Abuse And Maltreatment example essay topic

History of Child Maltreatment Child maltreatment has a vast historical background. What society today considers as child maltreatment is seen as being horrible. Before laws ruling against certain treatments towards children were established, the way children were treated was extremely terrible and would be unthinkable in society today. Before the end of the 19th century, many areas of the Western world looked at infant and child mortality as a normal occurrence.

As many as 15-20 per cent of children died within their first year of life. Much of this was attributed to the lack of education of parents. They did not know about proper nutritional requirements for infants. Healthcare was also not very advanced and as a result, many of the illnesses that infants are prone to today were not treated effectively in the 19th century.

Parenting itself was not taken very seriously during that time period. The notion of giving infants attention and care was not popular, and it is a well-known fact that infants require a lot of care in order to develop properly and in some cases, survive. There were some parents who were not directly involved in caring for their children until after they were a year old. Wealthy parents sent their children to wet nurses to be looked after. Wet nurses were women who provided breast-feeding services.

They were often women who lived in poverty and made a living this way and were usually not paid very much. To compensate for their low wages they took in more babies than they could care for. This was detrimental for the infants because they were not able to provide them with the attention they required so they were neglected there as well. Many of the infants that went to wet nurses to be looked after were abandoned at local hospitals.

These hospitals did not have the resources to look after the infants so they were sent to already busy wet nurses. The overcrowding at the homes of the wet nurses was not entirely their fault when this last point is taken into consideration. Proper nutrition was not something new mothers were familiar with before the 20th century. Baby food did not have the proper nutrients like it does today. Mixtures of water, broth, tea, breadcrumbs, arrowroot, cornflower, rice, and tapioca were given to infants. This concoction was not satisfying and infants were often still hungry after being fed so they fussed and cried.

Mothers did not know why their babies were constantly crying and to keep them quiet they gave them a drug called opium. The dangerous effects of this drug were not known at the time. All that was known about it was that it kept babies quiet so mothers could get on with daily tasks around the house without having to spend long periods of time comforting crying, hungry babies. Neglect was a major form of the maltreatment of children. Since infant mortality rates were so high, mothers found it very difficult to develop lasting bonds with their children. The mentality was that if the babies had a high chance of dying, there was no merit in showing affection or becoming attached to them since they might not be around for very long.

If children did survive infancy, their future was not much of an improvement. Before the later part of the 19th century children were seen as adults by the age of 7. They worked in factories alongside adults performing the same gruelling tasks. No consideration was given to them in terms of being vulnerable to harsh working conditions.

Children were paid much less than adults performing the same tasks in these factories. They were also taken advantage of and bullied at work. For instance, if a child was caught speaking to another child while working, a fine was issued. Children worked long hours like adults and in terrible working conditions.

Again, the idea that children needed to be in certain environments and be nurtured in order to grow and develop properly was unknown. If one examines the dynamics of the family in the 19th century one might be able to see from where the types of maltreatment emerged. With the emergence of urbanization certain roles of family members became more defined. Fathers went to work and were solely responsible for the economic well being of the family. They were worked long hours to provide for their families. The father was also referred to as the patriarch of the family who ensures that the members of his family abide by the law.

Social reformers favoured this idea because it was seen as a way of curbing family violence. Mothers were responsible fore the emotional needs of the family members as well as running the household. This type of a family structure was regarded as being beneficial for children because it demonstrated the clear roles for each family member. Affection was still a major issue in even in this sort of family structure.

Parenting still lacked the necessary affection. Physical and emotional closeness was not a priority when children were infants and this carried on, as children got older. Severe physical punishments were also a common occurrence and this added to the various other forms of maltreatment children faced. Children were treated like adults as well when they had committed a crime. The punishments they received were similar to the ones given to adult criminals. In 1894 however, the view that children should be treated differently under the law came into emergence.

Several effects of this new ideal resulted. Trials for juveniles were held privately as opposed tot eh public ones of adults. Also, children were imprisoned in quarters that were separate from adults. Instead of being labelled as delinquents, juveniles were perceived as children who were misguided of misdirected and should be given help instead of being treated as criminals. A way in which these misguided and misdirected children could be helped was through orphanages and training houses that emerged in the second part of the 19th century. These institutions were a way of taking children out of almshouses, poorhouses, and workhouses and putting them in a stimulating environment better suited to their needs.

The motivation for creating these institutions came from the very realistic notion that society would become corrupt if children in facilities such as poorhouses were left without proper care, attention, and learning. Children not raised in an appropriate environment would wreak havoc when they grow up and move out of almshouses or poorhouses. The societal damage they could potentially cause would cost society much in terms of public welfare. Families were often blamed for the behaviour of these troubled children who were now seen as dependent, neglected, or delinquent.

