How Children Carry the Weight of Child Abuse Essay examples

Child abuse in America is an ongoing problem and something needs to be done. There are approximately one million children abused annually in the United States. (Table 339) Cases of child abuse and neglect are reported every ten seconds, and researchers believe that there’s three times that amount that goes unnoticed. (Child Abuse: Know the Signs and Stop the Violence Against Children.) Something needs to be done for these children who are too weak and too powerless to help themselves.

With neglect the child may become delinquent, turn to alcohol/drugs, steal, or develop neurotic traits like sleeping disorders. They may also exhibit extreme behavior patterns like infantile or adult like behavior. Some indicators of neglect may be consistent hunger, poor hygiene, truancy, abandonment, and a lack of physical development.

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.

Everyday children under the age of 18 are maltreated. One out of eight children throughout the U.S suffers from either physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. Unfortunately, emotional abuse is not even considered a maltreatment when people think of child abuse. When people think of child abuse the first thing they think about is physical or sexual. Now do not get me wrong, any abuse a child receives is a horrible inhuman like thing because every child is innocent and deserves to live the best life they possibly can live. Although, if we are being quite honest with ourselves nobody really notices this happens until it is mentioned later on when the child gets older. Which I do not blame anyone for because a child does not recall if something is good or bad until they have the ability to be aware of their environment.This is due to the fact that child abuse can start occurring at such an early age. This happens most during the development stage of the child because when a child is young it starts to absorb everything it sees and hears based on their surroundings. Basically, when they start noticing the difference from good or bad. The problem in this situation is that there is a high percentage rate of the youth who are diagnosed with mental disorders and are not being helped properly because most of the time the adults around them do not know how to help. The solution to this problem is simple, we should bring awareness to the main people in the child's life: their

Every day children around the world are being abused by their parents, trusted adult, caregiver and peers. Children are constantly suffering when there are things that everyone as a community can do help them. Psychologists, social workers and the victims to childhood abuse have studied and worked together to establish precautionary measures to execute child abuse all together.

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”).

There are significant signs of psychological trauma due to any kind of abuse. Children experience feelings of low self esteem and depression. Many exhibit behavioral problems including aggression towards other children. Other emotional problems include hostility, fear, humiliation and the inability to express feelings. The social impacts of physical abuse include inability to form relationships, poor social skills, poor cognitive language skills, distrust of others, over-compliance with authority figures, and tendency to solve interpersonal problems with aggression. (2008, p. 1). Verbal and physical abuse has a cumulative impact on children’s socialization. Abused children are caught in damaged relationships and are not socialized in positive, supportive way (Craig & Dunn, Ex.: 2010, p. 196). They learn defiance, manipulation and other problem behaviors that are used to escape any maltreatment. In turn they will learn to exploit, degrade and terrorize.

child is being abused (“Scope of Child Abuse”, 2017). Children across the world have to put up a

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)

Children should not have to grow up feeling unwanted, unloved, and alone. Children are meant to be loved, cherished, and cared for. It is truly heartbreaking when I see children who are suffering emotionally and physically. A lot of children are victims of abuse, neglect, and some are victims of circumstances. I was able to see children in this situations the first time I visited the Child Crisis Center. It was a mid-September evening, when I first walked into the local Child Crisis Center. I was greeted by a lady at the front door. I signed in then she led me to a back room. When I entered the room I saw approximately fifteen children. The ages ranged from infants to six years old. Some children were playing, others were eating, and some were

According to Pecora, Sanders, Wilson, English, Puckett & Rudlang-Perman (2014), “Every year in the USA, about 695,000 unique children are confirmed as victims of child maltreatment (US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau 2011) (p. 321). Such startling statistics suggest that child abuse is not just a public health issue; it is an epidemic. However, research reveals that prevention is possible through a collaborative effort made by parents, schools, the government, social services, and the

Child Abuse is defined as “when a parent or caregiver, whether through action or failing to act, causes injury, death, emotional harm or risk of serious harm to a child” (“The Issue of Child Abuse”). Sadly, more than 6 million children are being abused each year in the United States (“Child Abuse Statistics and Facts”). Without proper treatment, the effects of their abuse will follow them into their adult lives. Studies have shown that “80% of 21-year-olds who reported childhood abuse met the criteria for at least one psychological disorder” (“Child Abuse Statistics and Facts”). Reports have also established that approximately 14% of men and 36% of women currently in a U.S. prison had been victims of child abuse (“Child Abuse Statistics and Facts”). In fact, estimates show that the overall cost of child abuse in the U.S., including health care, child welfare, and prison costs, is approximately $124 billion (“Child Abuse Statistics and Facts”). With the ever-growing number of child abuse cases in the United States, child maltreatment has led to detrimental effects in the lives of the victims and in the U.S. as a whole. Although male and female victims have slightly different responses to abuse, victims have a high chance of developing one or more mental illnesses, are unable to form healthy relationships, and develop a propensity to a life of crime.

In today’s society, child abuse is widespread and has an affect on everyone who comes across it. The act of child abuse happens everyday to a variety of kids who are typically younger and scared to tell anyone. All children are born with the right to be able to develop, grow, live and love according to their needs and feelings. For a child 's development they need protection and reassurance from adults who love them and help them acquire the skills to be a successful adult. However, some children are neglected and hurt by adults that they trust. The abuse a child receives makes them feel bad about themselves, and it is much worse when it occurs within a family because it makes them feel unloved and alone causing them to have problems. “Abuse of all types was more frequent in those from disturbed and disrupted family backgrounds. Logistic regressions indicated that some, though not all, of the apparent associations between abuse and adult problems was accounted for by this matrix of childhood disadvantage from which abuse so often emerged. Numerous studies have investigated the psychological sequelae of childhood trauma, including posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD), dissociation, personality disorder, and substance abuse ”(“New Retrospective Measure of Child Abuse and Neglect” by David P. Bernstein). The act of child abuse causes kids to have one or more mental problems. Additionally, since people do not recognize the abuse while it is occurring, it causes these problems to

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.

People may not be aware, but any one of their peers, friends, or neighbors may be victims of child abuse. Every day, someone experiences physical, emotional, neglect, and/or sexual abuse. Abuse can lead to death or injury for the rest of a victim's life, from either the perpetrator or themselves. In order to prevent child abuse society must: recognize the types of abuse, understand common causes of abuse, know the characteristics of abusers, and realize the effects abuse has, not just on the child, but on families and communities across the world.