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Abstract
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. I will discuss the major types of child abuse in the following paragraphs. Every child is vulnerable to abuse. Parents today face the possibility that someone they know or dont know may hurt or take advantage of their child. Research indicates that as many as one out of every four children will be the victims of some kind of abuse. Very young children as well as older teenagers are victimized. Almost all of these children will be abused by someone they know and trust; for example a relative, family friend or a caretaker. Maltreatment of children is not a new phenomenon. Child abuse dates back to biblical times. During recent years the public eye has become more focused on child maltreatment. There are many factors to child maltreatment. There are four general categories of child maltreatment now recognized; physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abues, neglect and emotional maltreatment. Each category covers a large range of behavior. Some causes of child abuse are the use of drugs, or alcohol abuse or an abuser was also abused when they were younger. Another problem is that when an abused child grows up they could join the next generations of child abusers. Child abuse can be prevented in a number of ways such as counseling for the adults as well as the children. Another way is for the school to educate the children about child abuse. Teachers should help children understand what to do if someone abuses them. Tactics like telling an adult they trust and coming forward when they see abuse could prevent continued abuse. In my opinion everyone should try to prevent child abuse any way they can. Child abuse should never start because it can ruin a child's life forever, and causes serious injures to the child, whether this be physical or emotional.
Introduction
The consequences of child abuse and neglect differ by the age of the child. During childhood some of the major consequences of maltreatment include problematic school performance and lowered attention to social cues. Researchers have found that children whose parents are "psychologically unavailable" function poorly across a wide range of psychological, cognitive and developmental areas (Egeland and Sroufe, 1981). Physical aggression, antisocial behavior and juvenile delinquency are among the most consistently documented consequences of abuse in adolescence and adulthood (Aber et al., 1990). Evidence is more suggestive that maltreatment increases the risk of alcohol and drug problems (National Research Council, 1993). Ystgaard, Hestetun, Loeb and Mehlum (2004) report that physical and sexual abuse are significantly and independently associated with repeated suicide attempts. In other words, physical and sexual abuse increase the risk of suicide attempts, even when controlling for other adverse events and situations children experience. Research on the consequences of sexual abuse finds that inappropriate sexual behavior, such as frequent and overt sexual stimulation and inappropriate sexual overtures to other children, are commonly found among victims of sexual abuse (Kendall-Tackett et al., 1993). Roberts and his colleagues (Roberts, O'Connor, Dunn, Golding et. al., 2004) conducted a longitudinal study of 8,292 families and found that sexual abuse experienced before age 13 was associated with poorer psychological well-being, teenage pregnancy and adjustment problems in the victim's own children. Widom (1995) has found that people who were sexually abused during childhood are at higher risk of arrest for committing crimes as adults, including sex crimes, compared to people who did not suffer sexual abuse. However, this risk is no greater than the risk of arrest for victims of other childhood maltreatment, with one exception: Victims of sexual abuse are more likely to be arrested for prostitution than other victims of maltreatment.
Child neglect is by far the most common form of maltreatment. While the more dramatic forms of maltreatment--physical abuse and sexual abuse--receive considerable attention in terms of the impact on children, there is far less research, and even concern, for the impact of the chronic form of maltreatment: child neglect. Hildyard and Wolfe (2002) reviewed the research on the impact of child neglect and find considerable support for the conclusion that child neglect produces significant developmental problems for child victims. Neglect has a deleterious effect on children's cognitive, socioemotional and behavioral development. The earlier in life a child is neglected, the more comprised the child's development. The impact of neglect is somewhat unique, producing more severe cognitive and academic deficits, social withdrawal and limited peer interactions. Victims of neglect tend to internalize the impact of that neglect as opposed to externalizing through aggressive and violent behavior (Hildyard and Wolfe, 2002). As severe and significant as the consequences of child abuse and neglect are, it is also important to point out that the majority of children who are abused and neglected do not show signs of extreme disturbance. Despite having been physically, psychologically or sexually abused, many children have effective coping abilities and thus are able to deal with their problems better than other maltreated children. There are a number of protective factors that insulate children from the effects of maltreatment. These include: high intelligence and good scholastic attainment; temperament; cognitive appraisal of events--how the child views the maltreatment; having a healthy relationship with a significant person; and the type of interventions, including placement outside of the home (National Research Council, 1993). Children who witness domestic violence are a unique population warranting research and clinical attention. Witnessing is at the intersection of child abuse and neglect and domestic violence. Researchers and clinicians report that children who witness acts of domestic violence experience negative behavioral and developmental outcomes, independent of any direct abuse or neglect that they may also experience from their caretakers. Estimates from the two National Family Violence Surveys are that between 1.5 million and 3.3 million children three to 17 years of age are exposed to domestic violence each year (Gelles and Straus, 1988; Straus, Gelles and Steinmetz, 1980).
