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Child abuse and its effects
Child abuse and its effects
Child abuse and its effects
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A four year old girl lays on the floor unconscious after her mother beat her because she put a dish away in the wrong spot. She wakes up and feels the burns of the cigarettes on her and the feeling of a broken rib in her body. This abuse has been going on since she was a baby, but this was one of the first times that she would actually be able to have memory of. If she does one thing wrong, something very bad happens everytime. Sometimes it’s a beating and sometimes she is put in a closet with a wire fence bound around her and it is locked in place with chains. She will never be able to forget these terrible memories. The United States should enforce child abuse laws even if they violate the privacy and right of the abuser to protect more helpless children. In order to understand child abuse, we need to learn what it is and what types of child abuse there are. We also need to know why people abuse children, what it does to the victims of it, and what is being done to stop it. Finally, we need to understand some statistics about child abuse. Child abuse is one of our nation’s most serious health problems. It occurs in all levels of education, religions, ethnic groups, and cultures. The basic definition of child abuse is a non-accidental act of commission that endangers or impairs a child’s physical or emotional health and development. Child abuse usually results in an injury or a series of injuries. Child abuse is broken up into four main categories: physical abuse, sexual abuse/misconduct, emotional abuse, and neglect (Capeless 1). Many people think of the physical and sexual sides of child abuse and they often forget about the emotional and neglect side of this terrible problem. Neglect is responsible for 62.8% of child abu... ... middle of paper ... ... who have done things like this in the past are given the right skills and resources, they are very capable of learning to care for a child in a correct manner (“Why Does Child Abuse Happen” 2) As I said before, many people don’t realize what the consequences of child abuse can do to a child. When a child is abused the may develop a range of maladaptive, anti-social, and self-destructive behaviors and thoughts by trying to cope with the abuse that is in their life. They may blame themselves for what is happening in their homes. Children who are abused also don’t have the ability to “spread their wings” and experience new things. Parents who abuse their children usually have a very tight restraint on them and don’t allow them to be able to experience new things. Children then lose their curiosity and wonder and quit trying new things and exercising their mind.
Child abuse forces children into a position of always being scared and having to “hide the secret”. This prevents children form having healthy relationships
People need to be aware that what happens to children, as they are growing up, can affect them in many different ways. Children should have wonderful memories of their life, but unfortunately the ones that suffered from abuse growing up, still struggle today. The memory of the mind works in mysterious ways and often never allows one to forget the past. They struggle throughout their life in dealing with society, fear of trust, and a broken self-esteem.
Child abuse has many definitions. “Physical abuse of children refers to nonaccidental injury inflicted by a care giver” (Crosson-Tower, 2008, p. 96). There is a problem with this definition though. Physical abuse is not only inflicted by caregivers. “The medical community sees abused children by virtue of the bruises, welts, broken bones, burns they present in a hospital of other medical setting” (Crosson-Tower, 2008, p. 96). And finally, “the legal community, including the police,
Child abuse in the United States is a growing epidemic. Every year the number of reported cases, and missing children go up. This is caused mostly by lack of education about the different types of child abuse, and the signs that go along with it. Communities need to provide more resources to better educate the public about the types of abuse, and the signs that go along with it. Child abuse and neglect can be lessened by more resources, more education and to reach out to others.
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
Research has proven that the statistics of child abuse have risen worldwide. In the United States alone they were over 1,000 child fatalities due to child abuse in 2002(Child). In 2004, The US Department of Health and Human Services estimate that 872,000 children were determined US victims of child abuse. Approximately 17.5 percent of the maltreatment victims were physically abused(Hmurovich). Every year, there are approximately three million children that are involved in cases of child abuse. Of that, about twenty-five percent are just cases of physical abuse(Lansford). The number of abused or neglected children that are killed each year went from 798 in 1985 to 1,185 in 1996(Bean Child). Child abuse is one of the five leading cause of childhood death in the United States. Although there are so many reported cases of abuse, no one will ever know with certainty how many children have or are being abused(Mankiller). Every year, child-protection agencies receive three million referrals of child abuse or neglect involving six million children. The majority of children abused are younger tha...
