to this. He says he was brought up by a violent father, who frequently beat him and his mother and this later effected his relationship with his own family.

“I used to often exhibit violent behaviour and treated my own family very harshly during the first six years of my marriage. But later I realised how disgusting and damaging this can be and for the past 15 years I have been much more careful and never violent to my family,” he says.

While there are limited statistics to support Aung Thein Kyaw’s claim that child abuse in Myanmar is widespread, there is enough anecdotal evidence to have him worried.

“For example, a child from Aung Lan in Magwe had his tooth broken when a teacher punched him. His parents just said that children sometimes deserve this kind of punishment. A student from a hostel at Pyin Oo Lwin was even beaten to death by her teacher,” he says, before producing photos of his 16-year-old son, who he claims was beaten at a hostel supervised by a medical professional.

“This happened even at a hostel supervised by an educated person, a doctor, who certainly should understand a little bit about the damaging effects physical violence can have on children and their physical and mental wellbeing. If people like this condone physical abuse, how can we stop this practice?”

Answering his own question, he says knowledge and education is the only way to prevent violence against children, particularly if it is institutionalised.

He says that while some NGOs are working to educate parents on child abuse, most focus on rural areas.

“Because of this people from the urban areas, such as Yangon and Mandalay, don’t know much this subject,” he says.

The Yangon University professor urged parents to think carefully before physically disciplining a child. If the parent feels it is absolutely necessary they should ensure the child understands the reason they are being punished.

It is also important for parents this happens soon after the mistake, so they can immediately explain the reason. “Telling the child to keep in mind what they have done wrong and then dishing out the punishment a few days later is not a proper way to educate or discipline children,” the professor said.