Abusive Parents Needs example essay topic

There are many things in our society today that unfortunately go overlooked. One such thing that is overlooked is the number of children who are being abused. Unfortunately these children are going through life not knowing whether or not their parents will loose their temper and perhaps kill them There are many types of child abuse, such as physical, sexual, and emotional. Physical abuse is physical injury as a result of punching, beating, kicking, biting, shaking, throwing, stabbing, choking, hitting, burning, or otherwise harming a child. Such injury is considered abuse regardless of whether the caretaker intended to hurt the child. Sexual abuse includes activities by a parent or caretaker such as fondling a child's genitals, penetration, incest, rape, sodomy, indecent exposure, and exploitation through prostitution or the production of pornographic materials.

Emotional abuse is a pattern of behavior that impairs a child's emotional development or sense of self-worth. This may include constant criticism, threats, or rejection, as well as withholding love, support, or guidance. Emotional abuse is often difficult to prove and, therefore, Child Protection Services may not be able to intervene without evidence of harm to the child. Emotional abuse is almost always present when other forms are identified. Child abuse is a growing problem that has many causes and effects, but there are ways that we as a society can decrease the occurrence of this horrible event. Child abuse is a widespread problem that unfortunately is affecting many people in our society.

The number of children that are abused in our society is growing every year and something must be done about this. According to statistics 12.4 per 1000 children under the age of 17 have been a victim of child abuse. More than 3 million children are reported as abused in the last year. Sadly the fate of many of these children that live in abusive homes is death. 1.84 per 100,000 was reported to be abused in 2000.

The number rose up to 1.84 in 2001. The number continued to rise to 1.96 in 2002. In the reported cases both or one parent was the cause of the death 79% of the time. In 16% of the cases a non-parent guardian was the cause of death. 5% of the deaths were caused by an unknown person. There are many things that cause parents to abuse their children and there are also many affects that abuse has on the child being abused.

You cannot pinpoint one cause for child abuse, because parents abuse their children for many different reasons. One reason for the abuse is that the parents were abused as children. So, this is the only way they know to discipline their children. Another reason is that the parents are teenagers and not ready for children One more reason for the abuse is alcohol and substance abuse. The affect that abuse has on children is not only physical but the abuse affects children on many different levels. When children are abused they are 53% more likely to commit criminal acts as an adolescent and 40% more likely to commit a crime as an adult.

Also the children have maladaptive, anti-social and self-destructive behaviors and thoughts by trying to cope with the abuse Although abuse is a major problem there are things that we as a society can do to reduce the number of children that are being abused. We need to educate the abusive parents of the affects abuse has not only on their children but on the family. Abuse is all that the parents know. If we educated them and let them know that there are other ways to discipline their children they will resort to other ways. The penalties that are enforced on abusive parents needs to be more effective so that parents will not continue to abuse their children. Also the amount of time that abusive parents should be in prison should be longer.

If the abuse continues the Children should be removed from abusive households so that their safety can be insured. We need to do something about this growing problem before it destroys our society. We need to do everything in our powers to stop this terrible chain of violence. We are always saying that children are the future and if we allow child abuse to continue our future is not bright. This is why I am saying that we as a nation need to stand up and take responsibility and put a stop to this tragedy. More than three million children were abused in 2004 alone this number is way to enormous.

Unfortunately we may not be able to eliminate this problem entirely, but we need to at least try to lessen the amount of children being abused... Hillary Clinton said, "We have to do everything we can to give children a healthy and supportive family environment". I believe that she was right and it is our obligation to our children to do something.

Bibliography

1. "Number of Children Abused in America" web. Feb. 28, 20052.
Quotes of Child Abuse". web Feb. 28, 2005.
3. "Number of Children Killed by Abuse". web Feb 28, 20054.
Child Abuse". web Feb 28, 2005.