Child Abuse Essay Research Paper PsychologyChild Abuse

Child Abuse Essay, Research Paper

Psychology:Child Abuse March 28, 1998 People have many different opinions and definitions concerning child abuse. Some people see using reasonable force to discipline a child as acceptable. Other people see using any amount of physical force against a child as wrong and do not agree with it. In its broadest sense the term refers to any harm physically or emotionally done to a child. In the U.S the “Child abuse Prevention and Treatment Act” defines child abuse as “Physical or mental injury, sexual abuse, negligent treatment of maltreatment of a child under the age of 18 by a person who is responsible for the child’s welfare under circumstances which indicate that the child’s health or welfare is harmed or threatened. In Canadian law, section forty-three of “The Canadian Criminal Code” states: Every school teacher, parent or person standing in place of a parent is justified in using force by way of correction toward a pupil or child who is under his care, if the force does not exceed what is reasonable under the circumstances. Therefore, child abuse is the violence and cruelty that occurs against children at the hands of adults, and the crimes are without reasonable defense because the victims are extremely vulnerable and unable to defend themselves. The sexual, mental, emotional, and physical abuse and cruelty that occurs against children by the hands of adults for insufficient reasons, is severely increasing among our society and must immediately be put to an end. An abusive parent can be defined as someone who has failed in his or her role as caretaker of the child. Often it is the unexpected parent, aunt, uncle, cousin, or family friend that causes the child to feel anger, grief, pain and fear, which are forms of the abuse, which occurs against the child. Consider the case of Don Wierenga in Vancouver, June 1996. He spanked his daughter five or six times with an opened hand because she wanted him to play catch with her and he was not in the mood. Don then reported himself to a social worker. In court the judge gave him probation because he felt Wierenga was using more than reasonable force and was therefore going against what section forty-three states. Most of the time people hit their children because they are angry and frustrated with them and they use it as a punishment to them. When an adult gets out of control that is when hitting as a punishment can get very dangerous and serious. People can often get out of control because they are dealing with a very difficult child or they might have a lot of stress for reasons outside their relationship with the child and they do not know how to deal with it. The reason for the abuse may also be that the adult was brought up with child abuse in their family and they have learned that using corporal punishment is thought of as acceptable. A child is an innocent victim to the adult and even if they are causing trouble, abuse is no answer. If an adult feels that they are out of control they should stop and take a “time out”. If the urge reoccurs they should seek help. Children are born into the world and totally depend upon their parents or their caretakers for their survival and welfare. Parents are supposed to provide unconditional care, protection, and emotional support to their children. Although there may be numerous rewards inherent in parenting, a child can never be justifiably expected to care for his parent in return. A normal healthy, realistic parent cannot demand his own child will fulfill his own personal needs for food, clothing, shelter, or sex. Whenever the parent tries to deny his child the right to be a child, and compels the youngster to act as a partner, an exploitative situation comes into being, and that child may become a victim of sexual abuse. When a parent coerces a child into a sexual encounter of any type, the bond between them becomes broken and the effect on the child’s normal emotional and sexual development is always destructive. Female children are more often subject to sexual assault than young boys, and sexual exploitation by a known and trusted adult has unfortunately become a reality in the lives of countless young girls. Incest between mothers and sons is not a very common occurrence but a large number of mother-son incest incidents involve the rape of a mother by an adolescent boy. When a parent molests a young boy, the aggressor is as likely to be his father as his mother. The vast majority of sexual contacts between boys and adults are homosexual. Unfortunately in most child abuse situations the child feels threatened and often obeys even if the actions cause them to feel guilty. Many results of sexual molestation upon a child when they are young will force them to live with feelings of depression, loneliness, and low self-confidence especially about the sexual aspect. While it is true that children do have sexual feelings and do seek affection and attention from adults, it is the adult’s responsibility to respond to the child’s feelings and gestures in an appropriate manner. Exploiting the child for the parent’s own sexual gratification is inappropriate to say the least. A recent study which showed the results of abused children found that 83% of the children were neglected, 60% were physically abused, 23% were sexually abused, and 19% of all cases involved all three forms. People are becoming more serious about child abuse and are beginning to see it for the serious