Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
An essay on child abuse
An essay on child abuse
Introduction to child abuse
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Do you ever wonder why adults abuse their children? Well, I do. People that abuse their children don’t know what they are putting them through. Some forms of child abuse are physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse. On November 17, 2013, a child was found handcuffed to a porch with a dead chicken hanging around his neck. The foster families parents were both arrested and put in jail, and 4 other kids including the other one were taken out of there. We need to stop child abuse by strengthening our Social Services and make them more aware of child abuse. Kilah Davenport was a four year old girl who has passed away on March 13, 2014. Kilah went through child abuse. Kilah was badly abused by her stepfather, Joshua Houser, in 2012. Houser was sentenced last month to 92 to 123 months in prison for child abuse. Houser was convicted of shoving Kilah’s head through a wall of his house in Indian Trail in may of 2012. She was only 3-years-old at this time. Kilah suffered a broken collarbone, a fractured skull, brain damage and bruising. Under Kilah’s Law that was passed, abus...
Chronic abuse and neglect is a huge part of the foster care system. According to the Children's Rights website, “Nearly 700,000 abused and neglected children will spend time in foster care in the United States this year.” Many children find themselves being looked after by a social worker, and eventually into the arms of a new family. The authors of Foster Care Placement, Poor Parenting, and Negative Outcomes Among Homeless Young Adults state that “More than half a million American youth currently [are] in foster homes due to child abuse and neglect,” (Tyler, Kimberly A., and Lisa A. Melander). This is a very terrifying statistic. It’s hard to think that there are that many children in foster care, let alone that over half a million are in the system because of child abuse and neglect. Some have even dealt with abuse before, during, and after foster care (787). This leads me to my first point; if foster care is so great, why are children still having to deal with abuse once they’ve been placed in foster care? Why are children like Krystal Scurry being raped and killed by those who are supposed to be offering better living conditions (Ambrose, Jeanne). Why are little children like Joshua Lindsey being beaten to death by their foster parents (1)? Who is re...
Child abuse is the intentional omission of care by a parent or guardian that can cause a
Almost 10% of children in foster care have stayed in foster care for five or more years. Most young kids don’t even reach their fifth birthday and die under these circumstances.. Nearly half of all children in foster care have medical problems. 8% of all children in foster care have serious emotional problems, 11% of children exiting foster care aged out of the system, in 2011. When these kids age out they have nothing unless their foster parents help this is why most of them end up homeless or drug addicts because they’re desperate but at this time they’re hopeless. Children in foster care experience high rates of child abuse, emotional deprivation, and physical neglect. A study of foster children in Oregon and Washington State found that nearly one third reported being abused by a foster parent or another adult in a foster
There are many negative aspects of foster care that result in problems later in life. Abuse is one of these negative aspects. Marcia Lowry, the executive director of the pro-foster care organization “Children’s Rights”, admitted, “I have almost never seen a child, boy or girl, who has been in foster care for any length of time who has not been sexually abused in some way” (“Foster Care vs. Family Preservation: The Track Record on Safety and Well-being”). A guardian abused many of these children she speaks of. Foster care has a very strenuous application process for foster parenthood. It involves applications, background checks, interviews, and recommendation letters, yet there are still many unfit foster parents. One third of foster children revealed to social workers and other authorities that an adult had abused them in various ways while in the system (“Foster Care vs. Family Preservation”); however, abuse by an adult is less li...
Child welfare services should create a better environment in foster care homes. Children face mental and physical trauma every day in foster care homes like emotional distress, unstable mental health and surroundings, developmental delays etc. High trauma rates in children who currently reside in foster care or did, amounting to “one-half to two-thirds,” raises everyday (Dorsey, Burns, Southerland, Cox, Wagner, and Farmer 871). A nationwide social services policy on how to become a foster care parent or child should focus on the mental, emotional and physical state of the individual to decrease foster care abuse.
It is unfortunate that in our society some children grow up without the opportunity of having a loving family to raise them. More unimaginable is children growing up with parents or family members that are abusive. Children raised in abusive environments that are reported to social services and removed from their home are placed into foster care. Foster care is defined supervised care for delinquent or neglected children usually in an institution or substitute home set up by the government. Some advocates claim that the government child care system is adequate, but others like David Van Biema of Time Magazine state that, “foster care is intended to protect children from neglect and abuse at the hands of parents and other family members, yet all too often it becomes an equally cruel form of neglect and abuse by the state (Biema).” There is substantial research that looks deeper into the foster care system. It reveals that abuse in foster care is a big enough problem that it needs to be addressed, but what changes can or should be made?
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.
In the book They Cage the Animals At Night (Burch) if I recall most of the homes he was in he has been beaten and these scenarios did actually happen. The only reason why he was neglected later in the book is because his mom was not able to take care of Jennings until her neck was healed (because she broke her neck). Also child abuse is reported every ten seconds (classes.dma.ucla.edu/Winter05/154B/anti_violence.pdf.)
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.
As reported in Child Maltreatment 2013, out of the estimated 905,000 victims of child abuse and neglect reported in the United States in 2013, 8.8% were victims of sexual abuse. 1 This means that in that year over 79,600 children were sexually abused in the United States. “There is general agreement among mental health and child protection professionals that child sexual abuse is not uncommon and is a serious problem in the United States.” 2
We will never get rid of predators, and there will always be abusive parents. Social workers, church leaders, school principals, and district officials may be following rules designed to serve adults and guard institutions, but they should have tuned into more basic instincts and protected children. If they would have embraced those children as their own, their feelings might have led them to a very different outcome(Banks). States are looking for ways to deal with the one millions cases of child abuse that appear each year. Instead of only one approach in child welfare, they are looking for better ways to use their staff community resources. We fight for the every girl and boy who has had basic tight to safety. We constantly assess the successes and failures of strategies undertaken on behalf of our youth. While there is more to be done, we have made great strides. Because of the collective progress made in identifying and helping victims, we have launched a prevention initiative designed to ensure that at-risk children never become victims in the first place(Joseph). The United States is taking baby steps, but hopefully it will lead into some bigger and better things in the
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.
To predict if a child will be abused is impossible to tell, however there are studies that have compiled a composite of families in which child abuse can potentially occur. According to a maltreatment fact sheet maintained by the CDC, families at risk are those with a disabled child, domestic violence, family economic disadvantages, substance abuse, parents young in age, mental health conditions, or a violent environment. So what has the government done already to stop the spread of this inhuman act? Since the first incident that exposed child abuse in 1874, involving 9 year old Mary Ellen Wilson, citizens and government officials partnered starting societies and foster care systems that prevented the cruelty of children. The struggle with funding and finding adequate caretakers proved to be factors which currently affects relief efforts.
Could you imagine how children must feel when they are abused by someone that is supposed to love and protect them, and nothing is done to help them? For this reason, it is important to realize there are legislative laws protecting child abusers from hate crimes, and excuses certain people from mandated reporting abuse. In fact, almost five children die every day as a result of abuse. Also, money is spent to convict and imprison child abusers which could be put towards programs that help people to recognize and prevent abuse. Children are the future; therefore, it is important for them to grow up in an environment they can thrive, feel safe and free from harm. After all, as the old saying “It takes a village to raise a child” stands true to this day. Now is the time for everyone to put forth the extra effort to create ways to bring child abuse, a growing epidemic to an end. As responsible citizens it is the duty to report when child abuse is suspected, create laws that
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.