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.
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Show MoreChild 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
Child abuse in America is an ongoing problem and something needs to be done. There are approximately one million children abused annually in the United States. (Table 339) Cases of child abuse and neglect are reported every ten seconds, and researchers believe that there’s three times that amount that goes unnoticed. (Child Abuse: Know the Signs and Stop the Violence Against Children.) Something needs to be done for these children who are too weak and too powerless to help themselves.
Any form of neglect or maltreatment, and failure to meet the basic needs of a child is considered child abuse. Failure of providing enough food, shelter, basic supervision, necessary medical or mental health treatment, adequate education or emotional comfort, is child maltreatment. Other forms of abuse include, physical and sexual abuse, where physical abuse refers to the injury of a child on purpose. Examples of physical abuse include, striking, kicking, beating, biting, or any indication that can be considered physical abuse. Sexual abuse is where a child is engaged in sexual acts or imitation of such acts, whether its through persuasion or by force.
There are many forms of childhood maltreatment. All of which can and do cause both physical and mental issues to the victims. Childhood physical abuse can cause grave physical injuries and even death. Children who are physically abused are more likely to experience cognitive, emotional, and behavioral problems as they grow up, such as depression, anxiety, misbehavior, substance abuse problems, and can grow up to be abusers themselves. Many people have a hard time understanding why anyone would hurt a child. Most abusers love their children, but they have less patience then other parents. But the truth is that many children learn violent behavior from their parents and then grow up to be abusers themselves. There is evidence that physical child
Child abuse affects millions of children every year. Child abuse is defined as “the hurting or causing harm to a child” (Stewart, 2003, p. 6). Most people do not understand why a parent would want to hurt their children. “The general belief is that parents who maltreat their children are pathological and certainly not like us” (Polonko, 2005). It is not just parents that abuse the children it is also teachers, babysitters, and daycare workers (Stewart, 2003). Lingern (2008) reported the following:
Child abuse encompasses far more than merely beating or hitting a child. Other, more silent—and even more widespread—forms of abuse exist. Emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and child endangerment are all other forms of abuse that are much more difficult to detect because they seldom lead to visible imprints on a child the way physical abuse can. And the problem is far more pervasive than one might imaging: the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports that about five children die as a result of abuse every day. The impact child abuse can have on victims is both extensive and profound. Effects can vary from health issues to developmental and emotional impairments. With heightened awareness of the nature, the implications, and
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.
Child abuse is an issue in every state, every country, worldwide. There is no place that is immune to child abuse. This being stated they need better policies in place regarding the education on child abuse. Many people have many different opinions on how to lessen the amount of child abuse that goes on in this country, however many of them focus on stricter punishment for the abuser’s (Hmurovich, 2009). However, they know that stricter punishment will not lessen the amount of child abuse; it would truly have little to no impact on...
Child abuse has been throughout the United States from the early 1870s up to this day. The question is what can we do as a whole to prevent it from continuing. We have thought of organizations to programs to speaking out of what has developed through time and seen remarkable results. "While some children die of neglect and abuse, most victims survive with psychic scars that stay with them throughout their lives." (Grapes). Ask yourself, are you the one with courage willing to speak up against such a harsh state or will you stand back and not strive for what is the righteous choice.
...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.
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.
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...
“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).