Treatment or Punishment: Better Option to Reduce Child Abuse - Report Example

Treatment or Punishment: Better option to reduce Child Abuse Introduction: Child abuse is a very common and growing problem of the world. It is more than contusions and shattered bones. There are different aspects associated with child abuse in the family. It can be physical abuse, can be negligence or even can be mental abuse as well. In most of the cases, physical abuse might be the most noticeable, but on the other hand different varieties of abuse, such as emotional abuse and neglect, also create deep and long lasting scars in the minds of child. As soon as the abused children get help, the better chance they have to reconcile and break the cycle—rather than prolong it. In present world, there are various rules, laws in place in order to protect young children from different kinds of abuse. But to really eliminate this from the society it is absolutely important to ensure that parents should be guided properly in order to make them understand what the negative impacts of the child abuse are. There are strict rules in place to punish those parents who are involved in any kind of child abuse, be it physical or mental. But in modern age, apart from strict law and punishment, proper counseling a treatment for parents is more helpful to reduce the child abuse. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the punishment as well as the treatment aspects for the parents and figure out which one is more appropriate as well as suitable for reducing the incidents of child abuse. Definition of Child Abuse: Although there are many formal and acceptable definitions of child abuse, the following is offered as a guide for information on child abuse and neglect by the child help organization. Child abuse can be defined as “any act of commission or omission that endangers or impairs a child’s physical or emotional health and development. Child abuse includes any damage done to a child which cannot be reasonably explained and which is often represented by an injury or series of injuries appearing to be non-accidental in nature.” (Childhelp, nd). Causes of Child Abuse: There is not a single reason behind child abuse. In different parts of the world, parents who are involved in child abuse generally do this due to various reasons. Research proved the fact that there is not any single fact which causes child abuse; abuse generally happens in families where there is a amalgamation of risk factors. Abuse and neglect happen most often in families who are under pressure and lack support. In general most of the child abuse except the sex abuse occurs in the families where anyone or combination of more than one of the following reasons are present. The reasons are as follows: Poverty Lack of education Serious marital problems Frequent changes of addresses Violence between family members Lack of support from the extended family Loneliness and social isolation Unemployment and inadequate upbringing of the parents in their childhood. (Department of Human Services, 2013). Above mentioned reasons are the common ones which can be considered as the reason behind any kind of physical or mental child abuse by the parents. One or combinations of more than one of the above reasons considered as the base of child abuse in the families. It is also observed that apart from the above specific reasons, some specific situations in the family resultant in to child abuse. These are: Sometimes parents have very high expectations from their child, and they want their child to reach the top. To ensure that their child achieve those , parents use to put immense pressure on them, and in case if the child not able to achieve or get the desired result parents used to get frustrated and that resultant in to child abuse. It can be physical or mental or both kind of abuse. Sometimes parents themselves have faced both mental and physical abuse in their childhood. So That left an impact on their mind as they also do the same with their child. Absence of skills and knowledge related to child upbringing and development are also the reasons behind child abuse. Low self-esteem and self-confidence among the parents, internal family problem, depression, work pressure, mental and physical ill health of the parents all these causes the child abuse. (Department of Human Services, 2013). How to Get Rid of Child Abuse: There are primarily two ways to deal with parents who abuse their children—punishment and treatment. The most frequently used intervention is treatment. The primary goal Child Preventive Services is to intervene into the family, providing support and services (parenting education and anger management) to prevent the removal of the child from the home. The second, less frequently used method is to prosecute the parents in criminal court Punishment for child abuse: Rules and Laws against Parents: Almost all the countries have different sets of laws in order to protect the children who are subjected to abuse and negligence. In the USA, these laws are governed by 2 federal initiatives, The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, 1974 and The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act, 1980. Later on, The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, 1995 has reformed the nature of the central promise in child abuse and neglect and may shake future state legislations as well. The focus of the state abuse and neglect laws is on three distinct but the overall objective is to protect the child from the abuse and danger. Those 3 distinct are as follows: 1) the verdict to remove the child from its home; 2) the efforts to return the child to its home, once it has been removed; and 3) the