What Is Child Abuse - Essay Example

? Child Abuse Fatemah Al Khalifah Research paper Dean Michael Lynn 11 12/ 11 The purpose of this research is to know what the definition of child abuse is and what are the kinds of abuse. Some parents use abuse at home with their children and home must be a safe place for children to live. Some of factors that make parents use violent with their children are alcohol, drugs, smoke, and other problems at home. In addition, there are violent from teachers at school, and they use different methods of abuse with students such as a spanking, shaking, pulling a child's hair or ear, and squeezing a child's cheeks. There are a lot of bad effects on children when adults use abuse. These effects remain with the children for a long time, even when they become adults. Sometime these effects damage their life and the society that they live in because they may don’t have self-confidence, or their emotions turn to hate on other people and they try hurt them. Introduction According to James Vander Zanden, throughout the world, the family has been assigned the responsibility for shielding, protecting, sustaining, and otherwise maintaining children (2000). Zanden is explaining that it is the sole responsibility of the parents to make sure that their children get everything that they need to have a fulfilling and meaningful life. I agree with writer that parents should take care of their children’s lives and provide everything for their children that is needed. The duty of parents to their children is to provide them with love, care, and a comfortable environment to live in. Some parents have good knowledge on how to raise their children, and they know good methods to communicate with them and solve the problems of their children, but other parents do not. They are very strict with their children, and they only give orders to their children to do without listening to what they want and need. When their children do not listen to them, they commit abuse because they want their children to become obedient to them. They do not care about the feelings of their children, as well as the bad effects that may if they do the abuse with the kids; especially in childhood because the effect remains even if they become adult. These effects not only reflect on them, but also on the relationship between family members and on the society which they live. Unfortunately, some parents forget that children are very sensitive, and they most know how to deal with them to create their own personality. The idea of using strict discipline on children to encourage or improve their behavior at schools and at home is a futile attempt at control; and moreover, a form of child abuse that has negative effects on the child’s psychology. Child Abuse Definition Child abuse is anything that causes injury or puts the child in danger of physical injury. Child abuse is a very bad treatment of a child under the age of 18 by a parent, caretaker, someone living in their home or someone who works with or around children such as teachers. There are different kinds of abuse toward the child; for example: physical abuse: any punishment in physical force is intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort: hitting children with a hand, or with a cane, or other object, kicking, shaking or throwing children, scratching, pinching, burns, strangulation, biting or pulling their hair, forcing them to stay in uncomfortable position, locking or trying them up, burning, scalding or forced ingestion- for example, washing mouths out with soap (Nilsson, 2003, p.3). Child abuse comes in other forms, such as sexual abuse, which is when the child is involved in any sexual activity with another person, such as with an adult or another child who is older or stronger then them. Another type of abuse is neglect, which involves depriving the child of their basic requirement such as food, clothing, warmth and shelter, emotional and physical security and protection, medical and dental care, cleanliness, education, and supervision. Besides, Psychological abuse or emotional abuse: occurs when children are not provided with the necessary environment to develop mentally and/or emotionally, and this kind is the most common of child abuse according to Doyle’s Child Abuse in 1997, which surveyed the population of 504 respondents, 29% had been emotionally abused, 9% who had been sexually abused and 14% who had been physically abused (International Child Abuse Network, 2011). Child Abuse At Home Picture 1: (Crock bunk, 2011) There is speculation as to why parents abuse their children. The reason is, parents usually want from their children to have a good behavior, and the parents do not want their children bothering them because they usually have a lot of other problems at home or in their job that they must already deal with, so they have been under stress and pressure; thus, they can’t afford any other pressure or requests from their children. They want to discipline their children to be easy to deal with them; therefore, they use Physical punishment because they believe this way is a more effect on children. Some parents when they were children, their parent used physical punishment with them, so they now use the same way of punishment. Furthermore, some parents don’t understand their children normal behavior; as a result, they think their behavior is challenging and disobedient for their parents. Parents use physically punishment at home and this is very bad because the home should be a safe place for kids (Saunders , 2010). When children are abused at home, the safest place for them to be is taken away from them. Another reason why parents abuse their children is because parents also have emotional problems. Parents who use violence often feel isolated or keep themselves isolated from others; therefore, they expect the child to provide them with with an outlet for their emotional needs. There are some factors that cause abuse, such as when parents drink alcohol or use drugs. These things usually cause them to be angry and lose control of their behavior. The economic situation such as poor housing, no job to support the needs of the family, and financial pressures are all causes for parents to feel under stress. They use abuse with their children to release the anger that they feel towards the problems in their life (National Council on Child Abuse , 2011). When the problems parents have turn into bottled up emotions, these emotions can eventually escape in the form of being abusive towards their children. Child Abuse At School Picture 2: (Education views, 2009) Abuse is not something that takes place only at home, but also within a school, which can come from the