CHILD ABUSE IN TODAY’S

SOCIETY
• Child abuse does not discriminate against a child because of age, sex, race, religion, or
socioeconomic background. Any child can fall victim to this sometimes a silent problem

INTRODUCTION
• Child abuse is one such crime which is rarely noticed and seldom reported
Child abuse can be caused by parents, guardians, relatives or even friends of the child.
There are four types of child abuse.
Physical abuse
Sexual abuse
Emotional abuse
Neglect
PHYSICAL ABUSE ON
CHILDREN
Definition
physical abuse refers to the infliction of physical harm on a child by a
parent or caregiver.

There are two commonly accepted types of definitional standards

that can be used to specify what is meant by physical abuse
1. the harm standard
2.endangerment
Impact of Physical Abuse on
Physical
Children
1. immediate pain, suffering and medical problems
2. long term physical disabilities, including brain damage,
hearing loss, or eye damage
3. may experience permanent blindness or deafness,
mental and developmental delays or retardation, coma,
paralysis, and in many cases death

Emotional
1. may experience feelings of low self-esteem and depression
2. exhibit behavioral problems
 Social

1. inability to form friendships with peers,

2. Poor social skills
Prevention

Knowledge is the first step to prevention of physical abuse

using media campaigns to spread information on child

development or parenting skills

provide support for parents experiencing crises

 
Definition
the infliction is not physical but rather verbal or
EMOTIONAL
psychological damage ABUSE ON

CHILDREN
based on many of the experiences of children and its
impact and effect

“the least studied of all the forms of child maltreatment

and its etiology is less developed” (Tomison and Tucci 1997
p2)
The Impact of Emotional Abuse on
Children
the inability to form positive relationships with others

unable to determine what is and what is not appropriate or

caring behaviour towards them

low self esteem, depression, aggression

Prevention

Working with the community as a whole within this context will

enable the much needed focus and exploration of child
emotional abuse

be able to provide services that are inclusive of a child’s

experience and which are able to support them and assist
them

improving the knowledge base and resourcing a community to

prevent emotional abuse
CHILD NEGLECT
DEFINITION
Minty and Pattinson suggested that neglect can by defined by
The persistent failure to meet a child’s essential needs by
omitting basic parenting tasks and responsibilities
Department of Health, 1999 defines neglect
The persistent or severe neglect of a child, or the failure to
protect a child from exposure to any kind of danger, including
cold and starvation, or extreme failure to carry out important
aspects of care
CONSEQUENCES OF
NEGLECT
As neglected children grow older, developmental deficits are
still apparent

School-aged children with histories of neglect have serious

learning problems

having more behavioral problems in school than non-

maltreated children
PREVENTION
Primary Prevention
public services should be available in the community to support the effort of parents to provide adequate care
for their children.

-High-quality public education with curriculum .

Secondary Prevention
-calls for targeting families at high risk of neglect and alleviating conditions associated with the problem.
>Early childhood education programs.
>Home Health Visitation.
>Parent Skills Training .

Tertiary Prevention
entails targeting services to neglecting parents and their children to remedy the neglect and its
consequences on the children, and prevent its recurrence
SEXUAL ABUSE ON
CHILDREN
DEFINITION
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which a child
is abused for the sexual gratification of an adult

Under the law, "child sexual abuse" is an umbrella term

describing criminal and civil offenses in which an adult
engages in sexual activity with a minor or exploits a minor for
the purpose of sexual gratification
THE EFFECTS ON CHILDREN

Psychological harm / Neurological damage

Physical harm

Infections
PREVENTION

The encouragement of sport

reducing a wide range of adult problems
-improved parental relationships, reduced domestic violence and
disharmony, improved school opportunities, work opportunities,
better social networks, and better intimate relationships as adults.
 CONCLUSION

work to obtain and maintain funding for prevention programs,

and collaborate with organizations, community leaders and
public policy makers
PREPARED BY

BALASUBRAMANIM S/O KUNAISAIGEDIN