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Child Abuse
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CHILD ABUSE n : 'chI(&)ld &-'byüs
The physical, sexual, or emotional maltreatment or neglect of children by parents, guardians, or others responsible for a child's welfare. Physical abuse is characterized by physical injury, usually inflicted as a result of a beating or inappropriately harsh discipline. Sexual abuse includes molestation, incest, rape, prostitution, or use of a child for pornographic purposes. Neglect can be physical in nature (abandonment, failure to seek needed health care), educational (failure to see that a child is attending school), or emotional (abuse of a spouse or another child in the child's presence, allowing a child to witness adult substance abuse). Inappropriate punishment, verbal abuse, and scapegoating are also forms of emotional or psychological child abuse. |
It is hard for an unsuspecting parent to discover that their child has been
the victim of abuse. The following is a list of procedures to follow, to
help offer support and encouragement towards the child's recovery.
When your child comes forward and tells you they have been the victim of
child abuse:
- Be sure to respond calmly to your child. Coming forward with something
like this is really difficult for a child to do, so make sure you take the
information with support and compassion for the child, not with shock and
anger.
- Be sure that your child is safe from further abuse. Making their
environment safer will show the child that coming to you was the right
decision.
- Reassure your child that he/she is safe, that he/she made the right
decision in telling you, and that you will help.
- Let your child know that what has happened to him/her is in no way the
child's fault.
- If indicated, obtain the appropriate medical, emotional, and legal help
for your child's needs.
- Make sure other family members respect your child's privacy. Explicit
details aren't necessary, only the information that this person in the
family has had a bad experience and that it is now safe. Let the child lead
the way in communicating about what has happened to him/her but give enough
information to other children in the family to ensure their safety.
- Try to follow normal routines around your home. Your child is still the
same person as before and may need to have constant reassurance of this
fact.
- If your child has been abused, you will be dealing with some hard
feelings of your own. If you need it, don't hesitate to seek professional
help. It is hard to help your child if you are too upset yourself.
- If the abuse in happening in the family, seek professional help.
Keeping abuse a secret helps no one, and may even cause a recurrence.
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As always in cases like this, make sure to put the child's needs first. The
effects that this abuse can leave on the child can be devastating, but your
active support and understanding will help make the road to recovery much
easier.
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2.1 - Characteristics of the Abusive Family Setting
- Respect for father, or abusive parent, demanded
- Social isolation
- Abusive behavior is used as a substitute for communication
- Parents tend to have self-centered personalities
- Increased risk of other forms of family violence (spousal abuse, etc)
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2.2 - Characteristics of the Child Abuser
- Most often the biological father
- Controlling; uses excessive discipline
- Has a difficulty controlling impulses
- Alcohol/drug abuse
- Denies any accusations
- Places the blame on the victim
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2.3 - Characteristics of the Child Abuse Survivor
- Changes in behavior at school or at home. (withdrawal, inattentiveness, or other unusual behavior)
- Sleep disturbances (insomnia, bed wetting, nightmares)
- Unexplained and sudden fears
- Loss of appetite
- Excessive anger or reckless behavior
- A new reluctance to spend time with certain people
- A need for more reassurance than usual
- Overwhelming knowledge of sexual behavior
- Isolation from friends, limited participation in social activities
- Depression
- Drug or alcohol use
- Chronic running away
- Increase in physical complaints (miscellaneous illnesses)
- Inappropriate attention-getting behavior
- Suicide attempts
- Self inflicted physical abuse (self-mutilation)
- Poor self-esteem
- Problems in school (missing class, grades)
- Prostitution
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- Child abuse occurs in 30-60% of family violence cases that involve families with children.
- Child abuse is 15 times more likely to occur in families where domestic violence is present.
- Over 3 million children are at risk of exposure to parental violence each year.
- Reported cases of child abuse have increased by 63% in the last 10 years.
- Reported cases of fatalities caused by child abuse have increased by 48% in the past ten years.
- According to recent surveys, physical abuse represented 21% of confirmed cases, sexual abuse 11%, neglect 49%, emotional abuse 3% and other forms of abuse 16%.
- Approximately 45% of deaths occurred to children who have been former clients of child protective services.
- The general population of adults shows that anywhere from 6 to 63% of adults have been abused as children.
- It is reported that 9 to 10 million children , under the age of 18 are directly affected by substance-abusing parents
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KIDSRIGHTS' Child Abuse Support Center
Includes articles, the latest news, Web sites of organizations preventing child abuse, practical ways to prevent child abuse, as well as other facts and misconceptions. |
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