Child Maltreatment And Children With Disabilities

In the United States child maltreatment is a common universal problem that can effect children of all ages (Fang, Brown, Florence, & Mercy, 2012). Additionally, it is responsible for the main cause of mortalities among children who are the age of five years and younger with majority of the injuries inflicted by an adult caregiver (Schnitzer & Ewigman, 2005). Prior to the twentieth century, there were a number of non-governmental organizations committed to providing support to child abuse victims. However, due to the lack of resources by the organizations and state regulations, numerous children did not receive support and remained defenseless, hence “modern prosecutions for child abuse were virtually nonexistent” (Nelson, 2012, p. 191). Meanwhile, this put a lot of pressure on the federal government to get involved and help ensure that children who were victims of abuse would receive the proper aid and treatment. As a result, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) is recognized as the first nationally passed bill regarding maltreatment and neglect of children. The purpose of CAPTA is to provide knowledge of child abuse awareness and administer state funding to programs available on a federal level. The objective of this paper is to discuss the impact of maltreatment on children, how maltreatment is a public health

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.

The safety and well being of some children across the nation are threatened by child abuse and neglect. Child abuse is any act or behaviour that causes or is likely to cause physical injury or emotional damage or both to a child or youth. It is a very disheartening that children are being maltreated every day by adults who are meant to love and care for them. Joe, a mute boy in Cry Silent Tears, an autobiography book written by Joe Peters was just five years old when the horrific scene of the death of his father and the maltreatment from his cruel and violent mother literally struck him dumb. His mum often beat, stripped, fed him like a dog and confined him in the basement where he was unable to communicate with the outside world. He didn't speak for four and a half years, which meant he was unable to ask anyone for help. He experienced all the different types of child abuse (physical, psychological, sexual and neglect) and his life turned into a living hell. When he finally started school he experienced shame, neglect and psychological abuse from his peers because he was mute and was different from the others. As a result of these he started exhibiting other behavioural problems like aggressiveness, violent, destructive, stealing, depression, addiction, learning disability, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This shows that abuse can cause disability, compound it and also children with disabilities are more vulnerable to abuse.

In 2013 an estimated 679,000 children were victims of maltreatment and approximately 3.1 million children received help from Childhood Protective Services in the United States alone. Abuse or neglect can be categorized as maltreatment, which takes many different forms from physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, and parental neglect. It is accepted that childhood maltreatment has lasting effects as the victims grow into adults. One example of these effects is behavioral

The National Children 's Alliance reported that the number of unique cases of abused and neglected children in the United States stands at an annual rate of 700,000 and rising (as cited in ?U.S. Department of Health & Human Services,? 2016, p. ii). Sadly, this means that more than 1,900 new children become victims of abuse and neglect with each passing day. Neglect was the type of

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

According to The Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, child abuse is defined 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,” (www.childwelfare.gov). This could be interpreted as physical, sexual or emotional abuse in childhood for those 18 years of age and younger. Child abuse can cause many risk factors and health issues for those affected which can life in later years.

Furthermore, evidence shows that “in 2008 approximately 1,740 children died from a result of some type of maltreatment which includes abuse and neglect” while “in 2008 45% of maltreatment deaths involve children younger than 1 year of age and 72% of child maltreatment deaths were younger than 4 years of age”. Even after the amended law was passed by the legislation, the statistical evidence has increased immensely. The reason for such increase is a result of people reporting child abuse and neglect (CAN) cases. According to Congress, the American society is “responsible for responding to any type of child abuse and neglect activity” (CAPTA, 2010).

Within the United States, child maltreatment is becoming more and more commonly reported as there is over 3 million reports each year. Due to the constant increase of child maltreatment reports, society has become more aware of the issue, which has led to awareness campaigns. (Payne, 87). Even with societies’ knowledge of such abuse there are still serval child maltreatment cases that are not reported. The children that are victims of maltreatment pertains any sort of harm to the child whether it is by injury, neglect, physical, emotional, or even sexual abuse by someone who holds a major role in the child’s life, a parent or guardian figure (“What is Child Abuse”).

It 's difficult to comprehend that an adult, often a parent or caregiver, would intentionally hurt an infant or child. Yet nearly a million children are abused in the United States. Unfortunately that excludes children who 's incidents of child abuse are unreported and undetected. Child abuse can be defined differently from state to state, but commonly presents in the form of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, neglect and abandonment. The focus of this review is physical abuse, which is defined as non-accidental physical injury, from bruising to fractures to the most serious cases of abuse ending in death (Sink, Hyman, Matheny, Georgopoulos & Kleinman, 2010).

The question of how many children are abused and neglected each year in the United States is seemingly simple, but it does not have an easy answer. Because several national and state agencies collect and analyze different data using different methods, the statistics vary. In addition, not every suspicion or situation of abuse or neglect is reported to child protection services (CPS) agencies. As a result, the number of reports likely underrepresents the number of children who actually suffer from abuse or neglect.

Effects vary depending on the types of the maltreatment, characteristics of the child, and his or her environment. The consequences may be mild or severe; may come and go during their lifetime or last their lifetime; and affect them physically, psychologically, behaviorally, or in some combination of all three. Due to related costs to the public such as for health-care and educational systems, maltreatment impacts not just the child and family, but the public as well. Therefore, it is vital for the public to provide a scaffolding of preventative strategies and services before maltreatment occurs and to be prepared to offer remediation and treatment when

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.

This paper will present definitions of the terms: developmental disabilities and child abuse, followed by a description of prevalent risk factors that increase the likelihood of child abuse of CWDs. Issues related to forensic assessments and intervention strategies utilizing an ecological framework will precede the discussion that will present limitations found in the literature, in addition to, provide suggestions for future

     In 2012, an estimated 1,642 children died due to child abuse and neglect, which is 4.5 children every day (Fromm). Approximately 4 out of every 5 are under 5-years-old and children under 1 account for 2 out of 5 of all fatalities. Children under 5 are more likely to die from child abuse due to lack of ability to cope with abuse. Children’s bodies are more fragile and it is easier for an individual to physically harm a small child rather than older children who can somewhat fight back.