Any type of child abuse, carried out for a long period of time, may cause long-term mental damage. In this paper, I intend to explain child abuse in intimate detail. I hope to inform you of the exact definition of abuse and its various types. I also hope to enlighten you on pertinent facts and information regarding the causes and effects of this cruel act. Additionally, I will show you statistical information demonstrating that continued abuse against a child may cause long-term mental damage.
I will also show improvements being made over the years to prevent child abuse. Child abuse is defined as the intentional use of physical force or intentional omission of care by a parent or caregiver that causes a child to be hurt, maimed, or killed. It covers a wide range of harmful actions that generally vary with the age of the child. The term child abuse covers a wide range of behavior, from actual physical assault to simple neglect of a child’s basic needs.
Child abuse is also sometimes called child maltreatment. Infants and preschool children are most likely to suffer deliberately inflicted fractures, burns, and bruises. This is known as the battered-child syndrome. Although the extent of child abuse is difficult to measure, it is recognized as a major social problem, especially in industrialized nations. It occurs in all income, racial, religious, and ethnic groups and in urban and rural communities. However, it is more common in some groups, especially those below the poverty line.
There are several different types of child abuse, and some children experience more than one form. Physical abuse includes deliberate acts of violence that injure or even kill a child. Unexplained bruises, broken bones, or burn marks on a child may be signs of physical abuse. Other signs include:
- Unexplained bruises or welts
- Unexplained burns
- Unexplained fractures and sprains
- Unexplained head injuries
- Unexplained lacerations or abrasions
- Poisoning, inappropriate drugs, food or drink
- Confinement
Behavioral Indicators:
- School absence correlates with appearance of injury
- Behavioral extremes, i.e. overly compliant, passive or undemanding, aggressive, withdrawn
- Easily frightened, fearful
- Wary of physical contact or touch
- Poor social relations
- Afraid to go home
- Destructive to self and/or others
- Chronic runaway
- Complains of soreness or moves uncomfortably
- Wears clothing inappropriate to weather to cover body
Sexual abuse occurs when adults use children for sexual gratification or expose them to sexual activities.
Sexual abuse may begin with kissing or fondling and progress to more intrusive sexual acts, such as oral sex and vaginal or anal penetration. Common signs of sexual abuse include physical indicators such as difficulty walking or sitting, torn clothing, stained or bloody underwear, pain or itching in the genital area, venereal disease (especially in preteens), and pregnancy. Behavioral indicators may include sudden reluctance to go someplace or be with someone, inappropriate displays of affection, sexual acting out, sudden use of sexual terms or new names for body parts, uncomfortableness or rejection of typical family affection, sleep problems (including insomnia, nightmares, refusal to sleep alone, or suddenly insisting on a night light), regressive behaviors (including thumb-sucking, bed-wetting, infantile behaviors, or other signs of dependency), extreme clinginess or other signs of fearfulness, a sudden change in personality, problems in school, unwillingness to participate in or change clothing for gym class at school, running away from home, bizarre or unusual sophistication pertaining to sexual behavior or knowledge (including sexual acting out), and reports of sexual assault by a parent or guardian.
Not all child abuse is physical. Emotional abuse is one of the most common and harmful forms of child abuse. Making fun of a child, name-calling, always finding fault, and showing no respect can damage a child’s self-esteem. The child may find it hard to make friends, avoid doing things with other children and being places where he’s expected to love, tend to be pushy and hostile, have a hard time learning, be overly active, or have problems such as bed-wetting or soiling, act falsely grown up, having to care for adults or others far beyond what should be expected for the child’s age, or become gloomy and depressed, unable to enjoy himself.
He might do things that work against himself. He could become self-destructive and injure himself.
