Introduction
Child Abuse and Neglect (CAN) is a social and public health concern worldwide. It’s type of trauma which exerts a multitude of short and long term effects on children.1
Different terms like child abuse, child maltreatment, child infanticide which are hard to believe occur in all income, racial, religious and ethnic groups even in the 21st civilized century.2
Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect vary due to different parenting behaviours in different cultures worldwide. So some definitions focus on the behaviours or actions of adults while others consider abuse to take place if there is harm or the threat of harm to the child.3
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has defined ‘child abuse’ as a violation of basic human rights
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An estimation of 1.2 million children are trafficked each year into exploitative work according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).17
During 2011, a total of 33,098 cases of sexual crimes against children were reported all across the nation as compared to 26,694 cases during 2010, suggesting a recent increase in 24 percent.18 According to the latest statistics, in 2014 ,172 cases of child sexual abuse were revealed by Pune Police between January and October compared to 126 cases recorded in 2013 in the same period, a steep rise of 35 Percent.19
There can be several consequences as a result of abusive behavior towards the child. As a survivor of child abuse, there can be difficulties in physical development of the child. Child can have many health related issues like anxiety, depression difficulty in sleep, fear etc. Other effects could be lack of interest in social activities, difficulty in building healthy relationships at work and home.20
Due to an alarming rise in child abuse cases, reporting is ethical and legal obligation of healthcare professionals.21 Most common signs of child abuse are in the orofacial region an hence the dentists are in a unique position to detect the cases of child abuse.22 Lips are the most common site for inflicted injuries (54%) followed by the oral mucosa, teeth, gingiva and tongue. Such abuse cases are usually first witnessed by
Child neglect and abuse is an unfortunate reality for many children today. It can have significant developmental impacts on children until they are an adult. Unfortunately it is not noticed until the damage is already done. Parents are the ones that are supposed to take care of their child. The consequences of a child getting mistreated young may endure long after the neglect occurs. People having children and not ready to be parents. Scaring the child for life because they decided that is was fun to beat on their child and abuse them mentally, and some even sexually. The effects can appear in all aspects of life, rather it is psychological or behavioral. There are three main effects of neglect and abuse that can range from minor physical injuries, not getting along with others, or can become aggressive and affect them later on in life.
The second type of child abuse is sexual abuse. Sexual abuse is defined as acts of sexual harassment and sexual exploitation of minors. Sexual abuse has a wide range of behavior and may consist of many acts over a long period of time or a single incident. The nature of the crime, the shame of the victim, and the involvement of loved ones may make it harder for children to come forward and report abuse. A statistic from Medtwerm.com written by author John Mersch said that sexual abuse is the least reported form of child abuse, accounting for only 10% of all cases (Mersch). Child pornography, child prostitution, or the exposure of a child to sexual acts or things showing sexual acts may also be included in sexual abuse.
· Wiese, D. and Daro, D. (1995) Current Trends in Child Abuse Reporting and Fatalities: The Results of the 1994 Annual Fifty State Survey. Chicago, IL.: NCPCA.
Abuse of children has become a major social problem and a main cause of many people's suffering and personal problems. Neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse have an immediate and long-term effects on a child's development. The long-term effects of abuse and neglect of a child can be seen in psychiatric disorders, increased rates of substance abuse, and relationship difficulties. Child abuse and neglect is a huge problem. Parents who abuse are people who have been abused and neglected themselves as children(Long Term Consequences).
Child abuse in general is quite complex and at the same time one of the most challenging social issue facing people all around the USA. Child abuse cases have been recorded in all the states of the USA. The cases occur in all areas be it cities, small towns, suburbs, and even in rural areas. The vice also happens in all types of families regardless of the ethnic origin of the family or the even family income (UNICEF, 2015). It is thus important that effort is put into reducing cases of child abuse.
