Effects Of Child Abuse On Victims example essay topic

Lesson 5 project By: Terri Tipton p. 2 Child abuse, Does anyone even care about this? unless it happened in your life the ans were is no. Child abuse is like a disease, it will attack the host and alter it physical and mental. It self-replicates. 'Infection' creates a downward spiral through generations, each victim will most likely infect more and more victims. In order to fully understand the effects child abuse has on children one must know when mistreatment becomes abuse. The meaning of abuse is defined by Webster dictionary as; to use wrongly, to mistreat especially by inflicting physical or sexual harm on another, mental abuse by use of insulting language.

Discipline is correcting the behavior of a child and showing the child how to behave in a more acceptable way. It does not have to be physical. Child abuse is deliberately injuring a child in physical, sexual or verbal ways. This is why society needs to take action now, and consider any form of child abuse a public issue and define it as a criminal act. Did you know that abuse is divided into four categories for policy, research and treatment purposes - the different types of abuse have different effects, different types of perpetrators and different types of interventions. The effects of child abuse on victims are devastating and life-long, and its effects on our society are pervasive.

Still, it is difficult to measure the prevalence of abuse in our society, and no attempts to measure so far have overcome the basic difficulties of under reporting. For some years now there has been proof that the devastating effects of the of children take their inevitable toll on society. This knowledge concerns every single one of us, and -- if disseminated widely enough -- should lead to fundamental changes in society, above all to a halt in the blind escalation of violence. The following points are intended to amplify my meaning: For their development children need the respect and protection of adults who take them seriously, love them, and honestly help them to become oriented in the world.

When these vital needs are removed and children are instead abused for the sake of adults' needs by being exploited, beaten, punished, take advantage of, manipulated, neglected, or deceived without the intervention of any witness, then their integrity will be lastingly impaired. The normal reactions to such injury should be anger and pain; since children in this hurtful kind of environment, however, are forbidden to express their anger and since it would be unbearable to experience their pain all alone, they are compelled to suppress their feelings, repress all memory of the trauma, and idealize those guilty of the abuse. Later they will have no memory of what was done to them... Disassociated from the original cause, their feelings of anger, helplessness, despair, longing, anxiety, and pain will find expression in destructive acts against others (criminal behavior, mass murder) or against themselves (drug addiction, alcoholism, prostitution, psychic disorders, suicide). p. 3 Our priorities as a society are not what they used to be, the frustrating facts are that we can measure everything from the number of thumbtacks produced annually to the number of times an average person thinks about sex every week, but we can not insure the safety of our children's well being, future. Till now, society has protected the adult and blamed the victim. It has been abetted in its blindness by theories, still in keeping with the pedagogical principles of our great-grandparents, according to which children are viewed as crafty creatures, dominated by wicked drives, who invent stories and attack their innocent parents or desire them sexually.

In reality, children tend to blame themselves for their parents' cruelty and to absolve the parents, whom they invariably love. With the use of cost-effective solutions for child abuse and neglect. private sector and volunteer organizations have taken the leadership role in healing our society of the effects of abuse. There are many organizations, staffed by volunteers and funded through donations, which are doing good work to prevent and fix the problem. Some shocking statistics that are commonplace is that 1,000 to 1,300 U.S. children are known to die as a result of physical abuse, and those who survive suffer emotional trauma that lasts long after the bruises. A child who is or has been abused can have low self-esteem that leads to such self destructive behaviors as ass ult, robbery, drugs, child and spousal abuse that lead up to ma slaughter. Society lives in a double sided fear of the action of these children and the burden of being a tax payer that supports the cost of court, attorneys and rehabilitation.

This is why society needs to take action now. p. 4 Self-esteem is the collection of beliefs or feelings that we have about ourselves. How we define ourselves hugely influences our motivations, attitudes, and behaviors that leads children to grow up as respect full citizens or a mean ace to society. Dr. Kim Rutherford states that patterns start very early in life. 'At about the age of 3 or 4,' she says, 'children are exploring many ideas and reaching conclusions about themselves that begin to crystallize. ' But the process starts even before then, during infancy. When a baby or toddler reaches a milestone, they can experience a sense of accomplishment that bolsters their developing self-esteem.

