Child Abuse 2 Essay Research Paper Child

Child Abuse 2 Essay, Research Paper

Child Abuse

Introduction

Child abuse is the intentional act that result in physical or emotional harm to children. It

covers a wide range of behavior, from actual physical assault by parents or adult caretakers, to

neglect of a child s basic needs. There are several different types: physical, sexual, and emotional

abuse and physical or emotional neglect and children experience more than one form.

The extent of child abuse is difficult to measure and is recognized as a major growing social

problem, especially in industrialized nations. There is no single explanation for child

maltreatment. The effects on a child endures are astronomical. They could last a lifetime

and be passed to the next generation of children.

Types

There are several different types of child abuse, and some children experience more than one

form. Physical abuse includes deliberate acts of violence that injure or even kill a child.

Unexplained bruises, broken bones, or burn marks on a child may be signs of physical abuse.

Sexual abuse occurs when adults use children for sexual gratification or expose them to sexual

activities. Sexual abuse may begin with kissing or fondling and progress to more intrusive sexual

acts, such as oral sex and vaginal or anal penetration. Emotional abuse destroys a child s self-

esteem. Such abuse commonly includes repeated verbal abuse of a child in the form of shouting,

threats, and degrading or humiliating criticism. Other types of emotional abuse are confinement,

such as shutting a child in a dark closet, and social isolation, such as denying a child friends.

The most common form of child abuse is neglect. Physical neglect involves a parent s failure

to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, or medical care to a child. It may also include

inadequate supervision and a consistent failure to protect a child from hazards or danger. Emotional

neglect occurs when a parent or caretaker fails to meet a child s basic needs for affection and

comfort. Examples of emotional neglect include behaving in a cold, distant, and unaffectionate way

toward a child, allowing a child to witness chronic or severe spousal abuse, allowing a child to use

alcohol or drugs, and encouraging a child to engage in delinquent behavior. Another form of neglect

involves failing to meet a child s basic education needs, either by failing to enroll a child in school

or by permitting a child to skip school frequently.

Causes

Many people have difficulty understanding why any person would hurt a child. The public

often assumes that people who abuse their children suffer from mental illness, but fewer than 10

percent of abusers have mental illnesses. Most abusers love their children but tend to have less

patience and less mature personalities than other parents. These traits make it difficult to cope with

the demands of their children and increase the likelihood of physical or emotional abuse.

However, there is no single explanation for child maltreatment. Child abuse results from a

complex combination of personal, social, and cultural factors. These may be grouped into four

primary categories: (1) intergenerational transmission of violence, (2) social stress, (3) social

isolation and low community involvement, and (4) family structure.

Intergenerational Transmission of Violence

Many children learn violent behavior from their parents and then grow up to abuse their own

children. Thus, the abusive behavior is transmitted across generations. Studies show that some 30

percent of abused children become abusive parents, whereas only 2 to 3 percent of all individuals

become abusive parents. Children who experience abuse and violence may adopt this behavior as

a model for their own parenting.

However, the majority of abused children do not become abusive adults. Some experts

believe that an important predictor of later abuse is whether the child realizes that the behavior was

wrong. Children who believe they behaved badly and deserved the abuse become abusive parents

more often than children who believe their parents were wrong to abuse them.

Social Stress

Stress brought on by a variety of social conditions raises the risk of child abuse within a

family. These conditions include unemployment , illness, poor housing conditions, a larger-than-

average family size, the presence of a new baby or a disabled person in the home, and the death of

a family member. A large majority of reported cases of child abuse come from families living in

poverty. Child abuse also occurs in middle-class and wealthy families, but it is better reported

among the poor for several reasons. Wealthier families have an easier time hiding abuse because

they have less contact with social agencies than poor families. In addition, social workers,

physicians, and others who report abuse subjectively label children from poor families as victims

of abuse more ofte

Внимание, отключите Adblock

Вы посетили наш сайт со включенным блокировщиком рекламы!
Ссылка для скачивания станет доступной сразу после отключения Adblock!

Скачать