Some Statistics on Child Maltreatment

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Child maltreatment is “any act that seriously endangers a child’s physical or emotional well-being” (Belsky, 2010). There are four kinds of child maltreatment: physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. Physical abuse is any physical harm that results in bruises. It includes everything from extreme spanking to beating, which could result in death. Causing severe emotional damage, for example terrifying or taking advantage of a child, is considered emotional abuse. Sexual abuse includes everything from fondling and exhibitionistic acts to rape and incest. When parents don’t provide adequate supervision and care for their children it is referred to as neglect. It includes not supplying enough food, abandoning the child, or not registering the child for school.
There are numerous influences that can cause caregivers to behave in a physically or emotionally abusive manner. Parents’ personality problems are a big influence. Parents who mistreatment their children usually have some sort of psychological disorder like depression or substance abuse. They can become unpredi...

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