The Causes Of Child Abuse

Mary Ellen’s case, in 1874, was one of the first cases of child abuse recorded. According to American Humane Association (2013), she was being abused by her stepmother. There was no such thing as child protective services or the department of family services. There was only the society for the prevention of cruelty to animals. Her story led to the founding of the New York Society for the Prevention and Cruelty to Children (American Humane Association, 2013). In the 1960s’ child abuse was first recognized as a social problem;

It was not until the early 1870s that child abuse was first brought into light. The Child-Protection Movement started with the news of one eight year-old orphan named Mary Ellen Wilson. After the passing of her biological mother and father, Mary Ellen was left in the care of her biological father's widow, Mary McCormack Connolly. Mrs. McCormack Connolly badly mistreated Mary Ellen, and neighbors in the building were well aware of the child's predicament (Mary Ellen Wilson, 2013). It was not until Etta Angell Wheeler, a caring Methodist mission worker, visited the residence and noticed Mary Ellen's condition. Ms. Wheeler describes her first meeting with Mary Ellen, as such:

Although the agency pushes for legal charges against adults who involve in child abuse, the agency usually goes beyond the charges. In ach and very case that is reported, the agency attempts to understand the underlying factors of the abuse. The agency has realized that parents who abused alcohol where for times more likely to abuse their children than the parents who did not abuse alcohol. In such cases, most instances of abuse occurred when the parents were intoxicated. Further, substance abuse has also been related to recurrence of child neglect and abuse. Studies have shown that parents who abuse substances are most likely to abuse their children continually that parents who do not abuse substances. In literature review, parents who are normal and who are not abusing any drugs of

Child abuse in American today is amongst the most saddened topics of mankind. Many children are subjected to neglect and abuse on a daily basis. The sex and age of child makes no difference when it comes to child abuse.. Boys and girls are equally likely to suffer maltreatment. The problem is how often child abuse goes unreported. Millions of children across the world are abused in some way, whether it is verbal, emotional, physical or sexual. Child abuse has been happening all over the world to young children, however many children keep this a secret because of fear of what could happen. Child Abuse consists of any act of commission or omission that endangers or impairs a child’s physical or emotional health and development. It can be

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”).

Children are most likely to abuse alcohol if their family tolerates deviance in general or encourages excitement and pleasure seeking (Morris & Maisto, pg. 156) (Finn, Sharkansky, Brandt, & Turcotte, 2000)

The earliest report of child abuse was in 1874 with the case of Mary Ellen McCormack, who was 10 years old and living in Manhattan at the time. This case brought attention to reformers who strived to prevent child abuse and protect victims, an effort that persists even today. The awareness of child abuse also prompted researchers to find a correlation between abuse and criminal behavior in adulthood. At the time of McCormack’s case, there were no laws protecting children from physical abuse from their parents. In late 1873, Mary Ellen McCormack caught the attention of her neighbors who realized how severely battered and neglected she was by her adoptive mother, Mary Connolly. The neighbors reported this to the Department of Public Charities and Correction, which was in charge of New York’s insane asylums, orphanages, jails, and public hospitals.

One of the first cases of child abuse occurred in 1871 in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen. The victim in this case was Mary Ellen Wilson, a nine-year old orphan. Mary Ellen performed household duties in the orphanage for her foster mother. According to Mary Ellen, her foster mother whipped her almost every day for speaking to people, wearing too many clothes, or any other act that the foster mother deemed inappropriate (“Illustration of a Social Worker”). Mary Ellen’s external bruises were evidence of physical abuse, and they gained the attention of nurse Etta Wheeler. With no social workers or child protection laws in place, nurse Wheeler was forced to consult Henry Bergh, a businessman at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or the SPCA. Bergh assisted Wheeler in finding a lawyer to fight for Mary Ellen’s protection (“Illustration of a Social Worker”). Eventually, with the lawyer’s help, Mary Ellen was removed from the home. Millions of children around the world have suffered, and are suffering, from issues similar to that of Mary Ellen. Physical child abuse is a problem that has drastically altered the lives of countless children. For this reason, people should be educated on this topic. The main causes of physical child abuse are financial hardships, substance abuse, and parents who were abuse as a child, and are merely repeating the cycle.

Child abuse is a rising topic of discussion in sociological debates across the nation due to the increased awareness concerned professionals are bringing to it. The issue has long been diagnosed as generational and cyclic in nature, where children who receive abuse grow up and replicate the process on their own offspring, and so on and so forth. This analysis attempts to illuminate possible connections between various factors within the parent’s lives that may correlate to child abuse in the home. Connections between the reproductive process (birth control, reproductive freedom, and population policies), economic stresses, character-based traits, and occupational stressors will be presented, analyzed, and then correlated

Back in the day there were not as many child protecting laws and assisting facilities like there are today. In 1960’s there was very little information as it relates to child abuse. A Canadian psychologist by the name of William L. Marshall said, “you could read all the information in one morning. With the lack of information there was no way for individuals to readily identify what constituted as child abuser. Child abuse before 1875 was in fact the era before child services were created to protect the children.

The subject of parents consuming alcohol and how it affects their children is one that has plagued this world since long before the introduction of the first Samuel Adams. Alcohol damages brain cells and can prevent someone from making correct decisions. Having alcohol in one’s system can lead to violent and very dangerous rampages, and adding children to this mix is extremely harmful to them not only physically but also emotionally. Dr. Michael Windle explains that “alcohol abuse can interfere with parenting skills and marital relations, thereby affecting adolescent development and adjustment” (Effects on Children of Alcohol Dependent Parents). Under the influence of an alcohol dependent parent, children will often grow up in a

factors in a majority of cases of emotional abuse and neglect. In fact, neglect is the

” Child abuse casts a shadow the length of a lifetime”(Herbert Ward). Child abuse occurs in the world and can cause damage which can last a lifetime. Child abuse is widespread among the nation; therefore,child abuse should be prevented.

As a young person I believe that the issue of child abuse needs to be addressed. It is crucial for society to comprehend the extensive problems that it causes and how it impacts people. Child abuse is the physical, sexual or emotional maltreatment or neglect of a child or children. Anything deliberately to hurt a child or young person physically, sexually, emotionally or psychologically is child abuse.

These are activities that are targeted at members of the community and general population with the aim to raise awareness about the problems of child abuse. It involves an approach that targets helping families and children before child abuse occurs and not intervening after the harm has been done. This is very essential as every child deserves to grow up and be nurtured in an environment that is safe and stable which helps in the child’s total development such as the physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. These strategies can be via a myriad of programs such as educational programs via public awareness programs, public service announcements, parent education groups, child educational programs, family support and strengthening programs.