Child Physical Abuse - Term Paper Example

Child Physical Abuse Child Physical Abuse Introduction and Thesis ment Child abuse refers to the physical, emotional or sexual maltreatment of a child by adults. According to the Department for Children and Families (DCF), child treatment is defined as any act of commission or omission by a parent, guardian or any other caregiver, which results in harming, or a threat to harm a child or children. Child abuse can occur anywhere including the child’s home, school, in various children organizations or even in the wider community with which the children interact with. There are four main forms of child abuse namely physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse (Cohen et al, 2006). In many countries, Child Abuse prevention is considered a priority and there are various legal structures put in place to that effect at both national and international level. A child is considered anyone under eighteen years, who has not yet attained the legal competence age of consent. The focus of this essay if to look at the issue of child physical abuse, its effects on children and the entire society in general and ways of preventing the abuse among children. Child physical abuse can take many forms including kicking, pinching, biting, slapping, choking, whipping, paddling, shoving or burning children either as a form of punishment or for any other reason. Shockingly, most of these forms of abuse are performed by parents, guardians or caregivers of the children (Appel, 2009). Some traditions and cultures allow parents to discipline their children using extreme methods that are likely to cause serious to children. Such methods of punishment are gradually being outlawed in most countries as the campaign to prevent child abuse intensifies across the world. Another grave form of child physical abuse is child labor where children are employed to do hard labor in order to earn money for their parents, caregivers or guardians or for their own use. The children are usually employed in labor intensive industries such as mining or being used as child soldiers in war-torn regions of the world. Child physical abuse statistics across the world are very alarming. Developing countries experience the most cases of child abuse while the developed countries are not also left out. In the US alone, there are about three million reports made about child abuse each year involving about six million children. This makes the US the worst among industrialized countries in terms of child abuse incidents, resulting to a loss of about three to four children every day as a result of neglect or child abuse. It is also estimated that about 55% of deaths of children resulting from child abuse are not usually reported to the authorities. Studies and reports of child abuse also indicate that most of the children who die due to physical abuse are usually aged four years and below. It is also imperative to understand that child physical abuse is not specified to any particular group of people but is very widespread across all social classes, religions and ethnicities. Scientific studies also suggest that about 30% of the physically abused children are likely to abuse other children in their adulthood, thereby keeping the child abuse cycle going on (Schechter, et al., 2007). Causes of Child Physical Abuse In order to fully understand child physical abuse and how to stop it, it is important to understand the causes of the problem. There are various factors that lead to child abuse problems on children. Child abuse cases occur indifferent scenarios where there are children including their homes, schools, day care centers and other child institutions. Notably, their own parents or guardians commit most of the cases of physical abuse in children. There are various cause that can be attributed to increased child physical abuse. Some of these causes may have environmental, social or economic implications (Lau, Takeuchi &Alegría, 2006). Children living in slums or in low cost housing projects and in environmenrts where there is a high crime rate are likely to be victims of child physical abuse. The economic situation of the parents or guardians can also facilitate child abuse if parents are constantly faced with financial challenges. The children may be ford to seek employment in labor intensive industries to supplement the family income. Culture and traditions also contribute a lot to child abuse cases. In most cultures, the fathers are allowed to punish their children, even with extreme forms of physical punishments. The ancient Roman culture for instance permitted fathers to either kill or sell their sons to slavery if they became a disgrace to their families. Scientific studies point out that children living in homes where there parents or guardians are violent and are often engaged in domestic violence are prone to experiencing physical abuse from their parents. Most of the physical abuse cases are committed by male parents or guardians. Children living with foster parents are also at a high risk of suffering physical abuse from their guardians. Parents may have their own depressions or stress which may be transferred to children through extreme forms of punishment when children commit mistakes. Early or unintended pregnancies among girl children may result in the child being punished severely by the parents or guardians. In other cases, children with severe or moderate disabilities often have a higher rate of falling victims to abuse. Parents with a record of drug abuse are also likely to subject their children to abuse. Recent studies also indicate that children in the custody of non-biological parents, for instance those living with step parents, are 100 times more likely to face abuse. Effects of Child Physical Abuse Physical child abuse has a wide range of health complications and socio-economic effects to the children and the wider society in general. Physical abuse on children has a lot of effects on children, some of which may be long term and may persist in to the adult life of the child. There are various psychological, emotional and physical ailments associated with child physical abuse (Cohen, et al., 2006). One recent study called Hidden Costs in Health Care: The Economic Impact of Violence and Abuse, makes the case that child abuse also has greater effects on the wider societies economic prospects. According to the report, physical abuse in children is part of the greater expensive public health policy in the developed