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Most questions have answers and sometimes explanations, but there have been many answers to the question of why people abuse children. The trauma of a child being abused can be described in various ways. Child abuse is the mistreatment or maltreatment of a child whether it is mental, physical, emotional, sexual, verbal, or psychological abuse. Child abuse is a traumatic experience. Child abuse is often synonymous with the term child maltreatment or the term of child abuse and neglect. It has been said that the trauma of being physical, mental, emotional, or sexual abuse as a child can effect an individual for the rest of his or her life. Such abuse can severely damage a victim's self-esteem. The effects of abuse are often pervasive in the mental, physical, and social nature. Suicide, violence, delinquency, drug and alcohol abuse, and other forms of criminality are also child abuse related. Those who believe child abuse is extremely prevalent push for more aggressive child protection system that would allow charges to be investigated and prosecuted more efficiently. The increasing involvement has encouraged many people to be concern with awareness and understanding. 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. The abusing family lives in a manner that separates the bearing and raising of children from traditional marriage. This undermines the well being of children. For every one- hundred children born in the United States, twelve entered broken families, either by being born out of wedlock or through their parents' obtaining a divorce. In such circumstances children are most likely to suffer abuse and neglect, and new subcultures of abuse. Origins of religiously justified child abuse may seem hard to believe, but it occurs very frequently. Medical neglect dictated by religious beliefs is another route through which children become victims of religious ideology.
Life in the United States has been difficult for many children. Statistically speaking, there are four children who are killed by abuse each day (Allyn & Bacon, 2011). With numbers increasing over the years change is something that is starting to take place. There are many things that will affect the child welfare system in the future, such as the economic policies, political views, and the current policies set in place (child welfare information). The reason for the child welfare system is to help the children who are getting abused. In the past, there was not a policy set in place; however, this is beginning to change. One of the systems that have been set in place is the Children’s Bureau, an organization that does studies on the mental health of abused children (Thomas, 2012). Although this organization has no authority to develop federal regulations, they are one of the largest agency leaders in child welfare (Thomas, 2012). There are many problems with the economy and government that make it hard to maintain the child welfare system.
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 happens when an adult be it a parent, caretaker or a member of the family intentionally hurts a child or an adolescent physically, emotionally, sexually or fails to adequately supply for the material needs of a given child
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.
Child abuse occurs in families of all different social classes and of all different cultures. According to the Heritage Foundation, abuse and neglect of American children has increased 134% since 1980 ("The Child Abuse Crisis”). No excuse for child abuse exists. Children are among the most defenseless group of people in society, and to harm those who are defenseless is simply unacceptable. Abusers may make excuses for their actions or even deny they are harming the child, but they are wrong. Child abuse causes significant damage to the victim’s physical and psychological health, the victim’s behavior and social skills, and society as a whole.
When dealing with families who are entering the child welfare system, social workers need to examine the entire family, their history that contributes to the current problem, and the societal context of their homes (Popple & Vecchiolla, 2007). There are many proposals for why child maltreatment and Belsky outlines three explanations and a fourth theory for why parents maltreat their children.
Child Abuse is something that children all around the world have to deal with every day. Child abuse can cause physical and mental affects on a child. It occurs very frequently and can happen for many different reasons. There is a law now stating that reporting child abuse is mandatory and you should report it immediately. There are thousands of child abuse victims every year. The abuse usually can leave permanent damage on the rest of the child's life. Child abuse is a very serious crime, and affects children everyday with positive and negative affects.
Child abuse is an issue within society that effects the lives of not only the victims but also the lives of many people in the social order. Child abuse is any mistreatment or neglect of a child that results in non-accidental injury or harm and which cannot be logically explained. There are several forms of abuse and neglect and many state governments have developed their own legal description of what constitutes child maltreatment for the purposes of removing a child and prosecuting a criminal charge. Child abuse consists of different forms of harm including physical, emotional, sexual, and neglect.
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 a social problem in America that has many contributed factors. Factors that contribute to child abuse and neglect includes poverty, divorce, substance use, lack of education, stress due to unemployment, mental health issues, teenage parent, and a history of child abuse in the family. It took decades for physicians to conclude that parents have been violently assaulting their children. Child abuse, child labor, juvenile delinquency, and similar social questions historically were ethical and moral problems, not strictly medical ones. (Helfer, Kempe, & Krugman, 1997). In 1962, the Journal of American Medical Association published “The Battered-Child Syndrome.” The article transformed society’s views and dates the rediscovery of child abuse as a social problem. Following this article, the U.S. Children’s Bureau adopted the first laws mandating physicians to report any suspicions of abuse and neglect to the police or child welfare. By 1974, some 60,000 cases were reported. In 1980, the number exceeded one million (Myers J. E., 2004).
The Centers for 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 maltreatment.... ... middle of paper ...
Authors Moylan, Herrenkohl, Sousa, Tajima., Herrenkohl, and Russo of “The effects of child abuse and exposure to domestic violence on adolescent internalizing and externalizing behavior problems” explained, “Numerous studies have demonstrated that children exposed to domestic violence and/or child abuse are more likely to experience a wide range of adverse psychosocial and behavioral outcomes” (Moylan, Herrenkohl, Sousa, Tajima., Herrenkohl, & Russo, 2010). The effects of physical abuse persist into adolescence leading teenagers to become socially awkward or, in some cases, pregnant. These individuals tend to keep to themselves or in small groups of trusted people. Correspondingly, as children age, the damage of the abuse leads them to become dependent upon drug substances and can also lead to them becoming child abusers themselves. Domestic violence remains one of the many causes adults physically abuse
The effects of child abuse are multiple. The pain and trauma the abused child goes through is just a small part of how this cauldron of hidden depravity in our society affects all of us. Wrecked lives can be seen in persons of all ages and in all walks of life. Society as a whole is also effected by child abuse both in negative and positive ways. In this essay I will present some of the factor and results of this violent behavior on individuals as well as our culture.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) (n.d.), the causes of child abuse are 1) poverty, 2) less education, 3) unemployment, 4) changes in address, 5) marital problems, 6) lack of support, and 7) isolation. These factors are not only individual problems, but also social problems. Also, factors are considered to be interrelated to each other. For instance, parents in poverty are at higher risk of abused their children because they are more likely to struggle with economic problems because of unemployment. They are less likely to have stable jobs because of lack of education.
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.