teachers. The teachers have a big responsibility toward their students, such as teaching them very well and helping to direct students to the right path by using the right way of teaching. Usually school administrators try to choose teachers who have good behavior with students, but this does not happen in all schools. The teachers usually want to get diligent students and calm classes, and this is a difficult to make happen. Some teachers try to discipline their student and push them to study by using punishment or chastisement such as a spanking, shaking, pulling a child's hair or ear, squeezing a child's cheeks, lifting a child up by clothing or by the neck, shutting a child in a box or closet, denying the child the use of the lavatory, using fear of punishment to motivate a child to study hard and master tasks, and more. This way is very wrong and dangerous because it has undesirable results. It can destroy children desire for learning. They will hate school and their teachers; also they maybe do not want to complete their education with serious emotional and behavioral problems (Riak, 1998). If a child has been abused by a teacher, they will lose their trust towards teachers. If they lose this trust, they could lose the will to continue their education. The Bad Effects on the Psyche of the Child Using abuse on children causes a child to be a victim during their childhood because the use of violence leads to bad effects on the psyche of the child and these effects will remain with the child for a long time. Even when they grow up and have children, the bad effects that resulted from the violence they suffered when they were young remain with them and reflects on the upbringing of their own children. Some parents when they were young were subjected to violence by their parents, so now they follow the same style of raising their parents on their children. The abuse sometimes has been responsible for a lot of bad things such as depression, suicide, violence, and crimes because 84 percent of the prisoner’s inmates were abused as children (Saunders, 2010). As such, violence and criminal behavior as adults have shown to come as a result of abuse as children. No matter how old someone gets, if they were abused as a child, the violence they experienced stays with them. This often causes them to engage in their own violent acts. Statistics show how abuse effects the lives of children: 1-around 1,500 deaths every year related to child abuse and neglect. 2- Around 75% of children die from abuse are under 4 years of age, also19% of infants children die because of the maltreatment most of the adults, especially parents, use to abuse their children. Children who live in households with unrelated people are nearly 50 times to die from abuse. Some research shows that use violence with children will be harmful to them in the future. Verbal abuse is harmful 7 times more than sexual abuse (Walters, 1975). 84% of prisoners were abused when they were children, one in three girls and one in five boys are exposed to sexual abuse of an adult, and almost who are sexual abusers are someone very close to the child especially the family members. The families that have more than four children have higher rates of abuse and neglect, especially if the families do not have a lot of money. Parents who use drugs or drink alcohol are usually using abuse with their children (Baltimore County Maryland, 2011). Parents who engage in dangerous activities are at a greater risk for abusing their children; alcohol and drugs impair a person’s perspective, and if they are no careful, this could lead to physically harming their children. Their study (Strasberg, 1994) showed that the 264 children who had physical punished prior kindergarten were more aggressive than 11 children how did not have abuse. The abuse not only affects on children’s lives but also on the psychology of parents because some parents do not want to use abuse or punishment their children, so they try to find a better method that doesn’t harm their children. A lot of parents after they abused their children, they try to apologize from their children. I think parents love their children and want the best for them, but may be they don’t know a good way for communication with them. Conclusion Abuse alters the way a child regards life and the people who protect them. Children look to their parents as role models. They learn from their parents and acquire many qualities from them; therefore, the parents must know how treat their children because they can make their children successful people in the future. If the parents do not treat their children by the good way, they will damage their children and the future of their children because there are bad effects from using abuse on children. In addition, these affects remains in the children for a long time and violent doesn’t help to encourage or improve the children behavior at schools or at home. Furthermore, adults use different kinds of abuse with children, such as physical abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. The most disturbing thing is that violence usually comes from people very close to the child. Parents must know that children have similar rights as adults, which is to be protected and loved, so parents must give the rights to their child and provide them with a healthy environment in which to live with people who love them. References Baltimore County Maryland. (2011). Facts about child abuse. Retrieved from http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/Agencies/police/community/abuse.html Crock Bunk. (2011). Hands Off Eight episodes posted. Retrieved from http://www. crocknbunk.com/?m=201105 Education Views. (2009). Retrieved from http://education.qld.gov.au/projects/ educationviews/news-views/2009/july/violence-090713.html International Child Abuse Network. (2009). Defining child maltreatment. Retrieved from http://www.yesican.org/defined.html National Council On Child Abuse and Family Violence. Child abuse information. Retrieved from http://www.nccafv.org/child.htm#top. Nilsson, S. (2003). Physical punishment in childhood: The rights of the child. Retrieved on (22 Sept 2011). Walters, M. (1975). Child safety and abuse prevention programs. Retrieved from http://www.keepyourchildsafe.org/child-abuse-stats.html Riak, J. (1998). Abuse in school is out. Retrieved from http://www.nospank.net/out.htm Saunders B.J. (2010). Physical punishment in child abuse. Retrieved on 29 Nov 2011. Strasberg, M. (1994). Mandated reporting of child abuse and neglect. Retrieved on 5 Oct 2011. Zanden, J.V. (2000). When caregivers kill: Understanding child murder by parents and other guardians. Retrieved on 10 Oct 2011. Read More