KARACHI: Speakers at a seminar held here on Sunday in connection with the World Mental Health Day underscored the need for creating greater awareness about sexual abuse and harassment of children and women, particularly sensitising religious scholars and politicians, so that victims could receive positive support from society and relevant laws could be implemented.
The seminar was organised by the Pakistan Association for Mental Health. This year’s theme set by the World Federation for Mental Health is “Mental health for all: greater investment -- greater access, everyone everywhere”.
Starting off the discussion, Prof S. Haroon Ahmed focused on the issue of sexual abuse of children and women, which had received a lot of media attention in recent years. Children should be taught in schools about health and hygiene and good and bad touch, he suggested, calling upon the audience to advocate for the cause.
Journalist Fareiha Aziz spoke about the difficulties victims of sexual violence and harassment faced in getting proper assistance at various levels, including moral and legal support.
“The focus erroneously is on women’s ‘honour’ and how women should change their behaviour and appearance in order to protect themselves from violence and harassment,” she said, regretting the insensitive attitude of some mental health professionals in such cases.
Prof Khalid Mufti in his online message from Peshawar emphasised the need to sensitise Ulema and politicians about sexual abuse against children and women, in order to bring about significant change in societal attitudes, he added.
Dr Unaiza Niaz discussed the effects of stress on the body, with special reference to Covid-19.
She shared that globally 70 per cent of workers in health and social sectors were women. Moreover, many women were unpaid caregivers of family members suffering from Covid-19. Hence, all of women were at a higher risk of contracting coronavirus, she said.
Dr Muhammad Nassar Sayeedi in his online message from Canada spoke about how Covid-19 had separated people from each other. He advised the mental health community to gear up their efforts to deal with growing mental health issues in today’s world.
Prof Iqbal Afridi focused on this year’s theme of World Mental Health Day and explained that investment did not only mean financial investment in mental health, “investment in mental health also pertains to giving time and energy to the cause through advocacy efforts that change societal attitudes and help more than one billion individuals around the world who suffer from psychiatric illnesses,” he said.
Former senator Dr Karim Khawaja gave an update on the working of the Sindh Mental Health Authority and said that the authority had set up a helpline centres at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi and the Cowasjee Institute of Psychiatry in Hyderabad.
The institute, he said, would provide tele-mental healthcare to far off places in Sindh. Training had been provided to doctors, women teachers and police regarding mental health issues, he added.
Writer Beena Shah gave an optimistic insight into how the adversity of Covid-19 had brought the opportunity to access mental health care through technology. Hence, a much larger number of people could be helped by mental health professionals.
Anis Haroon emphasised that the work on awareness and prevention of sexual abuse should not just be focused on women and children, but the youth also should be paid attention.
Dr Rubeena Kidwai and Dr Fareed Minhas also spoke.
Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2020