decision to dismiss parental rights and place for adoption. Fundamental of these laws is based on the assumption that existing in a everlasting family relationship is in the best concern of children. Therefore, the law seeks to promote and protect that kind of a living situation for children. (Melli, 1998) A person accused with child abuse faces an extensive range of penalties and punishing possibilities, depending on several factors. These factors consist of the state where the mishandling took place, how old the child is, what are the reason behind conducting those abuse, whether the violation involved sexual abuse, whether the kid was bodily or mentally injured, and the previous criminal history of the offender. Punishing for child abuse and negligence cases is time and again difficult for everybody involved -- particularly since child abuse circumstances are often extremely revealed and the probable for a communal shame on the family is great. In most states, child mishandling may be emotional as either a crime or a less serious offense contingent on the environments. The most severe cases of child abuse may carry crime lifetime verdicts, while the least thoughtful cases are painstaking gross misbehaviors with possibly no jail time. Punishment will characteristically be more severe if the lawbreaker has a prior record of illegal child misuse activity and importantly abridged if there is no prior record. For condemning purposes, a person charged with child misuse may enter a guilty, not guilty, or no contest plea. In most of the cases, sentencing will characteristically include trial or a jail term of up to five years. Punishment in other serious cases may include a longer prison term. There are several other punishment and consequences for the parents who are involved in child abuse. These are: lifetime obligation to register as a child sexual lawbreaker; closure of parental rights; crumbling reputation; illegal record; overseen access to the child and physical or actual loss and enjoyment of a child. (Findlaw, 2013). Steps taken to reduce physical harassment: In different countries there are several rules have been implemented to reduce the degree of child abuse and physical harassment. During the first half of the 2oth century, different schools across the globe used violence and threat of violence to maintain discipline, law and order in school and also to have a control over child’s education. Parents also follow the same route in order to ensure that their children always remain in track with studies. But with the continuous development of law and order, the physical punishment slowly started to get ban in the school. Swedish government introduced a new guideline for reducing the physical harassment in the school. According to that guide line, the teachers in all schools should create a healthy and cheerful atmosphere for study, must win child’s heart and ensure that teaching should become a friendly matter. (Modig, 2009, p.11) According to Swedish Law passed in 1979, children are entitled to care, security and good upbringing. They are to be treated with most care and should be treated with respect. Parents have to ensure that children must not be subjected to any kind of capital punishment or any other humiliating treatment. (Modig, 2009, p. 14). Treatment of Child Abuse for Parents: One of the most common and effective way of reducing child abuse is treatment of the parents who are involved in the above incident. The punishment, law enforcement can reduce the child abuse up to a certain level. But not every time the incident will come to light, not every time proper intervention will be there. A treatment, both in terms of medical as well as psychological treatment can control the child abuse more effectively than the implementation of law and punishment. One of the key to the success of this treatment is to find out why the parents do this. In most of the cases researchers observed that own childhood experience, mental misbalance, absence of happiness in life all these can be the reason behind child abuse. There are different ways by which individuals can reorganized them and make it sure that they not involve in child abuse. There are some guideline given by Smith and Segal (2013), implementing those steps, an individual can control their anger. These steps are as follows: Learn what is appropriate to age and what not:  Having accurate anticipations of what any child can manage at a certain age always helpful for the parents to avoid unnecessary hindrance and irritation at normal child behavior. For example, newborns are not going to sleep over the night devoid of a peep, and children are not going to be able to sit quietly for lengthy periods of time. If parents are able to realize these basic things then it is very easy for them to get along with different child behavior. Develop new parenting skills: Developing parental skills is the most important therapy for proper child care and reducing child abuse. While learning to control emotions is critical for any individual, one also need a though out grooming plan for their children. They must not enforce something to their child against the will as it not only generate negative results but also creates differences among child-parent relationship. Start by educating oneself with appropriate discipline techniques and how to set clear boundaries for own children are the key behind reducing the degree of physical violence. Parenting classes, books, and seminars are a way to get this information. Take care of one self: One of the key methods of reducing child abuse is having control over parent’s own anger and also having a settled and well planned lifestyle. Sometime, it has been observed