Parents should explain that a bad person may begin with good touches and slowly work towards bad touches over a period of time. Known as grooming, the abuser may take days, months, or years to acclimate the child to innocent touching before they move into the abuse phase. The child should know that they must consciously think about touches and how to interpret them. Explain to the child that bad touches go both ways. It may not always be an adult trying to touch the child but may indeed be a adult trying to get the child to touch them. Let them know that an adult should never have to ask a child to touch them, especially if they ask the child to touch their private parts. Explain to the child that a dead giveaway of a bad touch is if the adult asks them not to tell anyone about the touch. They should know that a lot of the time, an adult that touches a child badly will either threaten the child (or threaten someone else) or ask that the child keep the touch a secret. Any time an adult asks them to keep something a secret, the child should tell their list of trusted people and ask for assistance. Parents should also explain that there is no single factor that makes a touch good or bad. The child must learn to analyze several factors to make the determination. For example, you teach a child that touching is how people show each other they that love and care for them. On the other hand, a child abuser will deceive the child by telling them that they love them and are touching them to show them that they care. If there is any doubt whatsoever, they should ask another adult that they trust for guidance. Explain to your child that good touch is how people show that they love and care for someone. They can probably tell if a touch is good by how they feel about it. If it makes them happy and smile then its likely to be a good touch. Give them examples of good touch such as: When the teacher pats you on the shoulder while telling you that you did a good job. When your mommy tells you good morning and gives you a hug and a kiss. When Daddy hugs and kisses you goodnight. When grandma and grandpa come over and everyone hugs and kisses.
Explain to your child that bad touches are when people hit, kick, or touch your private parts. You can explain that private parts are any body part that is covered by a bathing suit (the safe body rule). If the touch makes them nervous, scared, or just feels funny, then its probably a bad touch. Teach them that a touch is bad if: It hurts It makes them feel scared or nervous or ashamed If the person forces them to touch If the person asks them to not tell anyone about it If the person threatens them or someone else if they tell someone else about the touch
Explain to your child that their body belongs to them and they have a right to protect it. Its ok to tell an adult no if the adult tries to touch them on their private parts. In addition, they should know that it is very important to tell an adult if they feel someone has touched them badly. Give them a list of people that they can trust and tell them that they should tell each of these people if they feel someone has touched them bad or if they even question whether or not someone has touched them bad. It may still be difficult or confusing for the child, especially considering the trickery that child abusers use to deceive the child. Telling the difference between good touch and bad touch may be difficult and may take practice or role playing. Give them plenty of examples and ask them to tell you if the touch is good or bad. Role playing examples Grandpa comes over for a visit and you meet him at the door. He smiles, bends down, and gives you a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. Is this good touch or bad touch? You are good friends with a neighbor. The neighbor seems much like a parent at times and always hugs and kisses you when you come over. One day you tell the neighbor that your stomach is hurting. The neighbor touches you between the legs and asks if it hurts there. Is it good touch or bad touch? You are alone in the store and a man walks up and asks where your mother is. You explain that she is shopping and you are going to go find her. He then squats down and gives you a big hug and kisses you on the cheek. Is this good touch or bad touch?
