Introduction
According to Child Help (2015), in the recent world, children are encountering profound suffering because of an unravelled epidemic of neglect and child abuse practices. This phenomenon has turned into a global war, and society can halt the disgusting practices of child abuse by paying careful attention to developing a profound comprehension of the issue. It is imperative to spread full awareness about the nature of child abuse and what are its types to address the severity of the offence. The following literature review elaborates on different aspects of the problem and also highlights its impact.
Literature Review
Child Abuse
Child abuse can be defined as an act of any adult which causes severe emotional and physical damage to a child. (Lines, 2015) such abuse could be a result of the negligence of a caretaker adult person, which fails to protect the child in custody and therefore evokes the peril of such harm. (Medline Plus, 2017) According to legal statutes of The United States, implications regarding child abuse vary from state to state. However, Lines (2015) says that the summation of issues asserts that child abuse can take place in the shape of any negligence, physical, mental, emotional or sexual harm and can be referred to as maltreatment of psychological and physical factors. Human trafficking is also a branch of child abuse, and according to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, it is a particular form of child abuse. (Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, 2018) Moreover, the same department implicates the meaning of the term “sex trafficking”, through which a custodian or parent gets money to force a child and minor to be involved in the sexual business.
Effects of Child Abuse
Child abuse is an abhorrent practice and can impact a child in several ways, including physically, psychologically as well as behaviorally. Experiencing child abuse can pose myriad effects on a kid. Even when they grow up, the aftermath remains. Apparent effects could be scrapes, bruises, broken bones, sprains, burn marks and welts. The victim child may feel a hindrance when walking, sitting, etc. Moreover, blood spots or stained and ripped clothes also referred to a possible case of child abuse. (Joyful Heart Foundation, 2018) On the other hand, the psychological impacts of child abuse and negligence are much more long-lasting than physical ones. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2016), about eighty per cent of young adults who have confronted abuse incidents are diagnosed with psychiatric impairment by they come to the age of 21. Such disorders, in turn, cater for anxiety, depression, and different eating disorders, and sometimes the surge is so intense that young adult attempts to take their lives.
Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (2016) also affirms that such victims of child abuse become vulnerable by growing age, and it reduces their learning potential and attention power as well. The victims of negligence and child abuse become behaviorally spoiled, and many of them demonstrate a tendency toward alcoholism, drug usage and smoking. Moreover, in due course, their sexual activities, too, become risk-filled.
Preventive and Protective Measures for Child Abuse
To control and prevent the harmful practices of child abuse and negligence, it is imperative to devise public awareness programs on the subject (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2013). It is recommended that through such programs inform the parents, custodians, and caregivers as well as children about the ups and downs of child abuse along with an understanding of its psychological, physical and behavioural harms. Besides prevention, it is also important to develop a warm and trustworthy relationship among family members so that children can openly discuss any harmful or perilous activity with their parents or siblings with confidence (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2013).
Conclusion
By analyzing the above-given content, it becomes evident that child abuse and negligence are a dark side of society and could pose irreversible damage to a child’s physical, psychological and behavioural life. It is indispensable to implement suitable preventive and protective measures to evade the peril of such evil.
Reference
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016, April 05). Child Abuse and Neglect:
Consequences.https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childmaltreatment/consequences.html
Child help. (2015). Child Abuse Statistics. https://www.childhelp.org/child-abuse-statistics/
Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2013, July). What Is Child Abuse and Neglect?
Recognizing the Signs and Symptoms.
https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/whatiscan.pdf
Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2013, July). Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect.
https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/preventingcan.pdf
Joyful Heart Foundation. (2018). Effects of Child Abuse and Neglect.
http://www.joyfulheartfoundation.org/learn/child-abuse-neglect/effects-child-abuse-neglect
Lines, D. (2015, August). Child Abuse. https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/child-abuse.html
MedlinePlus. (2017, July 19). Child Abuse. https://medlineplus.gov/childabuse.html
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. (2018). How does the DFPS define abuse
and neglect? https://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Training/Reporting/recognizing.asp
