Treating a Child in the Wrong Way - Essay Example

Child Abuse Introduction Child abuse means treating a child in the wrong way. The historical records are filled with reports of weak, unkempt, and malnourished children who have been cast out by their own families to fend for themselves, and of children who have found themselves in an abusive situation such as sexual abuse. Charitable groups have been advocating for children protection and others concerned with the welfare of children. Some of the abuse children have been subjected to include corporal punishment in the form of hitting, kicking punching, or even beating, and this is legally and socially accepted in the society (Fontes, 2008). In most cases, it is a common phenomenon in institutions and other schools as well as penal systems for the young offenders. Conversely, the matter of children being subjected to abusive situations have never received widespread attention by the general public or even families, and until today it is still happening. Therefore, this essay discusses how children have been thrust into unfortunate abusive situations and how the system has marginalized their problems. The study also covers various methods that have enabled children to flourish and rise above their horrific beginnings. Manifestation of Child Abuse An abuse that children are undergoing is psychological or emotional because it involves changing the thinking or emotional response of a child. This type of abuse normally gives negative messages to the child about themselves, for instance, referring them as stupid or ugly. This also entails dominant conduct that forces submission from the child or degrading the child. Injuries that are inflicted by a parent or anyone on a child can take several forms (Kelly, 2013). Very serious damage or death in children abused mostly results from the head injury or internal organs. Head trauma, due to the result of abuse in most cases, is the common consequence of death in children and the involved are those in the two years of life being the one most susceptible. Due to the force applied, it passes to the body through the skin, and the patterns of skin injury can offer confirmation of abuse. In addition, the skeletal abuse manifestations include many fractures that appears during different healing stages, fractures of bones which are infrequently broken under circumstances that are normal, and characteristic fracturing of the long bones as well as ribs (Mayers, 2014). Moreover, shaking is a prevalent kind of abuse observed in most young children. Most of the affected fall less than nine months old. Many of the performers of these abuses are the male, although this might be more of a reflection of the truth that male gender, being averagely stronger than female, tend to apply great force, due to that they are prone to shaking children than female. Retinal haemorrhages, intracranial haemorrhages, and too small chip fractures at the key joints of the children extremities could result from rapid shaking of a child. They can as well follow from a combination of head hitting a surface. It is evident that close to a third of severe infants are shaken and die and a majority of those who survive suffer consequences that are long-term, for instance, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and blindness (Mayers, 2014). Additionally, a sexual abuse is always heard happening between parents and their children, as well as people outside the family dynamic. Sexual abuse can be photographing, engaging in sexual activity or forcing children engage in sexual activities. Children might be brought to the attention of a professional due to behavioural or physical fears that, on deeper examination, can result in sexual abuse. It is common for children who are sexually abused to show symptoms of genital injury, infection, abdominal pain, chronic, constipation or recurrent urinary tract infections and behavioural problems (Fontes, 2008). However, detection of child sexual abuse need a high suspicion index and familiarity with the behavioural, verbal, and physical indicators of abuse. Most children would disclose abuse to nannies or even others spontaneously, although there might also be indirect behavioural or physical signs. Child neglect manifestations exist in large numbers, and it is also one of the thrust scenarios that children found themselves unknowingly. These include non-compliance with the recommendations of health care, failing to appropriately seek health care, depriving food hence resulting in hunger, and also the failure of children physical thriving. In addition, the other causes for concerns include exposing children to drug abuse, as well as inadequate protection from dangers in the environment (Hahm & Guterman, 2004). Moreover, inadequate supervision, abandonment, poor hygiene and also being deprived right to education are all considered as evidence of neglect that children are exposed to (Bridge, 2008). Also, children have been subjected to physical abuse. They are beaten or physically attacked. However, it could be an actual beating or slapping, throwing things or anything else that are intended to harm or injure them as well. Studies have also found cases of children going through trauma due to neglect from their families (Bridge, 2008). How the Sytem Marginalized the Problems Nevertheless, the system have marginalized these problems. Studies show that the corporal punishment remains legal in most countries for the juvenile offenders and in at least 65 nations, in institutions and schools. Children corporal punishment is acceptable legally at home in all nations. However, where this practice has persistently not been confronted by the public education and legal reform, the few existing prevalence research are suggesting that it remains mostly common. Corporal punishment is most dangerous for a child. In a short term period, thousands of children have been killed every year, others injured and many left handicapped. However, in the longer term period, a larger body of studies have shown it to be an important factor in violent behaviour development, and it is associated with other challenges in childhood and life later on. In addition, the evidence up to date for the effectiveness of certain treatment programs is contradicting and limited. Two evaluations, for instance, of similar ten weeks group counseling program produced different outcomes. In one, the child in the group intervention was able to provide a description of more strategies and skills to avoid being involved in conflicts that are violent. This is between their guardians and parents and seeking out support more than the children in the comparison groupings, at the same time in other, no differences between comparison groups and treatment were observed (Gill, 2009). Methods applied that Enable Children Flourish However, while the child abuse prevention is universally proclaimed to be a significant social policy, very little work, surprisingly, has been undertaken to investigate how preventive interventions are effective. Most of the programs only focus on perpetrators or victims of the neglect and child abuse. There are very few emphasis on key prevention approaches that are aiming to prevent situations such as the neglect and child abuse from happening (Gill 2009). The most