Child Abuse

CHILD ABUSE
What is child abuse?
Child abuse ( also called child endangerment or child maltreatment ) refers to any behavior on the part of
adults, older children, caregivers, and parents that is beyond the norms of social conduct. SO IN
OTHER TERMS Child abuse is any form of maltreatment to a child under 18 years old which is
violent or threatening for the child.
Types of child abuse
There are five general types of child abuse:
● Physical abuse: This form of abuse refers to the deliberate physical harm of a child by parents or
caregivers. Physical abuse may involve hitting a child with hands or an object. Burning, biting, or
physically restraining a child with the intent to do harm is also considered physical abuse.
● Emotional or psychological abuse: Anything that causes serious mental or emotional harm to a
child. This occurs when a child is degraded, terrorized, isolated, or exploited by a
parent/caregiver. In addition,this is seen where a child is constantly criticized, threatened,
rejected, or given no support or love while growing up.
● Sexual abuse: The improper exposure of a child to sexual activity, behaviour or contact. This
occurs when someone takes advantage of a child or youth through sexual touching, intercourse or
exploitation.
● Neglect : Child neglect occurs when a parent or caregiver fails to provide food, shelter, clothing,
medical care, or supervision to maintain or protect the child’s health, safety, and well-being,
resulting in harm or the threat of harm.
● Abandonment : Child abandonment occurs when a parent, guardian, or person in charge of a child
either deserts a child without any regard for the child's physical health, safety or welfare and with
the intention of wholly abandoning the child, or in some instances, fails to provide necessary care
for a child living under their roof.
CAUSES OF CHILD ABUSE
1.Drugs— Drugs is one of the many causes of child abuse. This is because drugs and alcohol
inhibit a parent’s ability to function in a parental role and may lessen impulse control, allowing
parents to behave abusively towards the child
2. lack of parenting skills — Some parents may not know how to care for their child or may
believe it is acceptable to use excessive physical force to discipline or punish a child.
3. past childhood experiences — parents may have experienced abuse as a child in their own
families, which could have caused them to develop an insecure attachment style.
4.isolation and lack of support —This can result in child abuse because, when no family
members, friends, partners, or other community members are available to help with the demands
of parenting, it can become stressful, especially if they are taking care of a family member with a
disability. As a result, they end up taking out their stress on the child.
Three consequences of child abuse
1. SOCIAL DIFFICULTIES : Children who are abused and neglected are often fearful and
have trust issues. They may have difficulty communicating and maintaining relationships.
2. Secondly, Child abuse can lead to behavioral issues during childhood and young
adulthood. Victims may have emotional outbursts, changes in mood, changes in
behavior, sadness, withdrawal, or aggressiveness.
3. Lastly, it can cause Childhood trauma. So children who experienced abuse or neglect
can develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is characterized by symptoms
such as persistent re-experiencing the traumatic events related to the abuse; avoiding
people, places, and events that are associated with their maltreatment.
The effects of child abuse on society. Child abuse has an impact on more than just
the victimized child and family. Numerous studies demonstrate how child abuse has
an impact on all of us, including increased crime rates, abusive habits that recur,
and poor employability skills.
Firstly, One way that children who have been abused might have an impact on society is
if they start engaging in criminal activity. Several studies have shown that childhood
abuse increased the risk of adulthood crime by promoting antisocial behavior during
childhood and adolescence, followed by the formation of relationships with antisocial
romantic partners and peers in adulthood. Relationships with antisocial peers and
romantic partners may increase criminal involvement by normalizing crime and
reinforcing coping skills that promote criminal behavior.
Secondly, it causes repeated patterns of abuse. People who have suffered from child
abuse or neglect are more inclined to pass certain behaviors to their families. These same
individuals are more likely to engage in those same abusive behaviors with their own
children. This is because individuals make attachments to what they fear, which is also all
that they knew at one point in their life, and recreate these behaviors.
Thirdly, it may result in inadequate employability skills, which could ultimately hinder
the social and economic progress of a nation. There are specific abilities that one should
have in the workplace, including teamwork, self-management, and communication skills.
People who have experienced maltreatment may be a reflection of a causal chain in
which neglect and abuse lead to cognitive deficits, poor mental health, or physical health
issues that negatively affect one's ability to find employment.
With all that being said about the effects of child abuse two ways in which we can
prevent it are :
Teaching children their rights- Children who are taught that they are special and have a
right to safety are less likely to blame themselves for abuse and more likely to report a
perpetrator. Secondly, reporting any suspicions of maltreatment or neglect. You should
get in touch with your local police department or the department of child and family
services if you think a child has been or may be harmed.

Child Abuse

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Child Abuse

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CHILD ABUSE

What is child abuse?

Types of child abuse

There are five general types of child abuse:

CAUSES OF CHILD ABUSE

Three consequences of child abuse

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