Social Issue of Child Abuse - Essay Example

?Literature review: Child abuse “There is little doubt that child abuse and childhood experience of loss, when no effective opportunity is provided for the child to make sense of these experiences, constitutes unresolved trauma which is likely to manifest itself in some way at a later date.” Boswell, 1997 pp. 35 Introduction: According to statistics, one in twenty children, between the age of 11 and 17, face some sort of sexual abuse in their lifetime (NSPCC, 2011). In the UK, of the total 3234 children, enrolled under the child protection plan, were known to have suffered from some sort of sexual abuse as on March, 2010, whereby 2200 of these children belonged to England and 202 children, were from Scotland. In Northern Ireland, approximately 416 children registered for child protection were identified to have been experienced sexual abuse, while 265 children from Wales suffered similar abuse (Department for Education, 2010; DHSSPS, 2010; Scottish Government, 2010; Welsh Assembly, 2010). There is substantial evidence with regard to mistreatment of children termed as child abuse, in the available literature, which suggests that there exists a significant amount of child abuse often resulting in death and domestic violence, in the UK (Brandon et al., 2008). Thus indicating a severe need to initiate prompt measures to counter such abuse, and safeguard the affected children through effective and preventive measures. Table 1: Maltreatment / Child Abuse statistics in the UK - 2011 Source: NSPCC Report (2011) pp. 8 Definitions: Child: Although the definition of the term "child" differs in all the four UK nations, the term is commonly defined by the UN Convention of Rights of the Child, and as ratified by the UK government that "a child means every human being below the age of eighteen years unless, under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier" (NSPCC, 2011a). Child Abuse: The term child abuse is defined by NSPCC as "any form of physical, emotional or sexual mistreatment or lack of care that leads to injury or harm” (NSPCC, 2011b). Child Maltreatment: According to Butchart, Putney, Furniss and Kahane (2006) the term child maltreatment refers to "all forms of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power" (Pp. 9). Part -II Role of community workers: Child abuse is often strongly associated with short as well as long-term health consequences such as anxiety, guilt, substance abuse, low self-esteem, phobic reactions, dissociation, as well as trust issues, often leading to depression and even suicide in some cases (Walker, 2009; Briere & Runtz, 1989). There is wide amount of literature which suggests that child abuse often leads to increased incidences of criminal activities. Researchers have observed that a high proportion of inmates arrested for various types of crimes, have had a child abuse history. Thus, it is inevitable that these children, i.e., those suffering from child abuse, receive some form of therapeutic services from the community as well as welfare workers, in order to help prevent such abuse and help the children from its negative consequences on their lives. According to the guidelines laid down by the Department of Health, UK, for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, the all the agencies set up by the government, are entrusted with the responsibility of preventing children from suffering harm - physical or emotional, and ensure their welfare and wellbeing through a range of services by identifying their needs and safeguarding them from being harmed or mistreated. The guideline suggests intervention measures which can be implemented at the strategic level to ensure that the children and young people suffering from or likely to suffer from any kind of abuse, must have adequate access to health care and social services including proper education and housing, and that the service users and members of the local community must participate in devising comprehensive strategies to counter child abuse which addresses the needs of the children in their locality as well as those within their families (DoH, 2011). As mentioned previously, child abuse may lead to serious negative consequences on the child's health and well-being and disrupt their lives in the long run. Thus in order to prevent such repercussions, the child welfare agencies and programs must focus on identifying and analysing the risk factors associated with such abuse and develop prevention programs accordingly. This includes programs developed to ensure strengthening the bond between parent and child, improving and enhancing the knowledge and skills of children; focusing on families who are likely to be at a high risk of such abuse; and directing them towards positive and preventive treatment. Furthermore, at a more general level, activities directed at increasing public awareness must be undertaken to spread awareness and knowledge regarding child abuse and its negative impact not only on the children but also on