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Serena Lopez

Dr. Sharity Nelson

English 1301

7 November 2022

The Rhetorical Effectiveness of “Online Learning and Child Abuse: The COVID-19 Pandemic

Impact On Work and School From Home in Indonesia”.

During 2020-2021, the COVID-19 pandemic forced several federal governments

worldwide to issue a mandatory lockdown to protect children and their families. This lockdown

meant children had to learn from home with their parents. In an article by Suyadi and Issaura

Dwi Selvi entitled: "Online Learning and Child Abuse: The COVID-19 Pandemic Impact On

Work and School From Home in Indonesia", Suyadi and Selvi argue that “child abuse [has been

more prevelant] as a result of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic” (2). This essay

claims that Suyadi and Selvi present an effective argument through the use of graphs, reputable

experts, and real-life examples of children who have suffered trauma since the start of online

learning.

One of the very first ways in which Suyadi and Selvi utilize rhetorical appeals to intrigue

their readers is by showing that they have done research with various people that are reliable and

credible, appealing to ethos. For example, Suyadi and Selvi cite a reputable source, Leny

Nurhayati Rosalin, a deputy for Child Development at the Ministry of Women's Empowerment

and Child Protection (1). Citing someone who has worked with children and has studied child

development is particularly helpful in this study, as the argument speaks about children and

psychological or physical abuse inflicted by parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. This
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implementation of a reputable source establishes a sense of credibility. It shows the audience that

Suyadi and Selvi are the foremost people to speak on this topic, as they have researched and

spoken with people who are informed about children and how they evolve. In addition, an

Author Contribution Statement is included at the end of the article, in which Suyadi and Selvi list

the ways they have contributed to the research presented in their paper. The Author Contribution

Statement included in the article shows that Suyadi and Selvi want their readers to know that

they have done work to establish credibility as authors (8). Moreover, Suyadi and Selvi show

that they are sources to be trusted after dedicating their time and research to create a powerful

argument.

Aside from Suyadi and Selvi establishing their credibility to show the audience they are

trustworthy sources of information, they utilize various statistics and graphs in their article that

showcase cases of prevalent child abuse occurring in households where online learning

transpires. For example, Suyadi and Selvi state, “According to the US Police Department, there

was an increase in domestic violence in Portland by 22%, San Antonio by 18%, Jefferson

County, Alabama by 27%, and New York City by 10%” (2). Suyadi and Selvi purposefully show

the readers percentages of child abuse since the lockdown and transition to online learning,

proving their argument that child abuse has risen due to the pandemic. This proof presented as

statistics and charts can convince a skeptical reader that the evidence that Suyadi and Selvi

suggest is accurate. Furthermore, the use of percentages shows that they communicate with their

audience in a way that makes them feel like intellectual individuals that can understand complex

concepts such as statistics. This treatment can make the audience feel respected and a part of the

discussion. Apart from this, there is a "Results and Findings" section in the article that presents

various statements from parents. Parents participating in this survey could answer these queries
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with a range of disagree to agree. As an example, one of the statements reads, “I punished

(pinching) my children if they neglected or refused to complete online assignments” (Suyadi and

Selvi 6). A reader looking over these statements will immediately identify some forms of abuse

occurring at home due to parent frustration with the child, making Suyadi and Selvi’s argument

more reliable and believable. Inserting unbiased perspectives from parents can persuade the

viewers of the article that what the two authors are speaking about is factual.

The main rhetorical appeal that is used in this article is pathos. Suyadi and Selvi appeal to

the reader's morals and emotions by using powerful language to evoke sympathy from their

readers. For example, in this sentence, “…children studying online are vulnerable [to] becoming

violence victims in cyberspace[s]. Lack of parental supervision during online learning may also

lead them to suffer from mental and psycho-social disorders (harassment/bullying)" (Suyadi and

Selvi 2). The wording in this sentence significantly contributes to provoking sympathy from the

reader. Words such as "vulnerable" and "victim" create an idea in the reader that the child being

abused is something that should be rescued and is an individual that requires care and support.

Furthermore, the phrase "lack of parental support" makes the reader feel that the parents are

committing neglectful acts towards their children, making them feel disgusted, as the parent is

not giving their children basic emotional needs. Moreover, Suyadi and Selvi provide real-life

examples of children who have suffered some form of trauma during the pandemic due to

troubles with online learning. The article reads, “[An] 11-year-old [child]... ran away after being

scolded by their mother for spending internet data on online assignments… a 14-year-old

student…reportedly committed suicide…due to the absence of [a] smartphone or TV” (Suyadi

and Selvi 2). These accounts elicit feelings of sadness for the students and anger towards any

educational systems that are not providing the bare minimum, such as electronics for their
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students. Suyadi and Selvi are well-informed on how to give rise to feelings of compassion from

their readers and make them feel that the pandemic has induced tragic situations for parents and

children alike.

In conclusion, Suyadi and Selvi successfully use miscellaneous rhetorical appeals to

persuade their audience that child abuse and online learning correlate with one another. They

establish their credibility with the Author Contribution Statement and cite reputable resources

such as the U.S. Police Department and child development deputies (2, 8). Furthermore, they

display factual evidence of ongoing child abuse by employing charts and graphs in their article's

"Results and Findings" section, appealing to the reader's sense of reason and exhibiting that their

argument can be proven with evidence (5). Lastly, Suyadi and Selvi tug at the heartstrings of

their readers by using language such as "vulnerable" and "victim,” inevitably eliciting a sense of

empathy from the reader (2). They give real-life examples of students who have suffered trauma

due to the stress of the pandemic and the ongoing pressure from their parents. Suyadi and Selvi

understand how to create an effective discussion so they may successfully convince a reader of

their claim, and they have done just that in their article.

Works Cited
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Suyadi, Selvi, and Issaura Dwi. “Online Learning and Child Abuse: The Covid-19 Pandemic

Impact on Work and School from Home in Indonesia.” Heliyon, vol. 8, no. 1, 2022,

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e08790. Accessed 31 October 2022.