“Some of my friends were hit at home. I went home to one of them and said to the parents that they shouldn’t hit. I told them that my friend couldn’t earn money or go to school if he was hit. He lost his courage. They accepted this and changed both their behaviour and attitude.”
Mirwais is a popular 14-year-old living in Kabul. He works on the Kabul streets but receives schooling through Save the Children. The income he earns is important to his family. But he also helps other children facing violence at home or school. A Save the Children report showed that after more than 20 years of war, almost all the children in Afghanistan are beaten by their parents or teachers, or know children who are.
Nooria Isaqzai and Sharifa Rasa, child psychologists with the Social Volunteers Foundation, explain, “There are many examples of the consequences war has had on family life including stress, lack of hope for the future and fear that as an adult one will be unable to get work. This creates many problems and the parents lose their patience. That is why they begin hitting their children.”
"I want the entire Afghan people to stand together. People have to understand that this is their home. Also, I would like all school children to have uniforms in order to avoid discrimination” said Mirwais.
