The Impact of Child Abuse
In the typical classroom, a 4-year-old child once said, “If someone wants to have sex with you, you have to do it.” (Rafanello) Child abuse is more prevalent now than ever, and the numbers are only growing. This shows us that child abuse is more relevant now than ever. The amount of damage inflicted on these children mentally range from mild to extreme. This is why it’s important that child abuse gets reported as soon as possible.
Did you know that 3.2 million children in the U.S. were subjects of abuse or neglect investigations in 2007? (Childhelp) Child abuse refers to “an act, or failure to act, on the part of a parent or caretaker that results in the death, serious physical or emotional harm”
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(Svevo-Cianci) These are just a few of the side effects, showing how it could hurt the child’s self-esteem, ability to trust others, and ability to control their temper and remain calm in dire situations. These kind of effects could completely change their entire personality. A child that developed an aggression problem may find it hard to stay at one job for too long. He could be kicked out of school due to his uncontrollable temper. However, not only does it affect short term, but it does long term as well. When you look at the long term effects, they are much more massive. "roughly 54 percent of suicide attempts in women were connected to adverse childhood experiences" (Child Welfare)The side effects could include but not limited to Post traumatic stress disorder symptoms, general psychiatric symptoms, trauma-related beliefs, and low self-esteem (Svevo-Cianci) There are obviously lots of symptoms associated with child abuse and drastic ones too that will really never leave you, even well out of childhood and away from parents.
Not only are children being abused, but most cases are occurring, unreported. In fact, researchers go as far as to say “as few as 1 in 10 of those instances of abuse are actually confirmed by social-service
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
In 2006, an estimated 905,000 children were victims of child abuse or neglect. Statistically, the amount of children that suffer from such abuse is 1 in 10. Younger children are the most vulnerable to the maltreatment that is performed by their parents or guardians. Over 25% of abused children are under the age of 3 and 45% are under the age of 5. The rate of child mortality is higher for boys than girls and 85% of fatalities are caucasian children (Child Abuse Facts 1).
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.
Child maltreatment has been a serious public health problem not just in the United States but globally. Maltreatment is defined as neglect which means failure to provide for a child’s basic physical, educational, or psychological needs. Physical abuse such as causing physical harm, sexual abuse, abuse that includes fondling a child’s genitals or breasts, and psychological abuse, such as verbal put-downs and other behavior that terrorizes, threatens, rejects or isolates the child. “According to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), in 2007 approximately 794,000 children (10.6 per 1,000 children of all ages) were identified as victims of child abuse or neglect. Approximately one-half (46.1%) of all victims were non-Hispanic white, 21.7% were African American, and 20.8% were Hispanic. One-third (31.9%) were under the age of 4 years.” (Gross, 2010)
According to the National Child Abuse Statistics, every year in the United States more than three million reports of child abuse are made, involving more than six million children. In 2012, 78.3 % of those abuse reports were for child neglect. “While the number of child maltreatment claims is likely an underestimate of the true prevalence, there are still 3.3 million claims of abuse per year in the US, with approximately 30% being confirmed after
• That’s one child every 13 minutes suffering physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect, often by someone they know and should be able to trust; most often in their own home. Thousands of more cases go unreported, and the number of children and young people in out-of-home care is increasing.
After becoming more familiar with maltreatment and the effect it can cause on children, it is depressing to think about all of the children who have suffered or are suffering from abuse. As a society we are so sheltered from the idea of child abuse. People often ignore the fact that child abuse is happening every day. Children who suffer from child abuse that live with long-term effects are picked on and simply judged because they are different than what our society sees as a perfect person. It is not fare to children to be victims of child abuse. They are too young to physically fight back. It is sickening to know that there are people out there that physically abuse their children or family.
Every day, about five children in the United States are murdered by a parent or caretaker. In 2014, more than 3 million reports of child abuse were made in the United States involving more than 6 million children. Child abuse kills more children in America than does accidental falls, choking on food, suffocation, or fires in the home (Newton). As if these statistics weren’t horrifying enough, they are inaccurate in relaying the actual number of children that have fallen victim to child abuse in the United States.
The extent of abuse was collected, accessed, and observed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “In 2006, according to information collected as part of the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System overseen by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, state and local child protective service agencies investigated 3,573,000 million referrals for children reported to be abused or neglected” (Korsmeyer). The abuse has
Over the years, child abuse has reportedly been identified as the main contributor to numerous environmental risk factors that later affect these abused children in their adulthood life. For instance, a number of studies have indicated that child sexual abuse influences the adult-interpersonal functioning and psychological distresses. Research has further revealed that this social ill is the main contributor to the victimization in dating relationships (Fiorillo, Papa & Follette, 2013). Eating disorder in adulthood is yet another factor that has affected most adults who were occasionally abused while young (Dworkin, 2014). Among all the child abuses, child sexual abuse stands out and is often linked to dysregulated behavior controls that are either impulsive or compulsive. This paper will outline a number of negative factors that affect adults who have experienced any form of child abuse.
According to statistics there are “40 million children subjected to child abuse each year” (Cause and Effects). “Child abuse occurs when a parent or caretaker physically, emotionally, sexually, mistreats or neglects a child resulting in the physical, emotional, or sexual harm or exploitation, or imminent risk of harm or exploitation, or in extreme cases death of a child” (Child Safety). Child abuse is not only a sensitive subject but a complex one because of the long-term/ short-term effects and the difference between discipline and abuse.
The issue of child abuse and neglect is serious, controversial, and is escalating in today’s society. Many people are not aware, but child abuse is rampant in our society. Many child abuse and neglect cases go unreported because a person may not know the signs and symptoms of child abuse and neglect or perhaps the person or person may feel that this is an private issue and needs to be handle with in the home and no outsiders should be involved. Without the proper awareness of child abuse and neglect and the involvement of everyone this issue will continue to raise our eyebrows.
Investigators substantiated abuse or neglect for nearly 1 million of the children reported. Among substantiated cases, 56 percent involved physical or emotional neglect, 25 percent involved physical abuse, 13 percent involved sexual abuse, 6 percent involved emotional abuse, and 13 percent involved other abuse, such as educational neglect or abandonment. Some children experienced multiple forms of abuse.
The current problem is the continued rise in child abuse and neglect today. Within the United States, the problem of child abuse and neglect is far much common than most people would like to admit. Sanchez (2012) stated that child maltreatment is a global epidemic and a major social problem in the United States resulting in at least 740, 000 visits to hospital emergency departments and more than $124 in child welfare, criminal justice, and health care. Norman, Byambaa, De, Butchart, Scott, and Vos (2012) also observed that child abuse and neglect is a global problem that is mostly perpetrated by parental guardians and parents. Sexual abuse is the infringement of a child’s
There’s a report on child abuse every ten seconds in the United State of America. Child abuse is just not a parent abusing their child for fun. The causes for a parent to abuse their child includes the history of violence in the parents, broken homes, the social isolation of the parents, and finally the social stress on the parents.