common responses are described as follows: Family support approaches: Quite a number of preventative interventions such as the parenting practices and offering family support have been formed. Such programs educate parents on the development of a child and assist them to improve their skills on ways of managing the behaviour of their children. However, most of the programs are just intended for use with families of high-risk and those families that abuse has already happened, it is highly considered that education provision, as well as training in this part for prospective parents or all the parents, can be useful (Gill, 2009). Health services approach: From the book by Kelley (2013), provided much richer understanding of how trauma does to children and how they can be assisted to heal from it so that they can flourish. Some child trauma academics have been founded and a group of professionals dedicated to improving the lives of high risking children, as well as their families (Perry & Szalavite, 2007). The professionals from health care have a primary part to play in the identification, referring and treating neglect cases, abuse as well as reporting suspected cases of maltreatment to the authorities that are responsible. It is important that cases of children maltreatment are detected very early, so as to reduce the consequences for children and to launch the required services. Safely revisiting subjective experience: this is helping the children to revisit their traumatic experience and work on these subjective experience created by past exposure and focusing not on the trauma experience itself but on how they are experiencing themselves. Moreover, the following intervention supports a safer intervention for the children as well as the practitioner. They include introducing choice and control using a structured approach as well as helping children recognize the pleasant and unpleasant sensations in their bodies, always resourcing these pleasant sensations when children are experiencing unpleasant and activating sensation (William & Kuban, 2013). One of the more latest additions into the collection of strategies and intervention is the services for abused children who either witness violence that are domestic in nature. However, studies have that indicated that such exposure might have numerous consequences that are negative. For example children who saw violence most likely are going to reproduce, as adults, relationships that are dysfunctional in within their families. As with most cases children have found themselves subjected to sexual assault or direct physical, therefore, children who encountered such violence act exhibit quite a range of symptoms, that include emotional, behavioural, or social challenges and delays in physical or cognitive development, though some might not develop challenges problems. However, provided such variability, diverse intervention, treatment methods and strategies have been developed, and it takes into consideration the developmental age of children. Affected have also been subjected to clinical work, and the primary goal is to bring treatment. Additionally, people who work with children whether parents, physicians, policy makers, or even politicians- have also been subjected training to understand the most effective means of minimizing the impact of trauma and maximizing recovery (William & Kuban, 2013). Government agencies and other groups help them to implement the best practices in dealing with such issues. In addition, trauma informed care support intervention concepts are used to support these children (William & Kuban, 2013). Additionally, Miller (1997) argued that the damage that were done during childhood is impossible to be undone because the past cannot be changed. According to Miller (1997) the only thing that can be done is changing ourselves. Moreover, the only thing that can be done is to repair ourselves and gain integrity that was lost by choosing to look critically at the knowledge stored within the body and bringing the knowledge close to awareness. This path, certainly is not the easy one, is the route by which cruelty and invisible prison childhood can be forgotten. Finally, Stearns (2010) stated that when people of any nature undergo the trauma of war or even victimization by violence, their sense of safety can never be fully restored. Also, another kind of grief other people encounter at 20s and 30s, and they begin to realize how childhood was as it always be, for instance, an alcoholic and mentally ill and abusive parents. In addition, Stearns (2010) mentioned sleeplessness, anxiety, fear, intense anger, suicidal ideas and a loss of interest in the activity as factors that can be part of a grieving process. Stearn argued further that there is no need of professional assistance but just understanding the battle you are fighting. Conclusion It can be concluded that when children are subjected to an abusive situation, there is a void that is left. This void can manifest itself in various ways for example anger, loneliness, frustration, hate and to some extent violence. In reality, someone who might have been exposed to any abusive situation or subjected to any violence would never want to experience it once again. In addition, when there something which is familiar or even wrong, children or any other person would crave, and it becomes part of existence. However, the children who might have survived abuse should need to grow up and without being subjected to any other kind of abuse for several reasons. For example, when loneliness manifest itself some children would rarely recover especially if some intervention are not taken into account as discussed in the essay. Children would continue living in their lives with the loneliness even as adults. In summary, it is so unfortunate that children are subjected to an abusive situation, but those who might have been exposed need to be assisted because they would overcome and flourish in the end. References Bridge, A. (2008). Hopes boy. New York, NY: Hyperion. Fontes, L. A. (2008). Child abuse and culture: Working with diverse families. New York, NY: Guilford. Gill, E. (2009). Outgrowing the pain: A book for adults abused as children.New York, NY: Dell trade publishers. Hahm, H.& Guterman, N. (2004). The emerging problem of physical child abuse in South Korea. Child Maltreatment, 6(2), 169–179. Kelly, C. J. (2013). Did you hear me screaming: child abuse and neglect, effects of child abuse , recovery and coping for the abused child. NewYork, NY: Monkey Bone Publications. Mayers, D. (2014). The abused child.New York, NY: Wiley and Sons Publications. Miller, A. (1997). The Drama of the Gifted Child: the Search for the True Self. New York, NY: Basic Books. (Translated by Ruth Ward). Perry, B. D., & Szalavitz, M. (2007). The boy who was raised as a dog: And other stories from a child psychiatrists notebook : What traumatized children can teach us about life, loss and healing. New York, NY: Basic Books. Stearns, A.K. (2010). Living through personal crisis.  Enumclaw, WA:Idyll Arbor. William, S. & Kuban, C. (2013). Working with grieving and traumatized children and adolescent: discovery what matters Most through evidenced based sensory intervention.New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons Publication. Read More