countries. This costly policy can be avoided if proper child protection laws are put in place with appropriate structures for reporting and handling abuse cases on children. In 2008, the cost of child abuse in the US was estimated to be over124 billion dollars. Other effects of child physical abuse include both physical and psychological effects. Child victims of physical abuse are exposed to different physical injuries such as bone fractures and damages to the skin and other body tissues (Ellis& Boyce, 2008). These physical damages can predispose the children to other diseases such as cancer (Fuller-Thomson &Brennenstuhl, 2009). The physical injuries may in some cases be temporary while in other cases bear ling term effects. Permanent physical damages to victims of child physical abuse that may persist in the long term include brain impairment, poor physical health and Shaken Baby Syndrome. Child victims of physical abuse also experience psychological effects such as psychiatric problems or other forms of disorganized attachment styles.Victims of child abuse may encounter Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PSD) in their child hood and my find it difficult to raise their own children when they become parents. Some studies also show that abused children suffer at least one psychiatric ailment before attaining the age of 21 with issues such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders or even suicide attempts. How to Prevent Child Abuse As noted above, child abuse effects touch on the wider society. The prevention efforts therefore require a contribution from everybody in the society. Fighting child abuse requires a diversified approach with a contribution from various stakeholders. There are various agencies at both the international and national level that help to fight the issue of child abuse. Some of the organizations are large not for profits that have focused on helping children achieve their dreams by promoting child rights. The government has also been promoting child rights through education and various other projects. Organizations such as the United Nations Children’s’ Fund (UNICEF) alongside other Nongovernmental organizations such as Save the Children Organization have been at the forefront of fighting child abuse cases in collaboration with various governments. Various strategies can be used in the fight against child physical abuse. Some of these methods include increased awareness of children rights, legislation, and parental guidance on appropriate ways of raising children without conflicts (Theoklitou, Kabitisis, & Kabitsi,2011). All these strategies require a multifaceted approach where several organizations work in collaboration to achieve the same objective. Working in isolation limits the agencies in various ways among them slowing down the process of reporting and acting on the cases of child abuse. Interagency efforts will ensure that there is a smooth way of identifying, reporting and responding to the cases of child abuse. The various agencies involved in child protection include the police department, government ministries responsible for children and family matters, the court systems, the legislative organs, social organizations and health facilities. Each of these agencies has its own role to play in child protection, but a more collaborative effort that brings together all the organizations and agencies involved will work more effectively. One of the strategies to fight against child abuse is increasing awareness of the rights of children. This can be done by educating children on their own rights in schools while also reaching out to society through seminars and workshops to educate them the importance of respecting the rights of their children. This role can be achieved through interagency collaboration where the government can work together with NGOs to reach out to the community. Another key strategy is to conduct family education so as to promote a harmonious coexistence of parents and their children in their families. Children are an paramount part of the family with a special role to play. Isolating children by using them as tools for parents to achieve their own ends is a wrong move. Parents should therefore be informed on better ways of living with their children in the modern world so as to avoid confrontations that are likely to lead to physical abuse. Cultural beliefs that promote child physical abuse as a form of punishment should be avoided at all costs. Finally, all these efforts need to be backed up with appropriate legislation in order to give them a legal backing. There should be adequate laws and legislation aimed at protecting children by preventing any form of abuse on children. The law should stipulate stringent measures to be taken against perpetrators of child violence. Conclusion Child abuse has become a priority in most countries and efforts to fight against the vice have born substantial benefits in the past years. There is however great need to incorporate new dynamics in the fight against child abuse such as collaboration among the various agencies involved in child protection. All stakeholders have to contribute to the whole process in order to effectively end the vice. References Appel, J. M. (2009). "Mixed motives, mixed outcomes when accused parents wont agree to withdraw care". Journal of Medical Ethics35 (10): 635– 637 Cohen, J. A., Mannarino, A. P., Murray, L. K. & Igelman, R. (2006). "Psychosocial Interventions for Maltreated and Violence-Exposed Children".Journal of Social Issues 62 (4): 737–766. Ellis, B. J. &Boyce, W. T. (2008). "Biological Sensitivity to Context".Current Directions in Psychological Science17 (3): 183–187. Fuller-Thomson, E &Brennenstuhl S. (2009). "Making a link between childhood physical abuse and cancer: results from a regional representative survey". Cancer115 (14): 3341– 50. Lau, A. S., Takeuchi, D. T & Alegría, M. (2006). Parent-to-child aggression among Asian American parents: Culture, context, and vulnerability. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68(5), 1261–1275. Schechter D. S, Zygmunt A., Coates S. W., Davies M., Trabka K. A., McCaw J, Kolodji A., & Robinson J. L. (2007). "Caregiver traumatization adversely impacts young childrens mental representations of self and others". Attachment & Human Development9 (3): 187–205. Theoklitou, D., Kabitisis, N &Kabitsi, A. (2011). "Physical and emotional abuse of primary school children by teachers." Child Abuse & Neglect, 36 (5), 64–70. Read More