Child Abuse in America - Research Paper Example

? Child abuse in America Sonya Parrish Columbia Southern Child abuse is rampant in the United s, and this has led to accusations on USA for failure to protect its young ones. Child neglect and physical abuse were recognized in USA back in the 1960s though it has taken decades for the country to acknowledge sexual abuse. Emotional child abuse was also recognized back in the 1980. Different child maltreatment has been recognized in the United States over the last year without having to acknowledge child abuse which has been rampant in the country. Child abuse and the injuries, which result from this abuse have not been well understood in the country. Failure to recognize child abuse and failure to put in place the relevant laws early in time may be a factor which has fueled child abuse in US. It is believed that child abuse in USA kills more than accidents with many children dying on each new day. In 2005 for example, 1,460 children succumbed form neglect and child abuse, 564,500 suffered from neglect, 83,500 were abused sexually abused, 149,000 were abused physically, and 64,000 were abused emotionally and psychologically. This paper will discuss on child abuse in America, the different forms of abuse, intensity of child abuse in America, the pressure it puts on the economy and the possible solutions. Introduction The history of child abuse can be traced back to the ancient days in all ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Long time ago, children were seen as property and their parents could treat them as they felt like as they were mere properties. Child abuse had been on record in United States since the early 17th century when a man was tried for punishing for murder after he has punished a young child which led to the child’s death (Kolk & Crozier, 2001). The colony of Virginia also passed many laws to protect young children from mistreatments and abuse. It is estimated that thousands of children are physically abused by close relatives or parents each year. Among various forms of social menaces, child abuse is one of the most obnoxious menaces that stand in the way of a child’s physical or emotional health and the environment. Child abuse consists of different acts of commission or omission that hinders the child’s physical or emotional health and development. Child abuse includes various damages done to a child which cannot be reasonably explained and might include damages often represented by injury or an array of injuries which appear to be non accidental in nature. Child abuse is a depressing, dark reality and an epidemic in the life of the Americans, but till today, it is not quite clear of how the spread the problem is. Many children in the Unites States suffer from child abuse epidemic with 3.3 million child abuse being reported in 2010. This makes the United States have the worst record among the industrialized nations where it is estimated that five children are lost every day because of deaths caused by child abuse. Child abuse has been categorized under four categories which include sexual, physical, neglect and psychological maltreatment (Kolk & Crozier, 2001). A research conducted by Dr. John Leventhal of Yale University in 2006 indicated that children at a tender age of under one were high prevalent for child abuse. During that year, the country recorded 58 cases where 100,000 infants were hospitalized for child abuse. In 2006, around 4,600 children were hospitalized in USA for injuries related to child abuse (Kolk & Crozier, 2001). Six out of every 100,000 kids who were under the age of 18 were also hospitalized for child abuse related injuries a situation which made it quite horrifying. In the last decade, over 20,000 have been reported to have dies of child abuse a number which is estimated to be a quadruple of the US soldiers who have been killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Literature review Different forms of child abuse Child abuse may be of different forms. There may be physical abuse which includes actions such as hitting, slapping, pinching, hair pulling, throwing and so on. Child abuse may be also in the form of sexual abuse involving any sexual act between an adult and child. Another form of child abuse is neglect or deprivation of a child’s physical requirements which include lack of supervision, inappropriate housing or shelter, inadequate food and water provision, lack of clothing for different seasons of weather, or that of abandonment as well as denial of medical care and inappropriate hygiene. Any form of child abuse can be attributed to emotional abuse which adversely affects the mental health of the child and its social development. Now in America, the incidence of child abuse is quite predominant. The discussion will be thus centered on the discussion of child abuse in America and its various aspects (Fagan & Churchill, 2012). Intensified child abuse in America In America, more highlight is entailed on the enhanced vulnerabilities towards sexual abuse among the child. Family bonds are becoming weaker with a small number of adults getting married as well as a high rate of divorce. Due to the increasing trend of divorce, the children of the divorced parents are highly encountering pre-pubertal sexual experiences (Fagan & Churchill, 2012, p.37). Step children are exposed to high risk forms of sexual abuse. It has also been encountered that the American children have become socially weaker, lacking in interpersonal skills, feeble physically occurring as a consequence or functions of largely expanding divorce cases. The abuse and trauma provided by child abuse come with serious consequences given the rise of several cognitive disorders and symptoms in childhood and adulthood stages which include various disorders like post traumatic disorder, depression, learning disorders, dissociative disorders and so on (Kolk & Crozier, 2001, pp. 1-5). The consequences of strongly disputed marriages and ineffective relationship between the parents post divorce cases leads to immense problems for the children which may include violence, depression, anxiety as well as other cognitive disorders. Though a lot of research had been made on the number of children who are abuse and neglected in the USA, the reports understate the number of children who are actually abused and neglected. In the USA, the number of child abuse where children have been abused and then neglected has fluctuated over time as follows: 1999 829,000 2000 881,000 2001 903,000 2002 896,000 2003 906,000 2004 872,000 2005 899,000 Source: http://www.americanhumane.org/children/stop-child-abuse/fact-sheets/child-abuse-and-neglect-statistics.html This makes it quite difficult to determine the shift of the reported cases of abused children due to the high fluctuations. The type of maltreatment suffered by these children in 2005 and their percentages are as follows: Neglect 62.8% Physical abuse 16.6% Sexual abuse 9.3% Emotional/psychological abuse 7.1% Medical neglect 2.0% Other 14.3% Source: http://www.americanhumane.org/children/stop-child-abuse/fact-sheets/child-abuse-and-neglect-statistics.html Pressure on the economy The pressure on the economy is also intense with an estimated cost of around $ 220 million on a daily basis adversely affecting more than one million children on an annual basis. In the year 2012, the direct cost of child abuse was figured at an amount of $33,333,619,510 along with an indirect cost of $46,926,791,578. The direct cost sources include medical treatment of children, mental health care system, welfare system of the children, law enforcement and so on. The indirect cost sources include various allocations in areas like special education, emergency housing, costs related to the criminal justice as well as minimized productivity of the workers. The concern is deep with regards to neglect towards addressing child abuse and it is very much necessary to eradicate the same as it affects the whole human generation and their future generations as well (Gelles & Perlman, 2012, p.4). Potential solutions The legal framework is not so strong in solving the issues of child abuse or putting efforts in cases of child protection. The courts are also required to play a coordinating mechanism in addressing these grave issues (Myers, 1994, pp.85-90). Proper implementation with robust and accurate planning will lead to the prevention of child abuse and their neglect and also neutralize the pressure on the economy and its associated cost. With proper planning and implementation, it is possible to prevent child abuse and neglect and accordingly, save all the costs associated with it (Hopper & Crozier, 2001). Relevant laws to prevent child abuse and the law which will punish all the offenders is a solution to the child abuse epidemic. Prevention is another solution to child abuse, and this can be achieved through support programs which promote education and counseling for all parents and the provision of care services to children. Other prevention programs like parent education should also be enhanced. Conclusion The emergence of sexual abuse literally jeopardizes their childhood. The society takes an important part in the prevention as well as eradication to the maximum levels possible. The issues which are encountered in the negotiation of the cases of child sexual abuse incorporate the competence of the children in taking oath as well as testifying to it and also accommodating young witnesses in the courtroom. The strong impact of child abuse on the cognitive as well as emotional wellbeing needs to be analyzed which could lead to effective treatment. References Fagan, P. F., and Churchill, A, (2012). The Effects of Divorce on Children. MARRI Research. pp. 1-48. Retrieved on 11 January, 2013 from: http://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF12A22.pdf. Gelles, R. J., and Perlman, S. (2012. Estimated Annual Cost of Child Abuse and Neglect April 2012. Macy’s. Retrieved on 11 January, 2013 from:http://www.preventchildabuse.org/downloads/PCAA_Cost_Report_2012_Gelles_Perlman_final.pdf. Kolk, B. A., Hopper, J., and Crozier, J. (2001). Child Abuse in America: Prevalence and Consequences. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma. pp. 1-20. Retrieved on 11 January from:http://www.nctsnet.org/nctsn_assets/pdfs/articles/child_abuse_america.pdf. Kelly, J. B. (1993). Current Research on Children's Postdivorce Adjustment: No Simple Answers. Family Court Review. 31(1), 29-49. Myers, J. E. B. (1994). Adjudication of Child Sexual Abuse Cases. The Future of Children. 4(2), 84-101. Read More