I WAS horrified to read about the death of eight-year-old Mohammed Hussain at the hands of a cleric. The child was previously badly beaten by the same person, but the parents did not take appropriate action and forced the child to go back to the seminary.

This makes the parents a party to the child’s physical abuse. Corporal punishment is banned in schools and also in madressahs. Was this particular madressah registered?

Do government officials check whether registered institutions follow the law or not? If not, what action is taken against them? Do the authorities concerned check if all the seminaries are registered? Do they take action to close down the ones which are not registered?

It is difficult for a child to learn to read a language with which he is not familiar. Children must be taught with gentleness and love. Teachers who abuse children must be psychologically evaluated and punished.

The child’s parents refused to register a case against this cleric. The state must register a case and see that the cleric is punished and ensure that such cases do not occur again.

Dr Yasmeen Kazi

Karachi

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2018