The topic of child abuse is one of the hardest topics to write about. It is imperative to have a profound understanding of this topic and its consequences specially when working in the field of human services. Professionally and personally, I have encountered situations where child abuse is present. This reality has touched my life in many ways and these experiences continue shaping me as a human being and as social service provider. I will try to cover in this paper the subject of child abuse, its definitions, and the scope of the problem and the proper prevention of it.
First it all it would be important to define some terms related to child abuse. It is imperative to have a common understanding of the many terms related to it. The topic of child abuse has many complexities and certainly it creates strong emotions on people when talking or dealing with it. Generally speaking it seems there is confusion in regards of the terms of abuse and neglect. According to the “Child Neglect: A Guide for Prevention, Assessment and Intervention chapter 2” neglect is the most common type of child maltreatment in the United States. Neglect could be defined to the failure of providing for the basic needs or care of a person. Unfortunately society has minimized the effects neglect and many adults give less important of attention to this type of abuse in children. The effects of neglect can be just as damaging as the effects of other types of abuse on children and especially on those whose brains are in the early stages of development.
One the biggest challenges in regards of the definition of neglect are that it varies amount social service professionals, justice system, the medical community and even across the different juris...
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Goldman, J., Salus, M. K., Wolcott, D., Kennedy, K. Y. (2003). A coordinated response to child abuse and neglect: The foundation for practice. Retrieved from Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, Children's Bureau website: https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/foundation/foundationc.cfm
Dunn, D. & Craig, G.J., & (2013). Understanding human development (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson. Crain, W.C. (2011). Theories of development: Concepts and applications (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall
McGuigan, W., Vuchinich S., & Pratt, C. (2000) Domestic Violence, Parents' View of Their Infant, and Risk for Child Abuse. Journal of Family Psychology (14), 613-624. Retrieved February 21, 20014 from the Academic Search Premier database
Mignon S., Larson C., Holmes W. (2001) Family Abuse: Consequences, Theories, and Responses Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
When children are hurt physically, emotionally, or sexually it is known to be child abuse. Children are known to be neglected when they are not getting the proper attention needed for children. When children are neglected or abused in any way it is the responsibility of others to report such acts to the authorities as to what they have witnessed first-hand or signs of abuse or neglect seen after the fact, these people who reports such acts are known as third parties. The proper authorities to report child abuse or neglect is called Child Protected Services also known as Child Welfare. After the abuse or neglect is reported the proper authorities will then investigate to see if the abuse or neglect is legit or fraudulent (Sedlak, 2001).
McCoy, M. L., & Keen, S. M., (2009). Child abuse and neglect. New York: Psychology Press.
In conclusion, Child abuse and neglect is more common in children’s lives today. A child may be harmed and be right in front of us and we do not even know it. We have to watch out for the signs and symptoms to try and help a child out. We may not even realize it till it is too late. The effect can appear in all aspects of life, rather it being psychological or behavioral. These effects can range from anything such as minor physical injury, not getting along with others, or become aggressive and affect them later on in life.
Child abuse can be Physical, Sexual, Emotional, and Physiological Abuse. Child abuse is not only just about abuse but neglect as well. The difference between abuse and neglect is, that abuse is the maltreatment of someone and neglect is failure to give the proper care to a person (Jilani, 2010). Neglect has different types as well, such as Educational, Emotional, and Physical Neglect. Every place in the world has some types of statistics on Child Abuse and Neglect. For example, “The United States has one of the worst records among industrialized nations – losing on average between four and seven children every day to child abuse and neglect (Childhelp, n.d.).” The fact that so many young lives are lost before they even get to begin is
Greenfield, E. A. (2010). Child abuse as a life-course social determinant of adult health. Maturitas, 66(1), 51-55.
In 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Human Services, of all the maltreatment cases “71.1% of those were neglect” (Kazemaian, 2011). Many researchers, (Mersky and Reynolds’, Dierkhising, Kerig, Buffington, Ford, Topitzes, and Ryan, Widom and Maxfield) have studied the topic of neglect trauma and juvenile delinquency extensively, and have all established that although there is no proof that neglect can cause delinquency, there is a strong relationship between the two and have found neglect can play a critical role in later offending. Other researchers (Cohen, Smailes, and Brown) on the other hand have found little to no correlation between neglect trauma and later delinquency. Where as the last remaining researches (Stewart, Hoeve, Tyler, Bright, Widom, Williams, Unnever) have taken another standpoint, to could explain the child’s delinquent behavior such as, the timing of the neglect, the duration of the neglect, gender, and parent-child
Child abuse and neglect is a very serious issue that can not be taken lightly. We need to provide continuing public education and professional training. Few people fail to report because they want children to suffer abuse and neglect. Likewise, few people make deliberately false reports. Most involve an honest desire to protect children coupled with confusion about what conditions are reportable. Educational efforts should emphasize the conditions that do not justify a report, as well as those that do.
