Child Abuse And Neglect: A Hidden Epidemic

Child abuse and neglect is a big problem in the United States. Child abuse is sexual, physical, emotional, and even verbal maltreatment towards the children. When food, clothing, and shelter is not provided this is termed neglect. Many children in the United States are abused and neglected by parents, grandparents, guardians, and friends of the family. Many children suffer abuse such as beating, starved,

Child abuse is epidemic in many countries as well as the United States. It is estimated that every thirteen seconds a child is abused in some manner: physically, sexually, emotionally or by neglect (Friedman). Each year, there are over 3 million reports of child abuse in the United States involving more than 6 million children. Child abuse can be reduced with proper education of the parents and with greater public awareness.

What is child abuse? From the word “abuse” we can understand that it is some sort of a maltreatment of a child, causing harm and damage both to his physical and psychological well-being. At the Federal level, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) describes child abuse and neglect as: “any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.” Child abuse is a very substantial and widely spread problem in U.S. affecting children of any age, gender, race, background or income, with more than 1.8 million investigations done every year and on average, killing more than 5 children every day. The main issue of child abuse is that the abuser is usually someone a child loves or depends on (a parent, sibling, coach, neighbor, etc.), who violates child’s trust putting personal interests first, therefore official numbers of how many children suffer maltreatment might be not accurate enough as remarkable amount of these cases go unreported. Each case of child abuse is unique, with a lot of individual factors involved, nevertheless, we can distinguish some of the common causes, such as poverty, lack of education, depression, mental or physical health

Child abuse in American today is amongst the most saddened topics of mankind. Many children are subjected to neglect and abuse on a daily basis. The sex and age of child makes no difference when it comes to child abuse.. Boys and girls are equally likely to suffer maltreatment. The problem is how often child abuse goes unreported. Millions of children across the world are abused in some way, whether it is verbal, emotional, physical or sexual. Child abuse has been happening all over the world to young children, however many children keep this a secret because of fear of what could happen. Child Abuse consists of any act of commission or omission that endangers or impairs a child’s physical or emotional health and development. It can be

It is estimated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human services that one million children are victims of child abuse and neglect in the U.S every year. This number may be an underrepresentation however, as many cases are unreported. Children who experience trauma in early childhood years or adolescence have impacts that follow them throughout adulthood. The common effects include relationship attachment issues, mental disorders, substance abuse, increased

Child maltreatment has a negative effect on health and it can cause stress that disrupts early brain development. Extreme stress can harm the development of the nervous and immune systems. As a result, children who are abused or neglected are at higher risk for health problems as adults. These problems include alcoholism, depression, drug abuse, eating disorders, obesity, high-risk sexual behaviors, smoking, suicide, and certain chronic diseases such a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). MRI scans indicate that maltreated children suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder have significantly smaller brains

There are over 800,000 children abused each year in the United States. When children are susceptible to abuse, they not only have to go through the trauma when it happens, but they also are likely to have still continue to battle the long-term consequences throughout adulthood. People who experienced physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect as children will probably develop psychological disorders as an adult.

Every year, child abuse and neglect affect more than one million children nation-wide (Currie and Tekin 1). Along with this, child abuse is the source of severe injury to more than 500,000 children and the death of over 1,500 children (Currie and Tekin 1). These outrageously large numbers reveal the extent to which child abuse and neglect impact society; however, they do not acknowledge the effect abuse can have on a child’s life and the repercussions that may occur in both the individual’s childhood and adulthood. While the effects most certainly include physical pain and possibly future disabilities, child abuse and neglect can also affects the child’s psychological welfare. Psychological effects are often more difficult to recognize,

It takes incredible strength to not be broken while being abused by someone who should love you, especially as a child with a young mind, young ideals, and an innocent heart. This experience is demeaning to many victims, which can cause the child to live with the tragedy for the rest of their lives. Victims of child maltreatment are generally at a greater risk for physical, emotional, work, and relationship problems in childhood and adulthood, affecting their wellbeing, happiness, and self-esteem in the long term. In some cases, like the 1580 children who died in 2014 as a result of abuse and neglect, stated by US state agencies, child abuse can have much more severe consequences on the victim. To spot this traumatizing and demeaning process that some children are forced through, there are certain signs that children develop from a childhood of abuse.

The United States has one of the worst records of child abuse. According to statistics, five children die per day due to child abuse. One out of three girls/one out of five boys will be sexually abused before the age eighteen. While ninety percent of the children know the abuser. sixty-eight percent of that ninety are abused by a family member. The abusers usually are between the ages of eighteen and forty-four. More than four children die daily due to child abuse and neglect; seventy percent being under the age of three years old. Abuse includes physical, sexual, mental, and emotional, also including physical and emotional neglect. A victim will usually grow up to develop depression, anxiety,

Child abuse affects a person beyond their youth mentally, socially, and physically. Childhood experiences can affect and determine adult personalities. This abuse, though it can be repressed, may never be completely devoid from a victim’s memory. These effects can be long-lasting and damaging to a victim’s overall health.

Abuse at a young age contributes heavily to the acquisition of mental illnesses, such as depression, PTSD, schizophrenia, and

With child abuse and neglect being so prevalent globally, it is important to recognize why these types of maltreatment occur and is a relevant topic for all to explore. Many are interested in how child abuse and neglect affect the individuals who are victims as well as the use and efficacy of treatment procedures. Child abuse has serious physical and psycho-social consequences which adversely affect the health and overall well-being of a child. There are long-term consequences of experiencing these forms of maltreatment. Awareness and understanding needs to be brought to this devastatingly common crisis and the advancement of child abuse and neglect prevention needs to be encouraged.

Child abuse consists of any act or failure to act that endangers a child’s physical or emotional health and development. A person caring for a child is abusive if he or she fails to nurture the child, physically injures the child, or relates sexually to the child (Robins). Child abuse is broken down into four major categories: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. Aside from the abuse itself, the cost of the tragic events costs the United States billions of dollars each year. Every day, approximately 4 children in the United States die resulting from child abuse and the majority are under 5-years-old (Fromm). There are many organizations that promote preventative measures in reducing child abuse. If nothing is done,

Our ability of having a healthy and productive relationships are learned but when a child is abused or neglected this will cause problems with them developing positive skills to navigate the social world. Child abuse creates problematic relationships in their lives that could pour over into their future (www.findcounseling.com).