The term child abuse was once as rarely heard as that of pink elephants. However rare the term has once been, it is now a term used consistently throughout the news and various other publications today. Along with the progressing decline in society's morals, has come the rapid increase of crime. One such crime is child abuse. Although child abuse is common, the act is defiling. As a result of the abuse, children who fall victim to this often need psychological treatment and counseling. Often, the child is never the same as he or she once was before. The dictionary defines child abuse as: "the physical, or emotional, or sexual mistreatment of children" (Dictionary.com). Everyday thousands of children are the victims of this abuse. The abusers range from parents, friends, total strangers, to even day-care workers.
The mistreatment of children is classified by four types of actions: physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, and neglect. Although, in recent years several steps have been taken to prevent the maltreatment of children it seems that child abuse is still prevalent in today's society. Countless children around the world suffer from some form of abuse and in many cases the same child experiences more than one. There is no exact number of victims because it difficult to measure the exact amount of children going through abuse. Child abuse almost always occurs in private, and because abuse is often hidden from view and its victims may be too young or too frightened to speak out, experts in child welfare suggest that its true prevalence
Research has shown the relationship between the types of child abuse. According to some research, it has been stated that there are three major forms of child abuse: physical abuse, emotional abuse and sexual abuse. Studies have also demonstrated reliable evidences to support how these forms of child abuse affects children and their adulthood relationship. According to some research performed by some authors, experts who work in the field of child-care are now able to identify and understand the psychological problems that abused victims are likely to develop later in their adulthood stage. Kathryn Hildyard and David Wolfe’s essay on child neglect mentions how child neglect affects children’s health development. Child neglect is known to be the most usual form of child abuse due to the large amount of children that have been neglected or not cared for. Kristen Springer and Jennifer Sheridan’s article on physical and mental health consequences explains how physical abuse affects children emotionally in their early stages of childhood.
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, or emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. It can be detrimental to one’s daily life, affecting not only the abused child, but also those who are associated with the child. It can have lasting effects that may carry over to adulthood and cause potential issues with relationships or perhaps within their own families as well. It is important that we learn to recognize the signs of child abuse and neglect so that we can save the lives and future of our children. Child abuse is widespread, often not reported, and is responsible for many problems involving our youth today.
Kiran, B. (2011). Child Abuse and Neglect. Journal of Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry. p.79.
The physical abuse of children covers a wide range of actions from what some might term ‘justifiable chastisement’ such as slapping or spanning to the sort of actions which most would agree constitute deliberate, sadistic cruelty against children.
The Center of Disease Control and prevention defines child abuse as any act or series of events that results in harm, potential harm or threatens the child’s safety (Webb, 2007). While many people believe that child maltreatment is simply physical many other forms of maltreatment occur; sexual abuse, neglect and abandonment are also common forms of abuse. Domestic Violence is also included in the definition of child maltre...
Child abuse is a situation where parent is not fully giving their child the care that they need. It is also classified as parents who mistreat their children emotionally, sexually, or physically (Watkins, 2009). The impact that child abuse has on a child is mainly physical, behavioral or in psychological nature. It is very hard to separate any of the three impacts. Any abused child will develop psychological problems, end up with some physical injuries or even adapt some unappealing behaviors.
Part of the problem in dealing with child abuse and neglect is the lack of clear definitions. There are several types of abuse and neglect, all of which have their own definitions. According to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) , five types accounted for most of the reported child abuse and neglect committed in 1996 . These five types were; physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, and medical neglect. Physical abuse is the most visible form of child maltreatment, defined as physical injury resulting from punching, kicking, beating, biting, burning, or otherwise harming a child (American Humane Association, 1999). Most states define sexual abuse as an ...
Roughly five children die every day in the United States at the hands of an abuser (Child Help, 2012). Child abuse has been an everlasting problem in the United States, making it known as a perennial problem. A perennial problem is a problem that never seems to vanish. I came to the decision to use child abuse as my perennial problem due to the fact that no child, family, or community should have to endure the tragedies that happen as a result of abuse. Child abuse is defined as doing something or not doing something that ends in harm to a child or puts the child at risk (MedlinePlus, 2017). There are four types of child abuse: physical, sexual, emotional, and neglect. Individuals, families, and communities are all impacted by child abuse.