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Child Maltreatment

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Although abuse in elderlies has only been addressed and acknowledged more recently, child maltreatment has been prevalent for centuries. Child maltreatment is any type of negligence and abuse that occurs in children under the age of 18. It includes all types of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, negligence and commercial or other types of exploitation, neglect, which can very dangerous to the child’s health. Children being exposed to intimate partner violence is also a form of child maltreatment. Child maltreatment causes a lot suffering to the children and the families as well, which can have long term consequences. It can cause stress that can be associated with disruption in early brain development, which can impair the development …show more content…

They are mostly get abused by their caregivers, or helpers. Whenever they get abused, their personal health, safety and emotional well-being may be at risk, along with their ability to engage in daily life activities. According to Young, Nosek, Howland, Chanpong, and Rintala (1997); women with physical disabilities appear to be at risk of emotional, physical and sexual abuse to the same extent as women without physical disabilities. Because people with disabilities are dependent on others, that dependency prevents them from recognizing and reporting abuse. In 1998 Congress passed the Crime victims with Disabilities Awareness Act. This represented the first piece of national legislation in U.S history to address the issue of elder abuse. Such legislature draws attention at many levels like policy, research, advocacy and law enforcement (Harness & DeMarco, 2012). Being aware of the risk in disabled population is helpful in guiding nursing practice through assessing clients at risk, discussing prevention strategies with clients and caregivers, and also reporting concern for abuse to the local designated social service

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