The Problem Of Child Abuse And Neglect

Child abuse can be perceived in many different ways. Some parents may think that abuse is limited to physically putting hands on your children. Some may think it’ll have to be a harsh beating to count. The truth is, anything that causes detrimental damage to a child in any way, whether on purpose or unknowingly, can be defined as either abuse or neglect. The three major types are physical, emotional and sexual. Abuse also does not have to be direct harm to the child. Any parent that initiates abandonment, human trafficking and drug use. Some states across America even consider domestic violence in the household constantly witnessed by a child as abuse.

There are several different types of abuse, but they are not to be confused with discipline. Physical abuse is purposeful physical injury to a child that is done by the caregiver responsible for the child. Examples of physical abuse can include child biting, beating, shaking as well as choking. Causing physical harm with an object is also considered abuse. Discipline, however, is not considered abuse as long as it causes no serious injury and can be justified. Bruises, fractures as well as burn marks will help differentiate between the two.

Psychological, or emotional, abuse is considered to be detrimental to a child’s self-worth, as well as their mental health. Emotional abuse can be conducted through threats, criticism and constant judgment. A lack of support, love and understanding can also play a factor. Out of the main types of abuse, this is typically the hardest to prove due to the lack of evidence and the inability to intervene.

Sexual abuse, or child molestation, is defined as the use of a child for sexual stimulation done by an adult or an older adolescent. This includes but is not limited to incest, fondling, rape, sodomy, penetration and indecent exposure. Coercing or persuading a child to perform sexual activities or even a simulation of activity is also considered abuse. Visualization, fetishizing and simulation such activities can be a factor as well. Sexual abuse is not involved and does not directly correlate with pain, or even touching. Engaging in depiction or interest in a child to fulfill sexual needs can still be considered abuse.

Research has demonstrated that infant maltreatment reports are targeted in neighborhoods that have high tiers of disadvantage, such as greater at-risk parents as well as teenage parents. However, studies have attracted less attention to the nearby processes that affect maltreatment behaviors and reports. These procedures can exert their results thru transactional processes, exemplified via the balance between environmental stressors and social support, as nicely as thru processes involving definition, recognition, and reporting. For example, ethnographic research has looked at neighborhoods where impoverishment has a weaker impact on families and adolescents due to the fact of more advantageous social supports. Studies that have examined how infant maltreatment is defined, recognized, and reported have usually been controversial. However, these research questions remain important. For example, are adjustments in reports of abuse and forget about due to the fact of higher scrutiny of negative neighborhoods, the accelerated use of public services, or stress from dwelling in terrible neighborhoods? Such questions are additional elements in looking at disproportionalities in the fee at which segments of the populace are represented in abuse and neglect reports.

Childhood trauma not only can leave a lasting effect leading to emotional turmoil but can also mold the brain as development occurs. If the stress overload begins to then publicity at different ages might also lead to specific clinical outcomes. This was found in a study of depressed patients who reported extra abuse around age 6, which overlaps with a necessary length in the development of the left hippocampus, and around age 16, which overlaps with a comparable period in the improvement of the prefrontal cortex.

Coining, or cao gio (pronounced gow yaw), is a frequent Southeast Asian alternative therapy for minor illnesses such as cold, flu, headache, fever, pain, cough, or low energy. Cao gio translates to “catch the wind.” It is believed that too a great deal “wind” in the blood is the purpose of many illnesses, and coining will carry the blood to the surface by using which a “bad wind” can be released. Coining is a recovery practice with the likelihood of causing bodily harm, and a child care provider may also mistake this for abuse, expecting that the baby is in danger.

The effects that child abuse has on children are not only physically damaging, but it also puts a strain on their development, as well as leave emotional scars. There are several different types of child abuse, such as- emotional, physical, sexual and neglect. Neglect is defined as the inability to care for someone properly. Although there are many societal and socioeconomic factors that come into play, there are no excuses or remorse for those who take these out on children. I strongly feel that personally, communities have to shed less judgment and harshness on this topic, as well as acknowledge that its victims, as well as its offenders. In the sense of the social work profession, the need to protect and ensure the well-being of said children are always going to be prioritized. It’s a caretaker’s role and responsibility to act on this firsthand.

References

1. Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2019). What is child abuse and neglect? Recognizing the signs and symptoms. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau.
2. Children, B. on, Youth, & Families, and. (2012, April 5). Causes and Consequences of Child Maltreatment. Retrieved January 28, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK201112/
3. National Research Council, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, Panel on Research on Child Abuse and Neglect, & Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. (1993, February 1). Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect. Retrieved January 28, 2020, from https://books.google.com/books?id=qnxZpAeYVtMC&lpg=PT13&ots=mCPCKg0KIY&dq=child abuse and neglect&lr&pg=PT30#v=onepage&q=child abuse and neglect&f=false