RIOTS AFFECT PSYCHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN

Everest Turyahikayo
Human Resource Consultant
Kampala


The media in Uganda is currently overwhelmed by stories of violent demonstrations. Children have been depicted as passive participants in the riots. On a sad note however, most of the children who have been caught in the rioting environment are seen moving with or abandoned by adults. It may be true that some of these adults are caught unaware in respect of these riots.
Riots hinder the balanced psychological development of children. Some psychologists like Zimbardo and Richard Lazarus concluded in their studies that children who witness violence are likely to be violent themselves in the future. Worse still, parents or adults who participated in criminal acts were more likely to have an increased number of criminals in their families and communities. This is based on the notion that whatever children see adults do is the right thing. However, if children witness violence on a regular basis or suffer a direct physical and psychological pain as a result of such violence, they tend to revenge on the adults in retaliation for the rejection and unexemplary models.
Moreover, a combination of experiencing riots directly, and watching them on TV and press is strongly criminogenic. That is why, a research conducted by Freedman Jonathan revealed that countries where beatings, killings and murder were common in action movies, and where adults participated in violent acts, had the highest level of community violence after some time. The more the teenagers watched such violent movies, the more they became violent themselves.
Any violent behaviour has a multiplier negative effect of maladjustment in the lives of children. Unfortunately, this impact grows steadily and is felt in the long run after the perpetrators of such violence have gone. As Kevin L. Seifert puts it, children exposed to violent behaviour inflict pain on the future generation they are supposed to protect. To this end, violence tends to metamorphose in a life cycle fashion from one generation to another. In the end, future governments incur heavy costs in creating psychosocial support policies. But even in the presence of such policies, delinquent and violent behaviours are too hard to stamp out.
It is important that adults try as much as possible to prevent children from experiencing riots whether directly or indirectly.
Adults who work in riot-prone areas should be alert when people start violent demonstrations. The best option is to keep children away from rioters as much as possible. For the sake of children, adults entrusted with the future generation should not been seen to participate in the violent demonstrations.
Motion pictures about any violent behaviour should be kept away from children. To this end, parents and other adults should ensure that children do not access movies that depict violent behaviour. If this is done, the number of violent demonstrators will reduce on the streets in the short and long term.
Parents should teach their children the negative impact of rioting and any sort of violent behaviour. It is better for the children to learn of such unacceptable behaviour at an early age than when they are adults. A tree is bent when it is still young, and an old dog cannot be taught new tricks.
Above all, adults should inculcate moral and religious principles among children. One great scholar- Raphael McArthy notes that the moral ideal prompts an individual resist temptations that come to his play in his work and leisure time. Such temptations include participation in violent behaviour. To live up to this moral ideal however, there is need of the help of religion. Realizing that religion and morality are indispensable lubricants of the approved social behaviour is an important measure in creating social order.