Aiming to prevent child abuse, the South Korean government is planning to provide lifelong parenting education, starting with lessons in school. Not only will children be learning these vital skills, but the government also hopes to see parenting lessons given to couples close to marriage, university students and men undertaking military service.
This new plan comes closely after a court announces that divorcing parents will have to undergo education on the prevention of child abuse. If either spouse does not participate, the divorce will not be granted.
In Canada, more than one third of the population has experienced some form of child abuse, reports a new national study by the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The study also found a consistent relationship between abuse and mental disorder. While not every person who’s abused will necessarily have a mental disorder, there’s an increased likelihood that they will.
In light of this recent data, it would be a step in the right direction if Canada considered the benefits of instilling a similar parenting education plan to that of South Korea. Not only to decrease child abuse, but also to be present in the conversation of mental illness and actively work on decreasing circumstances that have a causal relationship with mental disorders, which can effect someone through most of their life.
Lessons through grade school to university could drastically change the way people parent their children moving forward—instilling healthy and positive messages, coping mechanisms, and knowledge—while also giving community and a safe space to those who are experiencing abuse themselves. A lifelong parenting plan could be a source of preventative action that decreases the amount of mental illness and abuse in Canada. Let’s get talkin’ government.
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