Pressure from Society

Children today face a lot of problems. They are under a lot of pressure to succeed in school and to meet the expectations of their parents and guardians. They are also bombarded with messages from the media that tell them they need to be perfect. As a result, children can suffer from anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem.

There are some things you can do to help your child deal with the problems they face:

• Being there for them and listening to them is essential. Show them that you love them unconditionally and support them no matter what.
• Help them develop a positive self-image by encouraging them and praising their accomplishments.
• Teach them how to deal with stress healthily.

Social Problems

Children today are under more pressure than ever before. They’re bombarded with images and messages from the media, social media, and their peers that can lead to feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and depression. And, because children’s brains are wired, they’re more likely to believe what they see and hear than adults. As a result, children are more likely to suffer from social problems like bullying, isolation, and poor self-esteem.

You can do several things to help your child if they’re struggling with social problems:

• Talk to them about what they’re seeing and hearing. Please let them understand that the images and messages they’re seeing are often unrealistic and don’t reflect what’s important in life.
• Please encourage them to be themselves and to celebrate their unique qualities.
• Please help them to find a group of friends who accept them for who they are.
• Provide them with opportunities to practice social skills like cooperation, communication, and assertiveness.

Seek Help for Medical Conditions

If you think your child may have a medical condition, such as ADHD, it is essential to seek professional help. A doctor will be able to help with ADHD assessment for your child and provide a diagnosis. Once a diagnosis is made, you and your doctor can work together to develop a treatment plan. There are many effective treatments for conditions like ADHD, so do not hesitate to seek help. Your child’s health and well-being are essential, and you should not have to face these challenges alone.

Bullying

Bullying is a big problem for children in today’s world. It can make them feel isolated, scared, and even worthless. But, if you think your child may be being bullied, you can do a few things to help.

First, talk to your child about what is going on. Let them know that you are there for them and that they can come to you with anything. It is also important to tell them that bullying is not their fault and that they should not feel ashamed.

Next, you will want to speak to the school. If your child is being bullied at school, the school must know so they can take steps to stop it. They may be able to speak to the bully or their parents, or they may have other resources that can help.

Finally, you can also reach out to organizations that deal with bullying. These organizations can support your child and offer advice on how to deal with bullying.

No child should have to go through bullying alone. With your support, they can get through it and become more assertive.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is another big problem that children face today. With technology becoming more and more a part of our lives, bullies have found new ways to target their victims.

Cyberbullying can take many forms, such as mean comments or pictures posted online, threats, or even harassment. It can be challenging for children, especially since it can happen anywhere and anytime.

Peer Pressure

One of the most common problems that children face today is peer pressure. Peers can influence a child’s decisions and actions, often without the child realizing it. As a parent, you can help your child by teaching them how to identify and resist peer pressure.

Some signs that your child may be experiencing peer pressure include:

• wanting to fit in with a particular group
• feeling left out or excluded from a group
• engaging in activities that they wouldn’t normally do
• feeling pressured to try things that they don’t want to do

If you think your child is being influenced by their peers, talk to them about it. Let them know it’s okay to say no to their friends, and help them find ways to resist peer pressure. You can also encourage your child to spend time with friends who share their values and who will support their decisions.

Help Them Build Self-Confidence

One of the most common problems children face in today’s world is a lack of self-confidence. As a parent, you can help your child build self-confidence by supporting and encouraging them to pursue their interests and talents. You can also help them by teaching them how to handle criticism and failure.

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19 November 2024

3-minute read

The EFF has barred its popular member of parliament and former spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi from attending its 4-day elective conference set to take place in Nasrec in December, as well as barring him from attending all political activities including those in parliament.

Dr Ntsikelelo Breakfast, political analyst, indicates the relationship between Ndlozi and EFF leader Julius Malema seems to have broken down after another of the party’s members, Floyd Shivambu, “jumped ship”. Subsequently, when Dali Mpofu left the party, Malema stated that “there are also two more who are on their way out”, a clear reference to Ndlozi. The last report released on the weekend preventing Ndlozi from attending the war council seems to be “the straw that broke the camel’s back” and it is now public knowledge that “all is not well within the EFF”.

The application of democratic development within the EFF has been misused due to elitism and the suppression of a democracy. Malema seems to have gravitated towards Godrich Gardee, which is an “antithesis of democracy” for a party that claims to be democratic at its core.

