Child Abuse

Child abuse

Child abuse has become an escalating phenomenon that is hurting children from every walk of life, and it seems to be happening with a more intense brutality, now more than ever, children need our help and loving homes to grow in. unfortunately child abuse is on the rise. Since 1963 there have been over 150,000 victims of child abuse reported. In 2000 there were over 2.8 million reports of child abuse involving about 5 million children. (Rein pg13) Child abuse isn’t just physical it also can be verbal, and neglect of a child or children.

Child abuse is not just something that goes away once others find out the abuse been going on or once the child gets taking out of that situation. A child lives with those events that happen to them forever and some just try to suppress the memories of it ever happening to them. But memory researchers do not agree, saying that children who have suffered serious psychological trauma do not repress the memories: rather they can’t forget it. The consequences can be extremely harsh and painful. Child abuse victims may go through a healing process, but there is a great chance they may never actually heal from the abuse they went through. Child abuse victims could go to counseling and even take medication but no amount of medication or counseling can make them forget what happened to them, but not all the time. The overall impact of physical, verbal, and sexual abuse of children has deep emotional and fiscal consequences for society. The devastating effects of child abuse reach across all areas of our lives, touching families and local communities, health care providers, the criminal justice system, welfare programs, and educational institutions. The affects of child abuse can lead to other incidents while the child is growing from alcohol and substance abuse to domestic violence.. The child’s sense that what he or she is doing is wrong may be exacerbated by the abusers insistence on secrecy, which is usually ensured by threatening the child with greater harm (Connelly, 32).

In the past few years public awareness and concern about child abuse has increased but more must be done to protect the children both in the United States and other parts of the world. Failures to report child abuse can ether have penalties, fines or even imprisonment. The highest imprisonment is up to thirty years in Florida and one to Ten years in Alabama. Weather it be a doctor or anther physician can lead to being sued for the negligence for failing to protect a child from harm.( Rein pg 19) Being stigmatized through beatings, oral abuse, and or sexual abuse makes a child feel shame and guilt, and lowers his or her self esteem (Connelly, 32). The victims’ sense of reality about the abuse is distorted for he or she is taught by the abuser that the beatings or sexual encounters are normal (Connelly, 35) Particularly in cases of sexual abuse the adult perpetrator may tell the child that their time together is “special,” leaving the victims to wonder why this “special” time feels so bad (Connelly, 32)

Schools and parents should be more educated about this subject matter. Most importantly children should be well educated about this issue as well. By learning about child abuse, what contributes to it, and how deal to with it, children gain valuable knowledge about what to do if they are in an abusive situation during childhood or adolescence. Schools are an important place for children to learn about abuse.

Child abuse is defined as a non accidental act of physical injuries or emotional disturbances that are inflicted onto a child. It is also acts of omission or commission which would lead up to the abuse (Connelly, 9). The Official definitions of child abuse and neglect differ among institutions, government bodies, and experts.( Rein pg 13) There is so many ways you could define child abuse but no matter what definition you use it still does not justify the harm that’s inflicted upon a child. When some are abusing their children they think that they are just disciplining their child and justify their actions by saying my parents did it to me so