The Philippine National Police is the main anti-child trafficking enforcement agency, but it has no centralized hotline to report trafficking cases, added the report. Children are trafficked for both sex and labor in the Philippines, but convictions have been limited to cases of sex trafficking, it pointed out. In 2002, the Philippines became the first country in Southeast Asia and fourth in the world to launch a time-bound program and commit to a 75-percent reduction of the worst forms of child labor. While the government made efforts to reach vulnerable children and combat child labor, existing resources and social programs are insufficient to reach the large number of children engaged in or at risk of the worst forms of child labor in the country, said the US agency. For the period 2002-2013, Washington has set aside $22.4 million (about P992.3 million) to help Manila combat child labor. Solis said US aid helps families to improve their livelihoods and places children into valuable educational programs, keeping them out of dangerous and degrading work environments. We believe we can make an enormous difference in the lives of tens of millions of children (worldwide) for whom there is no time to lose, she added. In 2008, the International Labor Organization said more than half of the 215 million-plus child laborers worldwide were doing hazardous work. ILO member-states, including the Philippines, have set a global action plan to eliminate the worst forms of child labor by 2016.
Methods/Procedures
History One of the biggest ironies of a childs life is that the family, what should be a childs primary source for love, support, and security, can also be the most abusive group that a child belongs to. Society assumes that parents act in their childs best interest. Therefore, parents have the right to care for and protect their own children. When parents cannot meet their childs needs or protect the child from harm, society has the responsibility to protect the health and safety of the child. Laws that protect animals from unjust cruelty were in effect and enforced long before any cases against child abuse were argued. Just imagine being a nine-year-old girl who is beaten on a daily basis. This happened to a little girl who lived in New York in 1874, her name was Mary Ellen. She was burned and cut with scissors. She resided with her foster mother who would leave her in a closet while away from the house. Mary Connolly, her foster mother, had abused her for seven years. Mary Ellen lived in an apartment building with her foster mother. Mary Ellens landlady made many attempts to help Mary Ellen but none were successful. The person who finally came to here aid was Etta Wheeler a Methodist caseworker. The police said that they could do nothing without proof of assault. Although there were laws to protect any person from assault and battery, there was no precedent for intervening inside a child's home. The frustrated Wheeler turned to Henry Bergh, founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. She reasoned that children were members of the animal kingdom and could therefore be protected under the laws governing the mistreatment of animals. Bergh rejected this strategy, but became involved in the case. A petition was presented to the New York Supreme Court on behalf of Mary Ellen that proved she was being held illegally by the Connollys, who were neither her legal guardians nor her natural parents. Witnesses testified about the abuse suffered by Mary Ellen and the leather whip that was kept near her at all times. As the child stood and spoke in court, all could see the terrible scar across her face as she calmly related how her foster mother had slashed her face with scissors. Burn scars from an iron were visible on her arms. Her foster mother was sentenced to prison for one year. Mary Ellen's case had a large impact around the nation and resulted in the foundation of the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (SPCC) in 1874. The SPCC was the first organization to focus on the legal protection of children's rights in the United States. In its first year, the SPCC
investigated 300 cases of child abuse. It also introduced legislation "to prevent and punish wrongs to children" that occurred in the home.
Types of Abuse:
Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse can also take the form of verbal abuse and mental abuse. This includes acts, or the failure to act by parents or caretakers that have caused or could cause serious behavioral, emotional, or mental disorders in the child. As well as parents/caretakers using extreme or bizarre forms of punishment. There are several different types of emotional abuse, rejecting, ignoring, terrorizing, isolating, and corrupting. Emotional abuse accounts for eight percent of all child abuse.
Neglect
Neglect is a failure to provide for a child's basic needs. Neglect could be physical, educational, or emotional. Physical neglect could include not providing food or clothing, appropriate medical care, supervision, or proper weather protection. Educational neglect is the failure to provide schooling or special educational needs, for example, not helping them on homework or teaching them how to read. Emotional neglect includes the lack of any emotional support and love.
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse is the intentional infliction of physical injury upon a child. This may include: burning, hitting, punching, shaking, kicking, beating, or otherwise harming a child. Physical abuse may be best defined as any non-accidental physical injury by a person who has care, custody, or control of a child. Accidental harm does not qualify as child abuse. There are many signs of physical abuse. Bruises found on the backs of the arms, legs, lower back, the butt, and genitals are suspicious bruises and should be questioned. Patterned bruising is also a sign of abuse. Normal bruises usually appear in various shapes and sizes, while some bruises that are patterned may indicate strong signs of abuse. These are bruises that have definite boundaries and sharp or curved edges. Burns can also be signs of abuse. Fractures are another sign of physical abuse.
Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse is any inappropriate sexual behavior with a child, such as: fondling a child's genitals, making the child fondles the adult's genitals, intercourse, incest, rape, and sexual exploitation. These acts can be committed by a baby sitter, parents, daycare provider, or someone related to the child. Child molesters can also be friends, neighbors, or even strangers.
neighbors and family members were calling social services with allegations of child abuse. CPS arrived at the home to investigate and question neighbors in order to determine if there was any truth behind the allegations. I watched her beat her and tried to stop her, said former neighbor Karen Young, who filed a complaint against Elisa Baker for threatening to harm her daughter. Neighbor Kayla Rotenberry confirmed the allegations. She said she saw Elisa Baker hit Zahara and noted she had bruises on her face and body. Even family members supported the claims of abuse. Zahra was locked in her room, allowed five minutes out a day to eat, that was it, said Brittany Bentley. She was beat almost every time I was over there for just the smallest things. Elisa would get mad, she would take it out on Zahra, things the kid didnt deserve. Zahra just had a horrible home life. After repeated reports of abuse and confirmations from neighbors and family members, the worst scenario occurred. On October 13, 2010, police dogs searched amongst tree trimming equipment, a wood chipper, and piles of mulch for Zahras body. Elisa Baker reported her missing and produced a ransom note that she handed over to the police. The note read You like being in control. Now who is in control. We have your daughter and demanded a ransom of 1 million dollars. The police promptly determined the ransom note was fake, an investigation ensued, and Elisa Baker was arrested. I just think this was something for a long time that we knew was going to happen, everybody that was close to the family, Brittany Bentley said. Bentley said she would have Zahra over for weekends and the girl would get mad when it was time to return home, a common signal of a child that is being abused Neighbors and family members were stunned. After all, CPS had been called in to investigate several times during the months before her disappearance.
sponsored financial assistance often creates a preference to place children in institutional care or with families whos sole income is derived from caring for foster children. It is widely understood that congregate type child care is not as effective or beneficial to the child as placement with a permanent family. Regardless, there are virtually no incentives in place to encourage the movement of the child out of institutional care.
Potential solutions
The potential solutions vary just as greatly as the many proposed flaws. Changing standards about what constitutes abuse have created a broad range of reportable circumstances, too broad to be handled by a single agency. Similarly, the functions and range of tasks provided by CPS are too broad. The agencies act as both the assessors and investigators meaning the agency that is slotted to provide services in order to remediate the problem has the dual task of investigating and punishing the perpetrators. A clearer delineation of the relationship between CPS and local police authorities and the tasks each is supposed to be responsible for is needed. In addition, decentralizing or dividing child services tasks amongst various organizations may offer a solution. Furthermore, there is a grave need for financial resources. In tough economic times, the first costs to be cut are always social services programs. This forces a greater workload on fewer people, educated and degreed people who are often already underpaid. If monies cannot be expanded and allocated to these social service programs, then the creation of community centered or volunteer staffed service delivery systems may be required. And finally, the child protective laws themselves may require change. Incentive programs should be created to ensure the objective is to place children with adoptive families rather than institutional care centers. Secrecy should be avoided and laws intended to protect victims reworked to ensure CPS and other protective agencies cannot hide their mistakes through laws that were intended to protect the victim. Child protective services must acknowledge their mistakes and be held accountable in order to make needed corrections.
Result
The Many Signs of Physical, Emotional, Sexual Child Abuse or Neglect
The earlier child abuse is discovered, the better the chance the child will recover and lead a normal life. Its very important that it be caught early on. Fortunately, there are many warning signs that a child is being physically, emotionally, or sexually abused. With a little bit of observation and thoughtful evaluation, you can analyze the childs situation and spot the warning signs that point towards a child in an abusive situation. Child abuse is often categorized as either emotional, physical, sexual abuse, or neglect. Each type of abuse results in different signs that you can key on to determine whether the child is being abused. In any case, suspected child abuse should be reported to the authorities so the situation can be further investigated.
In addition, you may observe strangeness in the relationship between the parent and the child.
They may seem frightened of their parents and loudly protest when its time to go home. They may have visible injuries that form a distinct pattern such as a belt or hand imprint. The child my shy away from touch or flinch violently at sudden movements. The child may wear inappropriate clothing intended to cover up injuries. For instance, they may wear a long-sheaved shirt on a hot day.