I find that the two most severe forms of child abuse and neglect are child sexual abuse and child fatality. Child sexual abuse refers to sexual acts, sexually motivated behaviors involving children, or sexual exploitation of children. Child sexual abuse includes but is not limited to oral penetration, anal penetration, genital penile penetration, fondling a child’s breasts or buttocks, indecent exposure, and use of a child for prostitution or pornography. Sexual abuse can also involve no contact, which includes acts such as exposure to pornography, filming a child engaged in a sexual manner or act, sexual harassment of a child, or sexual trafficking of a child. In order to reduce child sexual abuse, people must be better educated about the facts behind who is being abused. For instance, by the time a baby girl turns 18, there is a one in four chance they will be sexually abused and by the time a baby boy turns 18, there is a one in six chance they will be sexually abused. Also, 60 percent of children sexually
There are around 7 billion people living on earth and every single person is different. They have different likes, dislikes, emotions, memories and experiences. However for some people their memories and past experiences are parts of their lives that they wished they could forget. Many of these children were affected by abuse. In fact “Every year more than 3 million reports of child abuse are made in the United States involving more than 6 million children” (“Child abuse and Statistics”). While some people believe that child abuse isn’t their problem, people that have been affected do need to receive treatment and therapy in order to end the cycle and others need to know the early warning signs to help end the abuse before it gets worse to create a happier and safer world for all children.
Child abuse, while having many different forms and levels of severity, can be basically defined as the maltreatment of a child by a parent or other adult. When one thinks of child abuse, usually the first thing that comes to mind is physical harm, but the issue is actually much more complex. The abuse of a child can also be manifested in verbal and emotional forms, as well as in sexual molestation. All forms of child abuse generally result in similar emotional disorders and behavioral issues, but the major consequences of sexual abuse, such as mental or emotional scarring, promiscuity, and the tendency of former victims to become sexual abusers, cause it to be the most severely damaging form of child abuse.
...l parents as soon as the home is safe again. For some cases recurrent maltreatment occurs when the child is reunified with the biological parents or original caregivers. Children who are abused can display behavioral problems which can impact many areas in their life. They tend to act out at school and have low academic performance (Webb, 2007). They may also internalize their behavior by becoming depressed and showing symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Child maltreatment not only affects the child that is being abused, but the family system as well. Some acts of child abuse can be prosecuted with criminal charges which could result in jail time and other serious punishments. Children show the affects of their maltreatment throughout their life through their behaviors. Child abuse is a serious problem that needs to be prohibited by all agencies.
“Childhood should be carefree, playing in the sun; not living a nightmare in the darkness of the soul.” ― Dave Pelzer, A Child Called "It" As a child, I remember the unconditional love I was given. My mother took me everywhere she went and made sure I did my school work, and my father made sure I burned off all my energy while he was coaching my peewee soccer team. I am one of many kids that get the attention they need from their parents but in the world there are children who don’t even experience life fully before they are enduring their own personal nightmare. Child abuse happens to many children around the world in multiple forms, it also takes on multiple forms of psychological effects.
Child abuse is a very serious problem that continues to happen all over the world. The Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, defines child abuse as a failure to act as a parent or caregiver which results in physical/emotional harm, sexual abuse, and in some cases death. There are many different types of child abuse such as emotional, physical, neglect, and sexual. With each type of abuse there are warning signs you can spot before it is too late. When a child is abused there is a huge possibility that it can cause them to have many long term effects.
Child abuse is one of the highest growing social problems in the United States. A social problem is, “a condition that a significant number of people believe to be a problem. A condition in which there is a sizable difference between the ideals of a society and its actual achievements” (Coleman et al. 2006:2). However, society has changed the way it views the issue, and is working towards finding a solution to this awful problem. Child abuse encompasses four main areas: physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. Child abuse is considered a sociological phenomenon because it is a learned behavior. Learning the social patterns as to why people abuse will give a better understanding to its reasons, and also the development of society in the way that it views children. 3.6 million children were victims of abuse in the year 2006. Sixty four percent were victims of neglect, sixteen percent suffered from physical abuse, and eight percent were sexually abused. Also in 2006, 1,530 children died as a result of abuse; an average of four children everyday (Child Welfare Information Gateway 2008).