Child Abuse Is Not Gone Away

A predominant theme in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is that of child-rearing and/or parenting techniques.  Specifically, the novel presents a theory concerning the negative impact on children from the absence of nurturing and motherly love.  To demonstrate this theory, Shelly focuses on Victor Frankenstein’s experimenting with nature, which results in the life of his creature, or “child”.  Because Frankenstein is displeased with the appearance of his offspring, he abandons him and disclaims all of his “parental” responsibility.  Frankenstein’s poor “mothering” and abandonment of his “child” leads to the creation’s

     While most child abuse cases are not fatal, some do end in death. Some researchers have even labeled child abuse an “epidemic.” Because more than fifty percent of child abuse cases are not reported, the exact numbers will never be known. In the 1970's the United States government issued a survey about the number of child abuse cases. The survey showed that there are more than 60,000 cases of child abuse in some form each year. Another survey, in 1976

Imagine skipping that awkward childhood stage of life and going straight to being an adult; never having to worry about parent’s rules or curfews. But if all of a sudden, one was forced into the world of adults with the mindset of a newborn child, one would not know the difference between right and wrong and possibly even become a victim. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the monster is the true victim of the book. He is abused in multiple ways, he does nothing to warrant the unjust treatment he receives and he is forced into solitude.

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.

In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley makes many brutal claims about parental responsibilities. A parent has many responsibilities to ensure the happiness and well being of his child. For instance, a parent must provide a shelter, an education, protection and love for their children. In many cases, when parents fail to meet these responsibilities it results in poor behavior of the child. Victor Frankenstein creates a creature and therefore assumes the responsibilities of a parent. However, Frankenstein does not meet these responsibilities, forcing the creature to act out. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Frankenstein does not fulfill his parental responsibilities to the creature and thus he is the cause of the malicious acts of the creature.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 3.3 million referrals for alleged maltreatment were made in 2013. Out of the 3.3 million referrals, 899,000 children were officially documented as being maltreated(Child Abuse & Neglect 2015). Child abuse is the mistreatment of a child. Child abuse is recognized in several forms; physical, emotional, sexual and neglect. Children who experience any form of abuse will tend to withdraw themselves from their peers and sometimes from other family members who are not aware of what is taking place. Child abuse occurs not just in the homes of these children, but can also occur in schools, churches and after school programs. Anywhere a child is present there is a chance that abuse can

When a young child touches a hot stove tears are sure to follow. Trial and error experiences like this are necessary for a child to learn from their mistakes. Some things, however, are taught by parents and guardians. A lack of parenting and guidance can have a dramatic and negative effect on the development of a child. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the monster that Victor creates is similar to a child. The monster can not speak initially and immediately feels abandoned when Victor goes to bed for the night. He is very emotional over the smallest of issues and shows many more signs of immaturity. Viewing the monster as a child causes the reader to feel empathetic for him like a child without parents.

According to statistics 12.4 per 1000 children under the age of 17 have been a victim of child abuse. More than 6 million children are reported as abused in the last year. Sadly the fate of many of these children that live in abusive homes is death. 1.84 per 100,000 was reported to be abused in 2012. The number continued to rise to 1.96 in 2014. In the reported cases both or one parent was the cause of the death 79% of the time. In 16% of the cases a non-parent guardian was the cause of death. 5% of the deaths were caused by an unknown person.

Dr. Frankenstein, the creator of the hated creature has clearly been characterized as an unfit care taker. Why has the author of this book portray her main character this way? Her reasoning can be seen through the actions of the monster itself. Following the evidence provided by Shelley, the monster symbolizes a young child. Victor was meant to take on the actions of a parent to his “child”. Rather than being focused on the role of women during this era, the main focus seemed to link to importance of parenting. The importance of a parent-child relationship is seen through this book with our main characters Victor Frankenstein and his creation and Mary Shelley herself.

Over three million reports each year, and over six million children involved. A report is made every 10 seconds. People impacted 6 or more times usually die 20 years earlier. Enough money is spent on cases to send 1.7 million kids to college. 4 to 5 children die each day. These are just some of the statistics of child abuse (www.c).

There are many problems with abusing and neglecting children besides the obvious reason, hurting the kids.

More than 20,000 American children has thought to have been killed by their own family members over the past ten years. One of the worst records among industrialized nations that is losing on average almost five children everyday due to child abuse is the United States. The most recent report 2015 Child Maltreatment Report from The Children’s Bureau was published in January 2017. This document has stated that the number of child abuse cases has increased to 4 million from 3.6 million. 7.2 million children were involved in child abuse reports. The different kinds of child abuse are; neglect, physical, and verbal abuse.

Although child abuse has soon become a more discussed issue, it is nothing new in today’s society. Dating back to ancient times, physical child abuse has always attributed to lives of people around the world. Approaching and understanding child mistreatment has changed as societies have modernized and progressed; whereas one thing remains an unalterable issue, child abuse happens constantly and continuously worldwide.

In 2002, The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) reported that almost 1,400 children died as a result of abuse. This is about 2 children per 100,000 (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2004).

Every year more than 3 million reports of child abuse are made in the United States involving more than 6 million children(Child Abuse Statistics & Facts). Child abuse doesn’t necessarily have to be physical, it can be mental, emotional, or sexual, it can even be neglect. Abuse doesn’t only effect the child being abused but it also affects the people witnessing the abuse. Child abuse can affect the child in many different ways. There can be many effects of abuse on the child (Kraizer). The worst way the child can be affected is suicide.