Child Sexual Abuse Within The United States

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

As time progresses on, more reports of child sexual abuse (CSA) have been documented. According to Colangelo and Cooperman, CSA is defined as “the use of a child under 18 years of age as an object of gratification for adult sexual needs and desires.” Another definition of CSA is “sexual abuse [that] occurs whenever one person dominates and exploits another by means of sexual activity or suggestion.” (Hall, M., & Hall, J., 2011) it is difficult to

Sex offenders have been a serious problem for our legal system at all levels, not to mention those who have been their victims. There are 43,000 inmates in prison for sexual offenses while each year in this country over 510,000 children are sexually assaulted(Oakes 99). The latter statistic, in its context, does not convey the severity of the situation. Each year 510,000 children have their childhood's destroyed, possibly on more than one occasion, and are faced with dealing with the assault for the rest of their lives. Sadly, many of those assaults are perpetrated by people who have already been through the correctional system only to victimize again. Sex offenders, as a class of criminals, are nine times more likely to repeat their

Research has shown that the majority of children who come into contact with the Child Welfare System are minorities and from families whose incomes are below the poverty line. Many families are in need of assistance in meeting with basic human needs such as housing, food, and clothing. In some instances, substance abuse, domestic violence, low literacy and limited English proficiency, hinders families from accessing economic assistance and other supports on their own. The higher rate of child maltreatment in minorities in the Child Welfare System is an area that needs to be examined. Particularly focusing on those that identify as African Americans. According to the US census, in 2013 African Americans accounted for only 14 percent of New

In a recent study posed by the CDC, 19.3% of the women’s population in the United States have reported rape (Prevalence and Characteristics of Sexual Violence, Stalking, and Intimate Partner Violence Victimization 1). That is nearly one fifth of the female population. While women who walk the streets alone flood with fear, men are being let off with a mere slap on the wrist for raping women. Another study shows that ninety seven of every one hundred rapists receive no punishment whatsoever. How can women feel safe if their perpetrator is freely roaming the streets? Although rapists are frequently punished, the rape punishment in the United States is far too inconsistent and should be more severe.

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).

Child Abuse laws in the United States varies from state to state. Therefore, if one is found being abusive their punishment is determined by where they live. I think that defining a distinct crime of child abuse is a great idea. This makes it easier to gather evidence rime allows one to know that child abuse is taken very seriously. Due to the numerous ways that child abuse can occur it is important that it is seen as its own crime. Another reason why It is a good idea is because children deserve the same protection from the laws adults do. Children are our future and if they are not shown that child abuse is bad in every aspect, when they become adults it may be seen more often. Why should that person be allowed to keep their child.

Every year more than 3 million reports of child abuse are made in the United States involving more than 6 million children. The amount of children abused is doubled due to the fact that a single report can include multiple children. The U.S has one of the worst records among industrialized nations, losing an average between four and seven children everyday to abuse and neglect. The sociological theories that can be used to research the issue of child abuse in the US are symbolic interactionism and the conflict theory.

This paper discusses several articles, as well as some college texts, that define and illuminate the four main types of child abuse that exist within the United States. It also discusses some of the effects of abuse and attempts to offer some solutions for this very prevalent societal problem. The definitions of child abuse and neglect vary, based on the context in which they have been studied. Some studies suggest that neglect is the most prevalent type of child abuse in this country. Kaplan, Schene, DePanfilis, and Gilmore assert that neglect becomes chronic when its occurrence is not only ongoing, but seriously deprives a child of basic physical, developmental, and/or emotional needs by someone who cares for them. Whatever

Sexual assault of children by adults is an epidemic that has reached significant proportion. According to Raymond Webster PhD, child sexual abuse “is typically defined as involving either actual physical or nonphysical contact experiences between a child and an adult in which the child is subjected to sexually based exploitation, humiliation, or degradation (Webster, 2004). “The sexual abuse and exploitation of children is one of the most vicious crimes conceivable, a violation of mankind’s most basic duty to protect the innocent, James T. Walsh (2011).”

Numerous problems are connected with the issue of child sexual abuse. It is both a public health problem and a children’s rights issue. Child sexual abuse refers to any act by a person using their authority or power over a child or young person to engage them in any form of sexual activity (DEECD and DHS, 2010). Victims of sexual abuse suffer serious psychological and physical consequences. This paper discusses the factors which facilitate or prevent the identification and reporting of child sexual abuse within institutions. The paper also analyses the framework for strengthening child protection practices in schools by increasing the capacity of the professionals for proactive work towards creating child safe organisations.

Child sexual abuse is an immorality that is desolately predominant in our world today. The definition of sexual exploitation with children happens when an elder person, a youth or an adult uses a child or youth for his or her own sexual satisfaction (Biodun, 2000). By definition a child is under the Child’s Rights Act any person under the age of eighteen years. (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004)

Child abuse by general definition is, the use of a child by an adult or a significantly older child or adolescent for sexual gratification1.Sometimes, a sex offender may receive gratification by just exposing himself to the child, or by observing or filming a child removing his or her clothes. Offenders may not use physical force but often use play, deception, threats, or other coercive methods to engage in sexual activity with the child. Sexual activity between two children where there is a clear powerdifferencemostly amounts to abuse which is very different from the normal mutual exploratory play out of curiosity in children, e.g. ‘playing doctor’. ‘Sexual abuse can also be defined as, any act which exposes a child to, or involves a child in, sexual processes beyond

In ancient times, children were viewed as smaller versions of adults. There was little perceptible difference between an adult and their younger counterparts. By the Middle Ages and up until the Renaissance, girls as young as twelve were still considered marriageable age. Sexualizing children was a form of their education and indoctrination into the world of adults. However, in the modern time, we have come to understand that children and childhood is a time for innocence and development. The historical adulteration of children was rightly seen as barbaric and archaic. Forcing children into adult roles can lead to a destructive adulthood. Physical and emotional abuse of children can destroy someone. Even worse is the type of abuse characterized by sexual activity and sexual interaction with children. The sexual abuse of children leads to abnormal development and an adult with severe mental problems, prone to violence and often continuing the chain of abuse into subsequent generations. Forcing a child to commit sexual acts before they are physically or mentally mature enough to handle it is the worst kind of crime. Yet, in nations all over the world, this kind of abuse not only occurs, but is a profitable business for perpetrators. Child prostitution is illegal all over the world, but in some countries the laws against child prostitution and the use of underage people for sexual interactions are lax and often go unenforced. The World Congress

There are many forms of child abuse. Not only can children be physically abused, but they are also in danger of experiencing sexual abuse. In the more recent years, child sexual abuse has come to the attention of a larger part of society. As such, it is becoming more openly discussed. Child sexual abuse is a growing problem, and the stories that have begun to circulate around the world work to illustrate just how serious the problem is. Despite what society is lead to believe, the sexual abuse of a child is the least common out of all forms of child abuse. Out of the different types of child abuse, neglect is the most common, followed by physical abuse, and then sexual abuse comes at the bottom. Still, of all the cases of child abuse reported to and substantiated by authorities, approximately 15% of them concerned sexual abuse. ). It is possible that there are more cases of child sexual abuse, however, and they simply are not being reported. Due to the number of undisclosed cases of child abuse, researchers have conducted various prevalence studies over the years to determine the true number of sexual abuse of children. These studies have determined that around 20% of women and 5-10% of men in America in were sexually abused as children. A great deal of controversy surrounds the number of male victims of child sexual abuse, due to a lack of quality studies. The problem with prevalence studies is that they don 't all share the same definition of abuse, nor do they share