Long-term consequences of Child Abuse on the Society

Child abuse is the physical or emotional abuse of a child by a parent, guardian, or other person. Reports of child abuse, including sexual abuse, beating, and murder, have jumped in the United States and some authorities believe that the number of cases is largely under reported. Child neglect is also included in legal definitions of child abuse to cover instances of malnutrition, desertion, and inadequate care of a child's safety. When reported, inadequate foster care services and a legal system that has trouble accommodating the suggestible nature of children, who are often developmentally unable to distinguish fact from make-believe, complicate child abuse cases

What is child abuse? From the word “abuse” we can understand that it is some sort of a maltreatment of a child, causing harm and damage both to his physical and psychological well-being. At the Federal level, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) describes child abuse and neglect as: “any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.” Child abuse is a very substantial and widely spread problem in U.S. affecting children of any age, gender, race, background or income, with more than 1.8 million investigations done every year and on average, killing more than 5 children every day. The main issue of child abuse is that the abuser is usually someone a child loves or depends on (a parent, sibling, coach, neighbor, etc.), who violates child’s trust putting personal interests first, therefore official numbers of how many children suffer maltreatment might be not accurate enough as remarkable amount of these cases go unreported. Each case of child abuse is unique, with a lot of individual factors involved, nevertheless, we can distinguish some of the common causes, such as poverty, lack of education, depression, mental or physical health

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 3.3 million referrals for alleged maltreatment were made in 2013. Out of the 3.3 million referrals, 899,000 children were officially documented as being maltreated(Child Abuse & Neglect 2015). Child abuse is the mistreatment of a child. Child abuse is recognized in several forms; physical, emotional, sexual and neglect. Children who experience any form of abuse will tend to withdraw themselves from their peers and sometimes from other family members who are not aware of what is taking place. Child abuse occurs not just in the homes of these children, but can also occur in schools, churches and after school programs. Anywhere a child is present there is a chance that abuse can

Child abuse in American today is amongst the most saddened topics of mankind. Many children are subjected to neglect and abuse on a daily basis. The sex and age of child makes no difference when it comes to child abuse.. Boys and girls are equally likely to suffer maltreatment. The problem is how often child abuse goes unreported. Millions of children across the world are abused in some way, whether it is verbal, emotional, physical or sexual. Child abuse has been happening all over the world to young children, however many children keep this a secret because of fear of what could happen. Child Abuse consists of any act of commission or omission that endangers or impairs a child’s physical or emotional health and development. It can be

Throughout the duration of this course, we can establish that neglect is a form of child maltreatment. By definition, child neglect occurs when the child’s parent or caretaker fails to provide basic, fundamental needs to the child (e.g., physical, emotional, medical, or educational) (Miller-Perrin & Perrin, 2013). It is a maltreatment that commonly begins at an early age and can be built to something more chronic in his/her life (Hildyard, 2002). Initial neglect can result in short-term consequences such as anxious or disorganized style of attachment; recognizing and distinguishing emotion in others; and intelligence and problem-solving skills (Rhoades, 2017). However, the consequences can persist and develop long-term. This paper will investigate

When most people think of “child abuse”, the disturbing news stories of young girls being raped or sexually exploited come to mind but that’s not the only side of it. People seem to only consider physical abuse armful when emotional and mental abuse is just as bad, if not worse.

The experiences we have as children shapes our behaviors and they way our brains function as adults. Child abuse and neglect is a hidden epidemic that not everyone fully understands or knows about its existence. Every year three million reports are made against child abuse; more than six million children are affected annually. The United States carries one one the highest records of child abuse among industrialized countries. Abuse can be in many forms: physical, emotional, and sexual. Child abuse can cause many harmful heath issues in children. Mental heath disorders, sexual and reproductive health issues, and behavioral health (criminal behaviors) can all be a result of experiencing abuse as a child. Child abuse is more prevalent in children

The author of this book ,Stuart was abused by his step father that almost ruined his life and ended up in hospital, but in this book he writes about how he survived the

Much research has been conducted on whether there is a correlation between neglected children turning into criminal delinquency. A study done by the United States General Accounting Office in 1996 displays that neglected youth are more likely to engage in wrongful acts than those who were abused in other forms or not abused at all; “…one prospective study we reviewed found that children who were neglected were even more likely than children who were sexually abused to commit sex offenses as adults (Cycle of Sexual Abuse, 1996). This is one of the many examples found that show that maltreatment of children which include neglect, may often lead to that child engaging in future criminal

While the theoretical reasoning that supports the idea that child abuse often leads to crime gives a basis for the concept, much of the evidence that links the two lies in the concrete details. The visible effects of child abuse and neglect that assist with the basis that has been given by the psychological theories lies in observable behavioral and emotional effects of those who are known to have been subject to maltreatment as children. Some children who have a history with abuse do not experience any repercussions while others experience extreme consequences; this is largely because of the certain child’s ability to handle and grow from negative experiences (Child Welfare Information Gateway 3). Children who experience consequences

The term “child abuse” only applies to children under the age of eighteen who meets the criteria above. In the United States, roughly more than five children die each day as a result of child abuse or neglect (Promises2kids, 2012). The four major forms of child abuse

As children become adults, they tend to get wiser, make reasonable decisions, leave their immaturity behind; yet for an abuser, it can be a completely different story. If an adult was abused as a child, this trend continues onto the life of their children. An abuser’s childhood can lead up to them giving their children the same treatment they received. Since children learn from their parents, seeing and being the victim of abuse creates a lack of the skills, according to MentalHelp.net, “ necessary for controlling anger or frustration”; instead violence is learned and later their children receive that same violence. In the end, the trend could be passed down through endless generations. Even though an adult who has been the “helpless victim”

In the first study (Lansford et.al, 2007) a community sample of 574 African American and Caucasian children were followed from the age of 5 the age of 21. Children were recruited from random from 3 different school districts in Tennessee and one in Indiana. Abuse was measured through extensive interviews with participants through the age of 21 and follow-up assessments were conducted annually. Violent delinquency was measured using self-report and also through official court records of their violent offenses. Nonviolent delinquency and aggression were measured by examining official court records, self-reported arrests, self-reported externalizing problems, and romantic relationship violence. After examining this data, an investigation of the information showed that adults who had been physically abused in the first 5 years of life had a higher risk of being arrested as juveniles for violent, nonviolent and status offenses (Lansford et.al, 2007). This data was measured using analyses of covariance and adjusted means. Lansford (2007) shows that physically abused youth were also less likely to have finished high school, more likely to have been fired from their job in the past year, and impregnate or be impregnated as a teen by someone they were not married to. Lansford (2007) also suggests that they were

“Being abuses or neglected as a child increased the likelihood of arrest as a juvenile by 53 percent, as adult by 38 percent, and for a violent criminal by 48 percent” (Widom, 1992).

People may not be aware, but any one of their peers, friends, or neighbors may be victims of child abuse. Every day, someone experiences physical, emotional, neglect, and/or sexual abuse. Abuse can lead to death or injury for the rest of a victim's life, from either the perpetrator or themselves. In order to prevent child abuse society must: recognize the types of abuse, understand common causes of abuse, know the characteristics of abusers, and realize the effects abuse has, not just on the child, but on families and communities across the world.