Students at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Tabuk (FOM-UT) have made a 5-minute-long short film about child abuse titled "Enough", in collaboration with Dr. Falah Al-Anzi, associate professor of psychology at the university.
The short film talks about types of child abuse, indicating that the violence against children can take many forms from physical or sexual abuse; it can also be verbal or emotional abuse, in addition to child neglect.
The filmmakers tried in less than five minutes to cover issues related to the maltreatment and abuse against children, pointing out in the film that there are about 6 million children around the world who are subjected to maltreatment, and the number of child fatalities due to abuse across the globe is estimated at more than 1,500 children annually.
The film indicated that children who have a history of abuse are at greater risk of drug abuse and addiction. The film also stressed that child abuse may occur at every social level, across ethnic and cultural groups, within all religions and at all levels of education.
Professor Al-Anzi said a child who is subjected to emotional or psychological abuse is like a person walking through a minefield, pointing that the psychological scars left by emotional and verbal abuse are often more difficult to recover from than physical injuries.
He said abused children may end up to be abusive parents and they may need professional help because they are at risk to develop various dissociative symptoms, as well as anxiety and depression.
Parents who abuse their children are in need of specialized help and counseling to overcome the problem, or they can join courses on effective parenting, said Al-Anzi.
"Enough", the short film, won first place in the 3rd Student Forum at the University of Tabuk, as well as first place in the kingdomwide 4th Scientific Conference for Higher Education Students.