The parent may provide clues that they are physically abusing the child too. The parent my offer unconventional, conflicting, or unconvincing explanations for the childs injuries. They may describe the child in negative ways such as bad, or evil. You may see them dish out very harsh discipline of the child. The abuser may have a history of being abused themselves.
In addition to what people normally think of with regards to child sexual abuse, you must be cognitive of online sexual abuse which has become quite common with the advent of the Internet and social networking. Online sexual abuse can easily turn into physical sexual abuse. Warning signs of online sexual abuse include: The child spends large amounts of time online, particularly at night. You find pornography on the childs computer. The child receives phone calls from men that you do not know. You might find the child making phone calls, especially long distance calls, to phone numbers that you do not recognize. The child may receive gifts or packages from someone that you do not know. Your child quickly turns off the computer monitor when you walk into the room. The child may become withdrawn from the family. The child may use an online account that belongs to someone else or has inaccurate information (such as a fake name or older age).
Signs of neglect
Neglect is also a form of child abuse and in severe cases, may result in death of the child. Regardless of the parents social stature, neglect can be corrected with supplemental, often free, resources. Signs of child neglect include: The child may wear clothes that are ill fitting or inappropriate for the weather. For instance, the child may wear shorts during winter. The childs hygiene may be consistently bad. For instance, their hair may always be unwashed and unkempt or they may have severe body odor. You may notice untreated wounds or illness.
The child may be frequently unsupervised or left alone in unsafe environments. The child may be frequently late or missing from school. The child may fail to gain weight. This is particularly noticeable with infants. The child may have a voracious appetite at all times. You may catch the child stealing food. The child may openly tell you that no one is home to offer care or assistance. The parent may appear indifferent or uncaring towards the child. The parent may seem apathetic, uncaring, or depressed. The parent abuses or uses alcohol or drugs.
Parents who neglect their children may also demonstrate recognizable behaviors.
In general, any time a child shows sudden changes in behavior or performance in school, theres a indication that they may be abused. Children that seem unduly fearful, watchful as if something bad is about to happen, or seem to not want to go home typically have a good reason for those fears. A parent who shows little concern for their child or blames the child for problems are quite likely abusive to the child. If a parent sees a child as worthless or entirely bad, chances are high that they are abusing the child too. And the relationship between the child and the parent is a dead giveaway that something is amiss. Parents and children who rarely look at each other or who openly state that they do not like each other are in a relationship that is almost certainly abusive.
Below are several statistics related to child sexual abuse. These statistics are disturbing. The statistics are shocking.
1 in 4 girls is sexually abused before the age of 18. 1 in 6 boys is sexually abused before the age of 18. 1 in 5 children are solicited sexually while on the internet. Nearly 70% of all reported sexual assaults (including assaults on adults) occur to children ages 17 and under. An estimated 39 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse exist in America today. 84 percent of prison inmates were abused as children. 30-40% of victims are abused by a family member. Another 50% are abused by someone outside of the family whom they know and trust. Approximately 40% are abused by older or larger children whom they know. More than 20% of children are sexually abused before the age of 8. Nearly 50% of all victims of forcible sodomy, sexual assault with an object, and forcible fondling are children under 12. Most children dont tell even if they have been asked
Evidence that a child has been sexually abused is not always obvious, and many children do not report that they have been abused. Over 30% of victims never disclose the experience to ANYONE. Young victims may not recognize their victimization as sexual abuse. Almost 80% initially deny abuse or are tentative in disclosing. Of those who do disclose, approximately 75% disclose accidentally. Additionally, of those who do disclose, more than 20% eventually recant even though the abuse occurred. Fabricated sexual abuse reports constitute only 1% to 4% of all reported cases. Of these reports, 75% are falsely reported by adults and 25% are reported by children. Children only fabricate % of the time. Consequences of child sexual abuse begin affecting children and families immediately. They also affect society in innumerable and negative ways. These effects can continue throughout the life of the survivor so the impact on society for just one survivor continues over multiple decades. Try to imagine the impact of 39 million survivors.
References
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parenting and adjustment of offspring." Child Abuse & Neglect 28 (2004): 525-545. Doubleday/Anchor, 1980. brief. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs, 1995. abuse and repeated suicide behavior?" Child Abuse & Neglect 28 (2004): 863-875.