that parents who are under pressure in their work place often burst out over their children in very small and general issues. This is a very dangerous sign and it may create bigger problem in the future as well. Sometime internal family differences also cause the child abuse. It has been observed that if someone is not getting enough rest and support or feeling overwhelmed, he or she is more likely to succumb to anger. Sleep deprivation, common in parents of young children, adds to moodiness and irritability-the main thing that everyone want to avoid. Professional Help: Getting professional help is another way to keep a control over one’s anger and also getting involved in a planned upbringing of the child. Breaking the cycle of exploitation can be very problematic if the forms are strongly rooted. Sometimes parents who are subjected to child abuse in their childhood age generally use to have the same habit. No matter how much they try to control their anger, sometimes they are unable to do so. If one can’t appear to stop him or herself no matter how hard he or she may try, then it is very clear that the individual need help from outside. That help can be in form of therapy, or may be in form of parenting classes, or may be by involving in discussion with other parents who are close to him or her etc. (Smith and Segal, 2013) Some Practical Initiatives to reduce Child Abuse by Care/ Treatment: To reduce the child abuse rate, following initiative are taken and implemented in different parts with a great success rate. Child Parent Centers: Child-Parent Centers (CPCs) provide comprehensive educational and family support to economically deprived children (From the age of 3 till the third grade) and their parents. The platform requires parental contribution and underlines a child-centered, customized approach to communal and intellectual development. The detail research proves the fact that implementation of CPC decrease the child abuse as high as by 50 %.( Reynolds & Robertson, 2003). Durham Family Initiative: It works to increase the family well-being and decrease child mistreatment by organizing services for high-risk families. Children who are at risk for ill-treatment are recognized by various ways such as home visits after birth or through recommendations from pre-kindergarten, schools, and clinics. In a trial survey, it has been observed that this process reduces the child abuse by 57% in Durham County of UK compared to that of the other control counties (Daro & Dodge, 2009). Nurse Family Partnership: It is a home verification program for low-income, first time parents. The program inspires healthy performances throughout and after pregnancy, explains and teaches suitable parenting skills, and associates parents to different public services. A randomized measured test shown that a 48 percent discount in child mistreatment at the 15-year follow-up takes place in successful implementation of this program. (Olds et al., 1997, p. 637) Conclusion: From the above discussion it is very clear that both legal process and the treatment both can be implemented to reduce the degree of child abuse. Generally the child abuse by parents is just a result of certain circumstantial development or the continuous trend or some personal problems. Implementing law, punishing parents may reduce this by creating a fear in the mind of parents but to demolish it from the root one have to take help of the treatment. It is more like a habit or reaction to particular circumstances than the organized crime. Therefore mental care, proper guidance, increasing the values of parent-child relationship all these methods can help the society to decrease the degree of child abuse. Along with the parents, schools also have to play an important role in reducing the child abuse, mental and physical harassment of the children during their education. It is a proven fact that proper upbringing of any child is not a separate duty of either parents or school but both are equally important in proper development of a child and making him or her a good human being in the future. Bibliography: 1. Child Abuse Penalties and Sentencing, (2013), Find law, retrieved on 15.01.2014 from http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-charges/child-abuse-penalties-and-sentencing.html 2. What is Child Abuse; (nd), Child help; retrieved on 15.12.2013 from http://www.childhelp.org/pages/what-is-child-abuse 3. Daro, D., & Dodge, K.A. (2009). Creating Community responsibility for child protection: Possibilities and challenges. Future of Children, 19, 67-93. 4. Melli M.S., (1998), Protecting Children in Child Abuse and Neglect Proceedings, Parenthood in America, Retrieved on 15.01.2014 from http://parenthood.library.wisc.edu/Melli/Melli.html 5. Modig, C. (2009), Never Violence: Thirty Years on From Sweden’s Abolition of Corporal Punishment, Government Office of Sweden. 6. Olds D. L, et al. (1997), Long-term effects of home visitation on maternal life course and child abuse and neglect: Fifteen-year follow-up of a randomized trial. JAMA; 278(8), pp. 637–643. 7. Reynolds A. J, Robertson D. L. (2003), School-based early intervention and later child maltreatment in the Chicago Longitudinal Study. Child Development; 74(1): pp. 3–26. 8. Smith M & Segal J., (2013), Child Abuse and Neglect, Help guide, retrieved on http://www.helpguide.org/mental/child_abuse_physical_emotional_sexual_neglect.htm 9. What are the causes of child abuse? (2013) Department of Human Service, Retrieved on 15.01.2014 from http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/for-individuals/children,-families-and-young-people/child-protection/about-child-abuse/what-is-child-abuse/what-are-the-causes-of-child-abuse Read More