Learning to roll over after dozens of unsuccessful attempts or finally mastering getting the spoon into their mouth every time they eat is a experience that teaches a young child a 'can do' attitude. The concept of success following persistence starts early. (Kim Rutherford, MD) As a child tries, fails again and again, and then finally succeeds, they develop ideas about their own capabilities. At the same time, they are creating thoughts about based on their interactions with other people. This is why parental involvement is key to helping a child form accurate, healthy self-perceptions. Self-esteem can also be defined as the combination of feelings of capability with feelings of being loved.

A child who is happy with their achievements but does not feel loved may eventually experience low self-esteem. Likewise, a child who feels loved but is hesitant about their own abilities can also end up feeling poorly about. Healthy self-esteem results when the right balance is attained. p. 5 The American Professional Society of the Abuse of Children is a nonprofit national organization also known as APSAC. APSAC IS STRONGLY COMMITTED TO: Preventing child maltreatment Eliminating the recurrence of child maltreatment Providing professional education that promotes effective, culturally sensitive, and interdisciplinary approaches to the identification, intervention, treatment, and prevention of child abuse and neglect Educating the public about child abuse and neglect Orginazations like this one is a good idea because it can help in the prevention of child abuse by educating the public at no cost.

In 2001, Child Protective Service (CPS) agencies investigated more than 3.25 million reports of child abuse and neglect throughout the United States. This is an increase of 2 percent from the previous year. In 2001, CPS agencies determined approximately 1.1 million children were victims of substantiated or indicated child abuse and neglect. CPS investigations determine that 63 percent of victims in 2001 suffered neglect; 19 percent, physical abuse; 10 percent, sexual abuse; and 8 percent, emotional maltreatment.

On an average of 3 to 5 children die every day as a result of being abused. (Prevent Child Abuse in America, 2003). p. 6 Approximately 84 percent of children are abused by a parent; Mothers alone are responsible for 47 percent of neglect and 32 percent of the abuse is physical. Approximately 84 percent of children are abused by a parent; Mothers alone are responsible for 47 of the neglect and 32 percent is physical abuse. ( web) Children learn more about behavior by watching adults than in any other way. Encouragement is a means to promote positive behavior and some argue that it is more effective than praise or reward. It implies reasonable expectations (one step at a time), and that we accept the child's mistakes, as well the successes.

Children need to know where the limits are and that these limits stay the same all the time. They feel secure when they know where the boundaries are. They test them frequently to find out. Parents need the following skills to be effective: Patience; Determination; Confidence; Genuineness and concern; Openness; Separateness; Friendly firmness; Effective communication. When considering what disciplinary method to use, parents need to think about the following factors: The behavior itself; Our feelings about the behavior; The child; The purpose we assign to the behavior; Where the behavior is occurring; Who is present in the setting; Factors affecting our ability & willingness to respond effectively; and Our relationship with the child. The Child Welfare League of America (CWL A), the nation's oldest and largest membership-based child welfare organization, has been known and respected as a champion for children since 1920. p. 7

Bibliography

Child Abuse: An Overview was written by C.J. Newton, MA, Learning Specialist and published in the Therapist Finder. net Mental Health Journal in April, 2001.
Webster's New World Dictionary, fourth Edition, Michael Agnes (editor and Che if) 2003.
Frequently a ked questions. 2001 web Miller A.
Appendix: The Newly Recognized, Shattering Effects of Child Abuse. In: The Untouched Key: Tracing Childhood Trauma in Creativity and Destructiveness. Anchor Books (Doubleday) New York, 1991.
Originally published as Der Schl " uss el by Suhrkampt Verlag am Main, 1988).
Kim Rutherford, MD Clinical Instructor, Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, NYP H Weill-Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY, 2000.