Child Abuse and Neglect - Abuse in Relationships - Essay Example

Child Abuse and Neglect - Abuse in Relationships The institution of family has changed in the last century or so. This is documented by the fact that families have started to segregate and divide due to a number of different reasons. What was supposed to be a well-knitted family in the past is an unknown proposition in the times much like today. There have been a lot of changes in the way the families have come about due to budget issues, socio-economic status, regional segregation norms and even fashion to have a small family. The social influences within the family have lessened and divorce rates have increased. This is because tolerance is missing. Everyone seems to be in a rush within his life and the family members are no exception to this rule. Similarly, relationships have started to deteriorate. They have been marred by abuse within their folds and this indeed is the subject of this paper. Abuse in relationships happens not only between husband and wife but also between parents and children, amongst siblings, family members and children and so on. Now it is the responsibility of the person in authority to form such an environment within home that any form of abuse does not come into the fray at all. Abuse mars the basis of love and sanctity in any relationship and the abused person feels that he has been humiliated beyond repair. The relationship soars and the hatred factor starts to develop, a fact that has been proved by research. Children are also verbally abused and therefore are “beaten down” psychologically. Those who are abused psychologically tend to be very dependent and cannot take care of themselves. They have poor self-esteem and confidence and can have a poor relationship with their peers. In this paper, focus is kept on child abuse alone and hence a proper understanding is developed with relation to the different forms of abuse that take place over them and the consequences that so arise in the wake of these different abuse types. Similarly, divorce between husband and wife plays a very significant factor in destroying the fabric of any family. It is an element of mental destruction that happens between families. Children seem to be the worst affected in the whole scenario. They store pictures of torture and fights within their memories and this is one feeling which is pretty difficult to get rid of. Psychologically, it affects them more than the persons who were in a marriage before they decided to forego the bond itself – the bond of marriage, now changed into a divorce deed. (Arasteh, 1988) Socially, it leaves a scar on the children so much so that they start getting alienated from other kids of the same age. They converse less and as a result open up negligibly. They seldom speak out what is within them and hurting from inside. They seem to be in a constant fight with their existence and life for them becomes a problem – a problem that has got no bearing on their actions and yet they are on the receiving end. Genetically, broken relationships seem to be transmitted from parents down to their children since these children have already suffered at the hands of their parents and thus they could not come to terms with their own lives, which pretty much suggest that they end up divorcing their own spouses at a later stage of life. What this means is the fact that a single divorce could have long lasting effects on the generations to come and a husband and wife must think a hundred times before they decide to let go of each other, more so when the children are present in the equation. Further, the personality aspect also has its say in the children who have been affected by divorce in their past life. They seem to take a hard stance on their spouses and thus end up their marriages due to strong resilient nature that they have inherited from their parents. They do not value the true meaning of compromise and understanding and thus commit acts which are irreversible. (Midence, 1994) Child abuse is a major problem in our society at the present. The survey carried out by the Child Protective Service (CPS) agencies in the United States shows that the child abuse has 1.7% increase over the number of children which were reported in 1996. With the passage of time, a number of people are starting to report child abuse whereby the reporting levels have increased to 41% between the years 1988 and 1997. There are four forms of child maltreatment - emotional abuse, neglect, physical abuse and sexual abuse. Emotional abuse is also known as the verbal and mental abuse which basically takes into count the acts or the failures to act by parents or caretakers that have caused or could cause serious behavioral, emotional or mental disorders. This can include parents/caretakers using extreme and/or bizarre forms of punishment. For instance it could include putting a child in a closet or dark room or being tied to a chair for a long period of time or even threatening or terrorizing a child. Neglect is basically a failure to provide for the child's basic needs and it could either be physical, educational or emotional in nature. Physical neglect could be in the form of not providing food or clothing, appropriate medical care, supervision or even improper weather protection. (Lancaster, 1987) Educational neglect is failure at providing schooling or special educational needs. For instance it could entail of not helping them on homework or teaching them how to read. Emotional neglect includes the lack of any emotional support and love. Physical abuse is the infliction of physical injury upon a child. This may include burning, hitting, punching, shaking, kicking, beating or in all essence harming a child. Sexual abuse is basically an inappropriate sexual behavior with a child. This could include fondling a child's genitals, making the child fondle the adult's genitals, intercourse, incest, rape and sexual exploitation. To be considered child abuse these acts have to be committed by a person responsible for the care of the child. Child abuse is a matter of significance which essentially speaks of the degree to which a parent uses inappropriate or excessive control strategies with a child and/or fails to provide standards of care giving. In fact, abusive parents often do not know that they are being abusive. Some parents think society places no restraint on such techniques. Psychological abuse can include a number of different factors including neglect and verbal abuse. The majority of abuse that takes place is done psychologically rather than physically. Many children are simply ignored by their parents and have little or no involvement with them because of this reason. (Karlson, 1991) On the other end of the spectrum, physical abuse occurs in 30 percent of child abuse cases. A very serious result of physical abuse is known as SBS (Shaken Baby Syndrome). This condition is cause by violent shaking of a small child, which in turn causes the brain to bruise and eyes to bleed. Children show many signs of physical abuse in their day-to-day life. These signs include shying away from adult contact, lack of trust, aggressive behavior, self-destructive behavior, extended days away from home and even suicide attempts. The stress that children take during abuse is immense since they seem to relate every bad thing happening around them with their own lives, which in essence is not the true picture of the world. However their thinking regimes are very difficult to change and rectify at such a stage in their life and much needs to be done to make them understand what is right and what is not for their betterment in the coming times. (Fong, 2004) The well being of these children is affected in a negative manner and it is the duty of the parents and guardians to understand what the kids are going through. Parents need to ensure that their kids do not feel left out in the whole equation and are taken care of. Also they need to make sure that their kids are given all the love and protection that they need and no stone is left unturned in the process of their sound upbringing. Bibliography Arasteh, Josephine. Impact of Divorce, Single Parenting, and Step-parenting on Children. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1988 Fong, Rowena. The Children of Neglect: When No One Cares. Routledge, 2004 Karlson, Henry C. Theories of Child Abuse and Neglect: Differential Perspectives, Summaries, and Evaluations. Praeger, 1991 Lancaster, Jane B. Child Abuse and Neglect: Biosocial Dimensions. Aldine De Gruyter, 1987 Midence, Kenny. The Effects of Chronic Illness on Children and Their Families: An Overview. Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs, Vol. 120, 1994 Word Count: 1,379 Read More