Child abuse
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Child abuse is the physical or psychological mistreatment of a child by his or her parents (including adoptive parents), guardians, or other adults. While this term emphasizes on carrying out wrong acts, a related term is child neglect: not doing what is necessary, negligence. The combined problem area is often called child abuse and neglect. Below the term abuse is used in the generalized meaning which also includes neglect. Child abuse occurs in all classes of society.
Maladjusted psychological need may drive an adult to abuse a child. One thing in common among different types and degrees of abuse is failure to consider a child's long-term interest.
Imposing malnutrition on a child can be a form of abuse depending on severity. For example, causing a child to forfeit breakfast one morning might not be considered child abuse.
In intercultural cases, unless the child is in immediate danger, it is best to seek guidance from responsible adults within the child's own ethnic group before making any judgments. Serious mistakes and false accusations have been made by those who have acted too quickly. Also, in other countries, the semantics (meaning of words) related to children can vary. For example, the word "infant" in French is easily recognized even by someone who does not speak the language ("enfant"). However, it refers not only to infants, but older children as well. In the Indian Subcontinent, the words "boy" and "girl" refer to anyone (even adults) who are not married--no matter what their age. In addition, certain Latin derived words seemingly associated with child abuse may have an innocent meaning. For example, "no molestar" in Spanish simply means "do not disturb."
It should be noted that any child who is not living with their natural (birth) parents is at greater risk of abuse. This includes foster parents, step parents, and adoptive parents--regardless of any screening and/or application process they may have gone through. Non-natural fathers are at much higher risk of committing acts of abuse on children who are not their genetic offspring.
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Symptoms
Among the symptoms that various professionals sometimes ascribe to and seek as signs of child abuse are:
- Emotional abuse
- emotional withdrawal/distance
- parental refusal of needed medical care
- premature sexual/romantic promiscuity for girls
- lack of sexual interest (e.g. dating) for boys (with respect to age, cultural, and religious beliefs)
- shyness
- child seems afraid of parents/care givers
- stunting of mental/emotional growth
- failure to look people in the eye
- temper tantrums/violence
- speech and language difficulties
- Neglect (Under protection)
- general dirtiness
- general unhealthiness
- lice, fleas and similar parasites
- parental refusal of needed medical care
- stunting of mental/emotional growth
- too thin, not within normal weight range for age and gender
- alcohol/drug abuse by parents/care givers
- Parents/care givers often (but not always) have low education and income
- Physical abuse see also Spanking
- emotional withdrawal/distance
- over aggressive behavior (especially boys)
- distinctively shaped scars, most especially:
- any second-degree burn associated with stoves, fire or boiling water
- belt buckles
- genital modification and mutilation
- circumference burns without splash burns
- cigarette/cigar burns
- spirals (as in a typical stovetop burner)
- whips (and similar objects)
- temper tantrums/violence
- parental refusal of needed medical care
- child seems afraid of parents/care givers
- bullying of other children
- alcohol abuse by parents/care givers
- Shaken baby syndrome
- Sexual abuse see also Age of consent
- Isolation and over protection see also Munchausen_syndrome_by_proxy
- emotional withdrawal/distance
- shyness; few, if any, friends
- stunting of mental/emotional growth
- excelling at school in younger years, then gradually doing poorly in the teen years
- failure to look people in the eye
- temper tantrums/anger/violence directed only at parents/care givers (otherwise very well-behaved)
- speech and language difficulties
- fearful and afraid of new relationships
- lack of sexual interest (e.g. dating) for boys (with respect to age, cultural, and religious beliefs)
- procrastination as the child becomes older and more independent
- unable to take care of self with respect to age
- being bullied by other children
- child rarely seen in public (except possibly school)
- parents/care givers often (but not always) well educated
- greater risk if family resides in outlying suburban or rural area
Authorities
Authorities protecting children may be called Child Protective Services (CPS), Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), etc. The profession may be called "children's social worker" (CSW).
Child abuse by authorities
Schools and correctional facilities are frequently charged with child abuse. One particularly notorious program is the Tranquility Bay operation on Jamaica run by the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools.
See also
- Child Sexual Abuse (links to Wikipedia subsection)
- Child Labor and Worst forms of child labour
- Child Suicide Bomber
- Domestic Violence
- Empathy
- Military Use of Children
- Street Children
- Spanking
- Munchausen_syndrome_by_proxy
- British Universal Child Database
External links
- Child Abuse Types, Signs, Symptoms, Causes and Help
- Child Abuse: Statistics, Research, and Resources
- NSPCC report on child maltreatment in the UK (November 2000)
- The Safeguarding Children Partnership, a UK charity dedicated to child protection training.
- Ethical Treatment for All Youth
- http://www.afterfostercare.com - Canadians affected by foster care helping each other.
- Anti-sex hysteria in Wisconsin
- Child Abuse and the Handicapped Child
- Counseling Abused Children
- Teaching the Abused Migrant Child: What's a Teacher To Do?
- Classroom Strategies for Teaching Migrant Children about Child Abuse
- Therapeutic Child Protection Work
- Best Practices in Child Protection Investigation
- The Free E-Mail Journal of Therapeutic Child Protection Work
- National Association to Protect Children
- The Support Committee for Iran's Street Children
- DCFWatch - a non profit organization monitoring civil rights abuses by U.S. Child Protection Agencies
- National Coalition for Child Protection Reform
Further reading
- Thou Shalt Not Be Aware: Society's Betrayal of the Child, Alice Miller, translated by Hildegard and Hunter Hannum, A Meridian Book, New American Library, 1986, trade paperback, 329 pages, ISBN 0-452-00801-8
- 'What to do if You're Worried a Child is Being Abused', leaflet published by the UK Department of Health