Although popular within the ranks and files of the party, Ndlozi was prevented from attending several meetings to prevent him from attending the upcoming elections. Another reason for him being singled out is that he might have voted against the will of the leadership of the EFF. Despite “constructive dismissal” where the workplace is being made unbearable for him, Ndlozi is holding on. His qualifications, amongst them a PhD, make it easy for Ndlozi to start a career outside of politics, and there are even rumours that he may join Floyd Shivambu, who is “like a brother” to him and not just a mere comrade.

What is happening in the imploding EFF is a “dictatorship of the elite”. Not all is well in the party as members with a national standing walk away one after the other to join other parties. “Denialism” is the main problem as they continue to embed themselves in other socialist parties, says Dr Breakfast, a “self-fulfilling prophecy” by their leader, Julius Malema.

Listen to the full interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat on Sabahul Muslim.

16 November 2024

3 minute read

Canada, a country in North America and the world’s second largest country, is closer to the North Pole than most other countries. It has a very cold climate for most of the year, with a very small temperature variant. Canada is a country with high living standards that boasts magnificent scenery, low levels of crime and personal safety as its key selling point for its citizens, who also have free access to healthcare and education, and some of the top universities in the world.

Canada is a long way from South Africa. There is an extensive visa process for South Africans wanting to visit Canada, but Saeed Jhatam, a South African living in Canada, says that a letter of invitation from a resident will make the process easier. Because there are no direct flights from South Africa to Canada, tourists would have to take two flights to get there.

The best time of year to visit would be between June and September when the region is experiencing a warm summer. Between September and October, autumn sets in and the trees change colour, making it a spectacular sight, especially in the city of Quebec. For those wanting to experience the snowfall but not wanting to visit the country in the very cold winter months, there are many cruises that go up to Alaska during this period.

Unfortunately, due to the weakness of the Rand, Canada is not the most affordable travel destination for South Africans. However, the cost of living for citizens is not too high.

Islam is widely practiced and accepted in Canada. With a broad Muslim population, there are Muslims from all over the world in Canada. Within the big cities, there are many masaajid and madrassahs and in certain areas, there are even Islamic schools.

Sightseeing in the huge country of Canada is mostly centred around the bigger cities. The largest city Toronto is very much like New York and is the cultural centre of the country. Quebec and Vancouver are well-known for their natural attractions. With mountain ranges forming a backdrop to the city, Vancouver has the feeling of Cape Town and features a natural forest right in the centre of the city where people go to enjoy the outdoors. The Rocky Mountains, the highest mountain ranges after the Himalayas, are also one of the most amazing attractions of Canada where tourists can drive along the mountain pathways and witness the awesome views. Beaches are rocky and the water is cold, but visitors can take a tour on the glaciers where one can actually witness the clear blue waters melting while standing on these huge blocks of ice that stretch for hundreds of metres.

Although very reserved, Canadians are “polite and tolerant” and both tourists and certain refugees are very welcome into the country. Canada has a wide ethnic population and there is plenty of halal food available, with Chinese, Middle Eastern, Turkish, Indian, Pakistani and Afghani foods being the most popular types of cuisine.

Listen to the full interview with Ml Muhammad Kara and Ml Ibrahim Daya on the Early Breakfast Show.

Whatever their age, all children have human rights, just as adults do. This includes the right to speak out and express opinions, as well as rights to equality, health, education, a clean environment, a safe place to live and protection from harm. Children’s rights are enshrined in the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the most ratified human rights treaty. Only one of the UN’s 197 member states hasn’t ratified the Convention — the United States.

The UNCRC seeks to protect children from harm, to provide for their growth and development, and to empower their participation in society. Article 42 of the Convention is a commitment to educate children and adults about child rights, but it seldom happens. Ignorance of rights puts children at greater risk of abuse, discrimination and exploitation.

What is the problem?

Globally, children’s human rights are violated every day. Children and young people are especially exposed to rights violations because they are dependent on adults, which can at times heighten risk. Children are likely to form part of the group at highest risk of poverty, malnourishment and abuse, and are often disproportionately impacted by human rights crises.

How are child rights violated?

Sadly, all child rights are regularly abused or violated. This can start at birth. For example, an estimated 290 million children globally have not had their births registered, so they have no legal identity or proof of existence. This makes it nearly impossible for them to claim their rights throughout their lives – which means they may not be able to go to school, receive healthcare, or get a job when they are older. Girls in low-income countries have only a 50/50 chance of ever having a legal identity and accessing rights and services.

Around the world, over 61 million children do not attend primary school. An estimated 150 million girls and 73 million boys are sexually assaulted every year. In some countries, girls as young as nine are forced into marriage and children as young as six are judged as adults in criminal courts. At least 330,000 children are held in immigration detention in 80 countries every year, simply for being migrants or refugees. Many are forcibly separated from parents and families.

