Have you also grown up listening to fears of adults “aj kal ke halaat bohat kharab hain, hmaray time pe phir behtar thay aur kafi acha dour tha” (Society and condition of world outside home is not good, our time was good and it was better and safe)… Therefore, children must stay indoors, parents should be alert about kids safety, crime rates are high thus stay within secured walls, keep yourself safe etc. But, fortunately, being from generation that had privilege of enjoying street life, outdoor sports, friends among strangers and laughers under the open sky, it’s hard to digest and accept the current city life and its experiences for me.
To me, thing is, time changes, conditions changes and demands also changes but accepting and giving into fears is not the admirable solution. With time, people need to change their adaptability; safety doesn’t comes from people values alone, environment and infrastructure matters a lot. What a city and its environment have to offer to its people of all age makes a huge difference. Comparing our country Pakistan to developed and civilized country has unveiled such awareness to me.
A child feels safe when he/she sees an elder around him (of course in reality the child is safe if that elder is trustworthy or responsible citizen and healthy individual). Logically parents take children out as they introduce outer world to children and the way they describe it, the child accepts it as it is. Obviously if a woman feels unsafe outside, she would hesitate in allowing children to go outside as well. Similarly a protective man would advise his woman and children to stay indoors if he finds it unsafe for both of them as they are known to be the vulnerable citizens.
But does it have positive impact on the well-being or safety of humans? NO! It has negative impacts on an individual’s psychology, health and economy as well. We can understand it also during these times when Covid’19 had exposed us to the importance of human connection with public spaces, nature and social interactions. It had also exposed us to the patterns that were unhealthy for the environment but were being used excessively, if we are ready to notice them.
So, keeping the focus to Pakistan in this article, the major threat here is the mindset of people and uneducated audience (by education I don’t mean graduation degrees and text book stuff, real education is about an individual’s development and sense of responsibility towards other humans and creatures and if you are Muslim then the fear of Allah and accountability to Him must be ingrained in an individual as a result of education but we don’t see it happening). How does one benefit other human beings must be the outcome of education but we don’t find it so, and the base of it all is capitalism and consumerism.
Money and innovation has become more important than human being. As the attention have diverted to materialism from creation and their well-being, people have adapted ways that are detrimental to human health and lifestyle. There is more stress, more competition, more efforts to move to what’s next, more use of mind than heart (imbalance), more mental health and psychotic cases, more poverty, more lack of resources, more destruction to family life, more emotional health issues, more unhealthy lifestyle habits, more physical health issues, more norms that put a man in guilt and shame if he takes time to rest and reconnect with nature and himself – Constant Rush Situation!
Can you relate to it? I am sure you can! Being part of modern world, we are victims to this kind of mindset and lifestyle. But how does this relate to child safety in a city?
First of all, do we see children in the public spaces of the city? Not really! Why? First reason being, it’s unsafe and by being unsafe it’s clear to know that they weren’t design with consideration towards children. Second reason which is the base of first reason is, we have been prioritizing grades and education (in order to acquire good jobs and make money) of children so much over the past years, that children have no time to go out to public spaces and play or discover themselves, they are glued to desk, tuitions and made to study and be workaholics. No need to go out, no need to consider them while designing spaces.
Secondly, do we see girls/women or even youngsters freely enjoying open public spaces without being judged or threatened? Of course not! Why? Spaces are not designed while considering them as well. Fun fact is that these are the user types that get to have free time to utilize public spaces apart from family time where men also use spaces (but unfortunately we no longer have them as well) and we do not design while considering them as we plan spaces. And these users are source of natural surveillance and safety for children in the society and open spaces.
Third, do we see educated or modest men in the open spaces? No! Why? They are usually busy in offices making money, and they got no free time to rest. So, we find uneducated, criminals, psychopaths and those who harass or addicted men in spaces. Unfortunately only they are the ones who are using spaces with utmost freedom. And how they influence the world around them?
Well, the picture below is from the moment during my site survey, as I spotted two children (around age of five six) faking to smoke while copying addicts at the other side of traffic island. (stupid wall built on an island, I couldn’t understand it’s purpose) The saddening part is the children escaped as soon they noticed me taking picture, which means they knew they were doing something wrong. And what kept me thinking about them was the thought that if they aren’t guided well they will become the criminals tomorrow. That’s the importance of infrastructure, impact and accountability of outer world on an individual’s development.
But the question is if your child is not going outside is he still safe inside? Firstly, psychologically proven, the interaction with nature and play is very important for children healthy development, their sense of belonging, independence and ownership. Secondly, presence of children in the open spaces is the indicator of healthy and vibrant communities. Thirdly, whatever experience a city will give to children, they will give back to it accordingly. Fear will bring fear or abandonment in return. And unhealthy fear is associated with mental and emotional health issues. And if you do a survey even now, you would know majority of children and even adults are suffering from different phobias including agoraphobia (fear of public spaces). What kind of safety is that?
And as your child will grow up in the same pattern and lifestyle, then as he age he will suffer more than ever before and that’s a threat to not only child’s health but the health of community and the entire nation ultimately. How will he face the world as he become young and an adult?
So let me ask you again! Is your child safe in the city? Shall we not need to redefine the meaning of safety in a city and why is it important? Adding on to this, do we need to reconsider capitalism and its adverse affects on our children or not? Shall we not escape the life of consumerism and materialism and bring back human life and health back to cities and its places as our first priority? Shall we? Not today, then when? Let your child safety be your guide!