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"There is a bomb threat" "There is a shooter, you need to run"

Shanzay (21020142)

Gun violence, bomb threats and attacks seem to be a shared experience for many children who grow up in Karachi- rather Pakistan. The earliest experience I can recall is when I was 8, after which such violence only seemed to escalate.

2006 was when the walls went up, large cement blocks installed to prevent a bomb threat. I remember speaking to a friend at 7am, before the school assembly asking, why there was such low attendance, "why are the walls being raised?".

"There is a bomb threat". I could not comprehend why a Junior school would be the target for a bomb. Why would one gain out of this? I went on with my day, as did everyone else. Such things were not discussed in our school, our teachers went about the day as usual and eventually the view to the park across the street was permanently cut off.

By 2011, Karachi was in a constant state of war. As many others have mentioned, there were frequent strikes, bombs, violent clashes... (I hardly remember going to school to be honest). One day, the school administration decided it was enough, our classes were rescheduled for a Saturday.

I was strolling into school through the back entrance- sluggish, upset- when a teacher of mine ran outside and began asking people to hurry up and get inside. I did not change my pace. "Why is she making me run at 7 am... classes don't start for another 10". That is when I heard her yell "There is a shooter, you need to run". I did not understand what had happened. Why is someone shooting inside a school at 7am on a Saturday? What is there to gain? These are questions that remain unanswered. The shooter lived in a building across the street, he used it as a vantage point to shoot inside the school almost hitting students and teachers. I remember being crouched for hours (perhaps?) under the tables, just as we practiced every week.

I think about these experiences and still feel nothing. Frequent shooter drills, bomb drills, protest drills, attacks had completely desensitized me to such attacks by the time I was a teenager.

It is important to remember the dangers of desensitization to violence, which is something I try to remind myself of daily. It can reduce ones empathy towards victims and increase an apathy towards existence which is dangerous to not only oneself but society in general. It is a task to stay empathetic and continue to highlight the atrocities faced by children who live in such circumstances so that future generations may never have to.

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22110032
09 de mai. de 2021

Oh my God, I have goosebumps. I cannot believe youve faced conflict in such a direct manner. And I agree. I wanted to ask you and other readers - do you think often when victims of conflict recover from conflict immediately (and get praised for it), it could actually be a sign of desensitization? Which, might make them more resilient, but also overall creates an apathetic community. This isn't of course the fault of the victims, but do you think desensitization in that case is simply a coping mechanism, and what can be done to prevent it then?

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21100147
09 de mai. de 2021

Extremely sorry about what you experienced. What youve written is extremely insightful. The many forms of violence children have faced in Pakistan have been so normalized. We often grow up thinking its normal, until you realize that its so not. This is not what a normal school environment looks like with drills etc being routine. Children are supposed to feel safe and protected, not on the lookout for a possible attack. The trauma often hidden is very real.

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