In 2019, one in six children was living in extreme poverty — a situation that puts children at greater risk of domestic violence, child labour, sexual exploitation, teenage pregnancy and child marriage. This number rose significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2020, nearly 820 million children did not have basic hand washing facilities at school, contravening their right to health and putting them at greater risk of catching and spreading infection.

What About Children’s Right to a Voice?

One of the UNCRC’s General Principles is that children have the right to participate – and to be listened to – in all decisions that affect them. Participation rights are linked to children’s levels of maturity and apply accordingly. This is to support their development, but it also helps everyone achieve better-informed decisions. It strengthens society.

Like adults, children have the right to voice their opinions and to peacefully protest. Today, all over the world, young people and children are using this right. They are rising up to demand climate justice and racial equality, amongst other calls. Yet their perspectives are still often overlooked or dismissed.

Today, a typical example of children who`s rights are denied are the Palestinian children. Thousands of them are denied their rights and face discrimination on a daily basis. The Israeli army regularly arrests children from villages and elsewhere, often during raids on their homes in the middle of the night while families are asleep. Children struggle to access their rights to education and freedom of movement because of barriers and checkpoints which force delays on any journey. It can take hours to get to school instead of a few minutes. People find it hard to travel for work and to earn a living to support their families. For anyone who is sick, it can be nearly impossible to get to a hospital.

13 November 2024

4 minute read

Homeopathy is a holistic form of treatment that explores the aim of patients with regards to specific ailments, giving them all the solutions from a natural perspective to treat those conditions. A visit to a homeopath focuses on your presenting complaint which is the main issue that is bothering you; your general constitution like energy levels, bathrooms habits, sleep, perspiration, diet, lifestyle, and medical history; and the mental and emotional aspect of your personality such as the type of stress you’re under, your emotions, and how you respond to them. This gives the homeopath an overall view of a person’s health, allowing them to make up a treatment specifically suited to the patient.

Dr Zahra Kazi, a homeopath and sleep specialist, and specialist in endocrine disorders, hormonal health, and other female-related health conditions, says that “we’ve become more sedentary than ever before”. Alongside bad food practices and the environmental exposure to things like chemicals and plastics, this has led to an increase in health conditions and disruptions in hormone balances, thus causing sleep disorders.

Homeopathy functions on the premise that “no two people have the same life experiences” so each treatment plan is individualised to fit the patient. More and more people nowadays suffer from sleep disruptions and disorders. While health care practitioners prescribe sleep aids like anxiolytics or tranquilizers for people suffering from sleep disorders to allow the person to “shut down”, homeopathy addresses sleep issues at a much deeper level. These include looking at a patient’s sleep cycle, specifically when a person can’t sleep, if a person is having difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, at what intervals the person keeps waking at night, and the quality and quantity of their sleep.

Factors like lifestyle and stress are also taken into consideration, since stress and hormone imbalances affect a person’s sleep. Most people don’t see the connection between lack of sleep and an imbalance in their body. Progesterone and oestrogen hormonal imbalances in women can put a strain on the liver in the evening, and cause disruptions in a women’s sleep cycle particularly between 1:00am and 3:00am, or frequent waking with hot flushes at any time during the night. High stress causes an increase in cortisol production which leads to more restless sleep, with waking occurring between 2:00am and 4:00am. Peaks and dips in energy levels through the day will be monitored by the homeopath. In terms of insulin resistance, blood sugar should be balanced through the day to make you more insulin sensitive, so that your body goes back to the way it was before becoming insulin resistant.

Food and sleep are co-dependent, as what we consume impacts on our sleep. Going to bed after having eaten a big meal means that you haven’t given your body a chance to digest the food that you’ve eaten. Foods high in caffeine and sugar tend to disturb sleep. Spikes and drops in sugar levels further impact sleep, depending on what a person eats before they sleep.

So how much sleep do we need? Dr Zahra says that younger children and teenagers require between 8 and 10 hours of good quality sleep as they are still growing. Ideally, adults should also get 8 hours of sleep per night. However, where this is not attainable, sleep can be “banked”, with people catching up on sleep lost during the week on the weekends. The aim for patients is to get between 6 and 8 hours of sleep every night. As prescribed in the sunnah, power naps of 20 minutes in the early afternoon are ideal to enhance sleep.

Listen to the full interview on New Horizons with Faaiza Munshi.

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