New book addresses child abuse

EVERYONE has a role to play in addressing the social issues, especially child abuse in Papua New Guinea, a social worker says.
John Yaburu Gana, a research officer at Hope Worldwide PNG (HWWP) wrote a book based on his experiences to give hope to children who were facing a challenges.
The book, A Plantation Boy, which was launched on Monday in Port Moresby, was about Gana achieving his dream through commitment and perseverance despite growing up without a mother at the Upulima rubber plantation in Abau, Central.
One of the chapters in the book was based on child abuse as an increasing social problem in society.
Gana said child abuse occurred every day in different forms at homes, in schools and public areas.
“These abuses have negative impacts on the child,” he said.
“When the abuse is physical, verbal or sexual, sometimes people take action, however, when it is emotional it often goes unnoticed.
“Awareness is needed in communities because some people are unaware of what child abuse is.
“Education is a tool for addressing rising social problems in PNG and protecting children from abuse.”
Gana said being raised by his father after his mother died when he was four, he felt he was emotionally abused due to the lack of attention from his relatives.
“My father told me that he was not going to be there for me hence I had to do my best in school.”
After graduating in 2013 from the University of Papua New Guinea with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Works and working for more than six years, he said he decided to publish his story.
HWWP country director Priscilla Mall said little was said of emotional abuse and the danger it posed to the child. She thanked John for raising the issue in his book.
She said labelling children with names and mistreating them had an emotional and psychological impact on them.
Mall said it was encouraging for someone such Gana to write about his experiences.