the society as a whole. Educational programs or skills based curricula must be included in schools and home visits must be encouraged as a preventive measure. Part III- Personal experience: In the course of this study, I encountered various definitions and concepts related to child abuse, prevalent in the UK, which helped me in broadening my understanding regarding the issue. I surveyed various organizations associated with child welfare and studied a vast amount of literature associated with child abuse, and its prevention, as a part of this study, which further helped in my basic understanding regarding the matter. The literature suggested that child abuse exists in all forms and across all categories and classes of society, regardless of one's socio-economic status. It helped me in realizing that child abuse is a serious offence, which takes place not only outside ones’ protective environment and from strangers, but from within one’s households. Children are no more safe in their own households, contrary to popular belief. The statistics I came across, on the basis of studies conducted by the National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) one of the premium institutions specializing in the field of child care, were startling, and are mentioned below: Table 2: Child abuse in the family Source: NSPCC report (2011) pp. 9 According to Brandon et al., (2008) any type of physical or emotional harm caused to a child as a result of domestic violence is one of the most severe forms of maltreatment observed in recent years. The incidences of child abuse within ones’ family and/ or by a family member have been increasingly reported and are one of the most widely experienced forms of violence against a child. Furthermore, it has also been observed that child abuse takes place across all socio-economic groups and includes physical as well as emotional abuse. Although there are studies linking poverty and neglect of children (Creighton, 2007) recent studies have indicated that children belonging to economically well-off families too, have suffered from child abuse, thus suggesting that there is no such specific trend of abuse among children belonging to a specific social class (Hooper, 2007; Cawson et al., 2000). References: Boswell, G.R (1997) ‘The Backgrounds of Violent Young Offenders’ in Varma, V. (ed.) Violence in Children and Adolescents. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers Brandon, M., Belderson, P., Warren, C., Howe, D., Gardner, R., Dodsworth, J. and Black, J. (2008). Analysing child deaths and serious injury through abuse and neglect: What can we learn? A biennial analysis of serious case reviews 2003–5. London: Department for Children, Schools and Families. Briere, J. and Runtz, M. (1989) The Trauma Symptom Checklist (TSC-33): Early data on a new scale. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 4 (2) pp. 151–163. Butchart, A., Putney, H., Furniss, T. and Kahane, T. (2006) Preventing child maltreatment: a guide to taking action and generating evidence. Geneva: World Health Organisation. Cawson, P., Wattam, C., Brooker, S., & Kelly, C., (2000). Child maltreatment in the UK. London: NSPCC. Creighton, S. J.. (2007). Patterns and Outcomes. In Wilson, K. & James, A. (2007) The Child Protection Handbook - The practitioner's guide to safeguarding children. Bailliere Tindall Elsevier. Hooper, C. A. (2007). Living with Hardship 24/7: the diverse experiences of families in poverty in England. York: The Frank Buttle Trust. Walker, A., Flatley, J., Kershaw, C. and Moon, D. (2009) Crime in England and Wales 2008–9, volume 1: findings from the British Crime Survey and police recorded crime. London: Home Office. Primary Sources: Department for Education (2010). Table 16, Children in need in Englad, including their characteristics and further information on children who were subject of a child protection plan, London: Department for Education DoH (2011). Public action and statistics [Online] Available from: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/Browsable/DH_4867814 [Accessed: December 24, 2011] DHSSPS (2010). Department of Health, Social services, and public safety, Pp.11 [Online] Available from: http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/microsoft_word_-_1._children_order_statistical_tables_for_northern_ireland_2009-10_-_tab_a.pdf [Accessed: December 24, 2011] NSPCC (2011a). Definition of a child [Online] Available from: http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/research/questions/definition_of_a_child_wda59396.html [Accessed: December 24, 2011] NSPCC (2011b). Defining child abuse [Online] Available from: http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/cpsu/helpandadvice/organisations/defining/definingchildabuse_wda60692.html [Accessed: December 24, 2011] Welsh Assembly Government (2010). Children's social work statistics [Online] Available from: [http://www.statswales.wales.gov.uk/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=24710][Accessed: December 24, 2011] Read More