Kylee Hunt Psychology 1100 November 27, 2013 Child Abuse Child abuse is an ongoing problem.

It is one of those problems that people like to avoid and pretend doesnt exist. Why is that? It could be that people feel awkward, sad, or even guilty that it is a problem; and it is a problem we can fix! As individuals, families, and societies are more educated about this issue and work together to end it, child abuse will become less of a problem in the United States and in the rest of the world. Child abuse is a harmful, unjust act that must be stopped because of the innumerable severe consequences. Abuse has a few definitions, each based on different types of abuse. The first definition is: a corrupt practice or custom. The next is: improper or excessive use or treatment. Third is: language that condemns or vilifies usually unjustly, intemperately, and angrily. Lastly is: physical maltreatment. Child abuse is also called child maltreatment (abuse or neglect of children). There are 4 main types of child maltreatment: physical, emotional, sexual, and neglect. Physical abuse entails causing physical harm to a child, including hitting, kicking, biting, burning, or shaking the child. Emotional abuse includes ridicule and humiliation as well as behavior causing emotional trauma to children. Sexual abuse is any kind of sexual contact with a minor. Neglect is defined as failure to meet childrens basic needs of food, shelter, clothing, medical

attention, and supervision. In 2011, 681,000 children on average were victims of abuse, and thats just in the United States and Puerto Rico alone! Statistics also show that 94.6% of children who are abused once are at risk of being abused again. The organization Child Help did a study in 2011 that said maltreatment is the most common type of abuse at 78.5%. Physical abuse was next at 17.6%, sexual abuse at 9.1%, and 9.0% suffered from emotional abuse. To understand how to solve the issue of child abuse, we need to know why it occurs in the first place. What are the causes of abuse and who causes them? Children are most commonly abused by their parents. This usually happens when the family is in poverty, the parents are unemployed, and single motherhood because these situations cause much stress. Step fathers are more likely to abuse children than their biological fathers. Child abuse is often correlated with spouse abuse. Parents find it okay to abuse their children when they are misbehaving, difficult, or aggressive. Parents view their children as somehow disobedient and wont respond to anything else. Children may also be abused by a relative or caregiver. Researchers have found that many times alcohol is related to abuse, but the most common reason for abuse is STRESS! The risks of child abuse are innumerable. Not only does it hurt the child, the abuser is also damaged. Abuse impairs emotional and self development. It makes children unable to trust others, therefore, harder for them to have relationships and social skills. Many children who are abused have academic and behavioral problems. 80% of children who are abused have a psychological disorder later in life. Many times, these children who are being abused dont realize it is wrong, and statistics show that 30% of these children will abuse their own children

in the future. Children who are victims of sexual abuse are more likely to have risky sexual behaviors and have a higher chance of teen pregnancy or contracting an STD. Abuse is all around us and I feel that it is part of many criminals pasts. A study shows that children who experience child abuse & neglect are about 9 times more likely to become involved in criminal activity. Child abuse may also lead to drug and alcohol addiction. The biggest risk of abuse is, of course, death. In 2011, 1570 children in the U.S. died from child abuse or neglect. 75% of those children were under 4 years of age. Child abuse occurs all over the world. In Latin America and the United States, physical, verbal, sexual abuse and neglect all are prominent. Many reasons are because of poverty, which is more common is Latin America. Child labor is a huge reason for abuse in Latin America. Mainly because there are developing countries, and manufacturers move their factories to these locations because it is cheaper to run them. Children who dont go to school are sent to work to make money for their families. In fact, more than 30% of children aged 5-14 are engaged in child labor in Peru. The International Labor Organization has estimated that about 200 million children and adolescents are employed worldwide, and 95% of these cases are in developing countries. Here in America, children are prohibited from working, but most of the abuse goes on by physical and verbal abuse. Many children are bullied at school and by their siblings. These poor children dont feel safe anywhere and many of them take their own lives because of it. In an ideal world, child abuse wouldnt exist, but we must face the facts and realize that abuse is all around us. Sometimes we just dont want to recognize it. We can all be a part of

putting an end to child abuse. You may ask, how? Firstly, we cannot be afraid to inform an official that we are suspicious of abuse. If you are worried that the abuser will know it was you who told on them, you dont need to let that hold you back. There are anonymous hotlines you can call. Many times, abuse isnt reported because of some common myths. Some of them include: Only bad people abuse their children, most child abusers are strangers, child abuse doesnt happen in good families, and its only abuse if it is violent. All abuse should be reported, whether big or small. Even if you arent sure it is happening, you should still inform someone. You could be saving a life. We can make the signs of child abuse known all around the world. For the children who are abused, we can help them recover. Foster care and adoption to a safe, happy family will help heal the child. We can help out the organizations against abuse and donate money. Any little bit helps. In conclusion, the horrifying act of child abuse can be eliminated if we as individuals, societies, and countries work together to acknowledge the problem, become more educated, and understand the consequences, children will be able to reach their full potential in life.

Works Cited www.preventchildabuse.org www.helpguide.org www.gallup.com www.childhelp-usa.com www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary Human Development A Cultural Approach, Jeffrey Jensen Arnett (p.266,325)