In examining child maltreatment in the past 15 or 20 years, one can see clear distinctions as to what constitutes unfavourable behaviour towards children. Defining the term "maltreatment" is a challenging task for social service workers. In a society composed of many different cultures, methods of disciplining children vary and what appears to be acceptable parenting for one person is seen as abuse. Professionals are aware of this challenge but have still made an attempt to create a definition for maltreatment and it is as follows: "The mistreatment of a child or a disregard for the development needs of a child by a parent, guardian or caregiver resulting in injury, emotional / psychological harm or the potential for such harm". It is interesting to note that this definition includes caregivers as potentially being harmful to children when in the past the blame was put solely on the family. Caregivers include babysitter, daycare workers, and all these individuals must be aware of the fact that they too can be charged with child maltreatment if a child is harmed while in their care.

The extent of the problem is very difficult to determine because cases in Canada are under reported. The reasons for this under representation include some discrepancies in various definitions, ages of children, methods of data collection, and reporting these statistics all vary between provinces and territories. It is obvious to see now why results of data analysis on this topic would be different. When there is no common guideline or consensus as to what determines behaviour as being maltreatment towards a child, it becomes increasingly challenging to be able to have a program or solution in place for the issue.

This is exactly the case with child maltreatment. There are many forms of maltreatment, some of which are well known and others that would not usually be considered as abuse. The most common one that people are familiar with is physical abuse. This includes acts such as hitting and pushing. There is an ongoing debate as to whether or not spanking is a serious form of abuse that warrants charges against the parent or guardian.

Some argue that spanking is a necessary and effective method of discipline if it is used with the appropriate discretion. Others feel that any kind of physical abuse towards a child is a crime and parents should be charged for it. Sexual abuse, neglect, and emotional abuse are other forms of maltreatment. Neglect includes such things as failing to provide the essentials including adequate clothing and a clean safe environment. Emotional abuse is more difficult to pinpoint. This type of maltreatment involves name-calling, speaking harshly to a child, and anything else that can hurt a child's feelings and negatively impact hi / hers emotional development.

Another kind of abuse that is probably lesser known is witnessing family violence. This includes things like seeing a family member being abused or overhearing family members arguing. The results of family violence also constitute abuse. Seeing broken furniture or bruises on a family member are examples of such results.

With many forms behaviour being termed as abuse, it is easy to see why it is a challenge to come to a consensus as to what exactly constitutes abuse and maltreatment. What society thinks of as normal such as parents having an argument can be termed as a form of abuse. Without a proper way in which to distinguish between maltreatment and other behaviour's it makes the task of targeting child maltreatment a difficult one because the lines are very blurred. Although it is unimaginable to justify child maltreatment, reasons for it have been offered. For instance, if a parent of caregiver had been abused as a child they are more likely to emulate this behaviour with their children. Alcohol and drug addiction, mental illness and limited education and / or parenting skills also play a part in whether a parent or caregiver will abuse a child.

A parent or caregiver will often use children as an excuse for abuse. If a child has a disability or serious behaviour al problems, they are more likely to be abused than a child without these problems. A reason for this is that parents might be more frustrated at having the extra responsibilities that come with raising a child who has problems. The situation a family is in also increases the risk of abuse. If a family is of a low socio-economic status, or if unemployment is a constant threat for the family then the likelihood of abuse increases. It is obvious to note that these difficult situations cause more stress and that is the primary reason for abuse.

Lack of support from the community and social isolation also contribute to the chances of abuse. Abuse has severe consequences on children as they grow up. These effects can last many years, and sometimes do not ever go away. Males and females exhibit their effects of abuse in different ways. Females will usually manifest inward consequences such as suicidal thoughts, eating disorders, low self-esteem, and psychological disorders. Males display more outward consequences such as aggression and delinquency.

They are also more likely to engage in spousal abuse and this continues the cycle of abuse. There are factors that determine how long the after effects of abuse last, and these include how long a person was abused for, the severity of the abuse, and the relationship of the abuser to the victim. Child maltreatment is still a prevalent issue today despite efforts to detect it early and prevent any future occurrences. Maltreatment and other serious family issues affect between 20 and 40 per cent of all Canadian families.

Out of every million people, there are 1,200 cases and nearly all incidences of family violence are seen or heard with 70 per cent of children trying to intervene in the violence. It is apparent that the issue is a major one and despite reasons given for its explanation in the past and currently, one point must be emphasized: .".. that the effects of child maltreatment can last a lifetime and greatly diminish a child's chances for optimum achievement in life". The effects are serious and the only way to break the cycle of abuse is to end it now and make sure it is not tolerated in our society. Reference List web web web (1987). Child Survival: Anthropological Perspectives on the Treatment and Maltreatment of Children. Norwell: D. Reidel Publishing Company.

Wharf, Brian. (1993). Child Survival: Rethinking Child Welfare in Canada. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Inc.