Child Abuse

Introduction

Child abuse is violence against children or young people. This is a very serious form of violation of the child's welfare. The term child abuse means physical and psychological violence, sexual abuse and neglect combined. These acts against children are punishable in most Western industrialized countries. Statistics have shown that the perpetrators are often the parents or other close relatives.

Child abuse can be understood as a non-random, conscious or unconscious, violent, psychological or physical harm, the families or institutions (such as kindergartens, schools, homes) which may result in the injuries, arrested development or even death, and the well-being and the rights of a child affected or threatened.

Child Abuse as an Issue within Health or Social Care

Child abuse is an international problem. The World Health Organization (WHO) approximates that 40 million children between birth and 14 years of age are abused or neglected every year round the world. Thus, child abuse is discovered over all societies and cultures, nearly habitually enclosed by secrecy and denial. The accurate number of children who are abused is not renowned due to under recognition and underreporting.

Children are often too young to realise or to broadcast what is happening. Moreover, because abuse is often perpetrated by parents or caregivers, even when children realise that they are being abused, they often seem commitment, dependency, and emotional binds to the perpetrator, which hold them from describing the abuse. (Tower 2001 1)

Cruelty to children

"Child abuse" can be characterized as the beginning or permitting any harmful or attack to communicate in a child's body, as well as any relationship or transaction of any kind which humiliates, shames, or frightens the child.

The main types of child abuse

1. Sexual abuse of children

2. Psychological abuse

3. Neglect (physical neglect, informative neglect, emotional neglect)

4. Physical violence

Sexual abuse

Sexual abuse is defined as an adult's involvement in sexual acts with a child; with or without the child's consent. Sexual abuse occurs usually with a person the victim knows, such as a parent or another family member; sexual abuse rarely occurs with a stranger. It is the act of the child being pressured, tricked, or forced to perform in any sexual activity. Kissing, being touched in private areas, forced to touch another person's genitals, encouraged to watch pornography, or being forced to take part in any part of sexual acts.

The percentage in which this type of abuse stands of all other abuses is 12%; which is about 1 million cases every year.

Signs

Overly affectionate (inappropriate to the child's age)

No trust in people

Personality changes

Extreme reactions

Depression

Medical problem (itching, pain in the genitals area)

STDs

Lose concentration

Start drawing pictures which refer to sex

Trying to be ultra-good

Unexplained sore throat

Blood in underwear

Psychological abuse

It is also known as verbal abuse, expressive of abuse and psychological violence. Psychological violence includes actions or failure to proceed with their parents or guardians who have initiated or may origin serious behavioral, cognitive, emotional or mental disorders.

This is one of the most subtle but also more widespread child abuse. In this type of abuse children are routinely ...