Child Abuse Essay, Research Paper

People have many different opinions and definitions concerning child abuse. Some people see using reasonable force to discipline a child as acceptable. Other people see using any amount of physical force against a child as wrong and do not agree with it. In its broadest sense the term refers to any harm physically or emotionally done to a child. In the US the “Child abuse Prevention and Treatment Act” defines child abuse as “Physical or mental injury, sexual abuse, negligent treatment of maltreatment of a child under the age of 18 by a person who is responsible for the child’s welfare under circumstances which indicate that the child’s health or welfare is harmed or threatened.”Therefore, child abuse is the violence and cruelty that occurs against children at the hands of adults, and the crimes are without reasonable defence because the victims are extremely vulnerable and unable to defend themselves. The sexual, mental, emotional, and physical abuse and cruelty that occurs against children by the hands of adults for insufficient reasons, is severely increasing among our society and must immediately be put to an end. An abusive parent can be defined as someone who has failed in his or her role as caretaker of the child. Often it is the unexpected parent, aunt, uncle, cousin, or family friend that causes the child to feel anger, grief, pain and fear, which are forms of the abuse, which occurs against the child.

A child is an innocent victim to the adult and even if they are causing trouble, abuse is no answer. Children are born into the world and totally depend upon their parents or their caretakers for their survival and welfare. Parents are supposed to provide unconditional care, protection, and emotional support to their children. A normal healthy, realistic parent cannot demand his own child will fulfill his own personal needs for food, clothing, shelter, or sex. Whenever the parent tries to deny his child the right to be a child, and compels the youngster to act as a partner, an exploitative situation comes into being, and that child may become a victim of sexual abuse. When a parent coerces a child into a sexual encounter of any type, the bond between them becomes broken and the effect on the child’s normal emotional and sexual development is always destructive. Female children are more often subject to sexual assault than young boys, and sexual exploitation by a known and trusted adult has unfortunately become a reality in the lives of countless young girls. Incest between mothers and sons is not a very common occurrence but a large number of

mother-son incest incidents involve the rape of a mother by an adolescent boy. When a parent molests a young boy, the aggressor is as likely to be his father as his mother. The vast majority of sexual contacts between boys and adults are homosexual. Unfortunately in most child abuse situations thechild feels threatened and often obeys even if the actions cause them to feel guilty. Many results of sexual molestation upon a child when they are young will force them to live with feelings of depression, loneliness, and low self-confidence especially about the sexual aspect. While it is true that children do have sexual feelings and do seek affection and attention from adults, it is the adult’s responsibility to respond to the child’s feelings and gestures in an appropriate manner. Exploiting the child for the parent’s own sexual gratification is inappropriate to say the least. A recent study which showed the results of abused children found that 83% of the children were neglected, 60% were physically abused, 23% were sexually abused, and 19% of all cases involved all three forms. People are becoming more serious about child abuse and are beginning to see it for the serious problem, which it is.

In conclusion, it should be emphasized that children should be publicly encouraged to come forward if they are being abused and that anyone who is aware of abuse should report it promptly. Children should also be encouraged through education in schools and media such as radio and television. Adults should also be educated as to where help is available for them. Their awareness could also be heightened through television, radio, newspapers, and magazines. This type of publicity could also be used to make the public aware of their responsibilities to the children of our society. If we can break the cycle of abuse that often passes from one generation to the next, we will be well on our way to curing the problem.