Research and Analysis

Child abuse

Child abuse can be defined as intended or unintended harm to a child by another person who may be parents, family members, relatives, guardians, caretakers such as teachers and babysitters, and even the strangers.

There are four major categories of child abuse which is physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse and emotional abuse.

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is the deliberate injury of a child by a person responsible for the child’s care. Physical abuse is often the result of unreasonable punishment, or punishment that is too harsh for the child. Sometimes, physical abuse is caused when caregivers react to stress. Drinking and drug abuse by caregivers are often contributing factors to physical abuse.

Physical abuse injuries can include bruises, broken bones, burns, and abrasions. Children experience minor injuries as a normal part of childhood, usually in places such as the shins, knees, and elbows. When the injuries are found in the soft-tissue areas on the abdomen or back, or don’t seem to be typical childhood injuries, it is possible that the child has been abused.

Neglect

Child neglect is defined as when a caregiver fails to provide those basic human needs that are necessary for a child to grow into a healthy adult.

Poverty and child neglect are related, but poverty does not cause neglect. Although poverty does not cause neglect, poverty permeates neglecting families. What is the difference between poverty and neglect? Poverty is when the caregiver does not have the resources to provide the need. Neglect is when the caregiver has the resources, but chooses not to provide the need. Therefore, neglect is a choice to them.

Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse refers to all forms of sexual activities with on purpose to satisfy sexual desires of adults through pornography, pictures, sound recording, film, video recorders, fondling a child’s private part or making the child do the other way around, intercourse, incest, rape, sodomy, exhibitionism and sexual exploitation. The victims can happen to both gender and the abusers can be someone close or around the children.

Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse is harder to recognize but is just as harmful to the child as other forms of abuse. Emotional abuse damages the child’s self-esteem and, in extreme cases, can cause developmental problems and speech disorders. A child suffers from emotional abuse when constantly ridiculed, rejected, blamed, or compared unfavorably with brothers, sisters, or other children.

Unrealistic expectations in academic or athletic achievement are a common cause of emotional abuse by parents or other adults. When a child can’t meet these expectations, he feels that he is never quite good enough. Emotional abuse is almost always present when other forms of abuse are identified.