Child Abuse is an extremely significant conflict around the world; it is the physical maltreatment or sexual molestation of a child. There are 4 main types of victimization against children. Those containing physical, emotional, sexual abuse and neglect. Physical abuse is when a parent or guardian wounds their child in the form of injuring them or in any other manner causing them agony. Emotional abuse also recognized as mental abuse is when they mentally upset a child’s feelings that may generate trauma. Sexual abuse can probably be characterized as someone forcing a child in an act of unwanted sexual relationships. Neglect is the form of not providing a child with their basic physical and emotional necessities. Most people are forming organizations to prevent from future child abuse occurring but most people are also not getting involved in such dangerous crimes. Usually more than 90% of abusers tend to be people children know, love, or trust, according to Bright Futures 4 Kids.
The early childhood years are a period of rapid change in the brain, this leaves children exceptionally vulnerable to psychological abuse. Psychological abuse includes rejecting, ignoring, criticizing, belittling, humiliating, threatening with violence, or otherwise terrorizing the child, all of which have the effect of eroding the child's self-esteem and sense of security. Psychological abuse can come as a result of actions that do not specifically target the child. Studies show that children who have experienced domestic violence are more anxious and insecure then those who do not. Children who observe violence react with many of the same psychological symptoms as children who have experienced it directly. Psychological abuse is often accompanied by other forms of abuse. It is difficult to prove, however, and rarely is
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 3.3 million referrals for alleged maltreatment were made in 2013. Out of the 3.3 million referrals, 899,000 children were officially documented as being maltreated(Child Abuse & Neglect 2015). Child abuse is the mistreatment of a child. Child abuse is recognized in several forms; physical, emotional, sexual and neglect. Children who experience any form of abuse will tend to withdraw themselves from their peers and sometimes from other family members who are not aware of what is taking place. Child abuse occurs not just in the homes of these children, but can also occur in schools, churches and after school programs. Anywhere a child is present there is a chance that abuse can occur. This paper will review the forms of child abuse, the effects of child abuse, reasons child abuse occurs and possible therapies to bring healing in the parties involved.
Child neglect is the most common form of maltreatment towards children, which may lead to various short- and long-term physical, psychological and social consequences. It is known to coincide with other forms of abuse and difficulties. Infants and toddlers are often the main victims of neglect.
We’ll start with child abuse victims and the affects and reasons of this abuse. There are four types of child abuse and I will list them in order from least to greatest, neglect, physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Neglect takes first with the NCVS having 54% reports of child neglect in 2007. Neglect is a very serious form of abuse it is the failure for a parent or guardian to provide for a child’s basic needs, including physical and educational needs. We grow and development drastically in the first twelve years of our life so when parental guidance and love is absent it affects a child’s developmental skills along with learning right from wrong. Many forms of neglect occur in larger households and with households with domestic violence. Many parents with multiple kids become too busy focusing on the older children they tend to forget the youngest one. So it’s common for a three year old to walk out of the front door and on to the street when no one is there to tell him or...
One of the major causes of a child being abused is, when he or she is in an unstable family. Unstable families, characterized by frequent changes of partnership, are replacing stable marriages. For a mother, this result is a greater stress and isolation from the child. Frequent family changes also result in frequent role changes for adults in the household, leading to more confusion and more stress for the entire family. In the two part families, mainly the stepfamilies, great deals of conflicts are presented. Of these parents, about 71 percent fought regularly about the children, 81 percent had a conflict over the use of alcohol in the home. Many of the females received very little poise and positive feedback from parents in the home.
Failure to provide a child with basic necessary needs is known as neglect. Neglect has become the most common form of child abuse, and its effects have been recognized as the most detrimental to a child’s development. According to Zorika Petic Henderson’s article “Maltreated Children Fail in School”, Childr...
The study of the development of children is a fairly new study, and psychologist are still finding out a variety of new information every year. Along with that, child neglect is an arising issue in today’s economy due to the long-term effects it has on a child’s physical and mental health. Neglect has been associated with impaired brain development, fatalities, inferior academic performance, emotional and behavioral problems, fatalities, and depression. Although psychiatrists have uncertainty on how to address neglected children, studies have been done and are taking place to figure out a solution. There are a variety of different factors that can lead to a neglected child, but the majority of these factors lead back to the parents of the