Emotional Abuse

A child can experience different types of emotional abuse. One way of showing emotional abuse is by rejecting the child. Parents or caregivers who show this kind of behavior toward a child will often let a child know that he or she is unwanted. Belittling a child or putting down a child is one form of emotional abuse. Other examples can include telling a child to leave or worse, to get out of your face, calling him names or telling the child that he is worthless, making a child the family scapegoat or blaming him for family/sibling problems. Refusing to talk to or holding a young child as he or she grows can also be considered abuse.

Ignoring can be another type of emotional abuse. Adults may not show attachment to the child or provide positive nurturing. They may withhold affection or show no interest in the child, or even fail to recognize the child’s presence. The parent may be physically present but emotionally unavailable. Failing to respond to or interact with your child is emotional and psychological abuse.

Terrorizing Parents are those who use threats, yell and curse. They are doing serious psychological damage to their children. Criticizing and punishing for displaying normal emotions is abusive. It is unacceptable to threaten a child with harsh words, physical harm, abandonment or in extreme cases death. Causing a child to be terrified even in jest, by the using threats and/or intimidating behavior is some of the worst emotional abuse. The emotional abuse can also constitute to witnessing, hearing or knowing that violence is taking place in the home.

A child who is not permitted to engage in activities with their peers by their parents are abused through isolation. They may keep a baby in his or her room not exposed to stimulation or may prevent teenagers from participating in extracurricular activities. Depending on the severity and the circumstances, requiring a child to stay in his or her room from the time school lets out until the next morning, restricting eating, or forcing a child to isolation or seclusion by keeping her away from family and friends can be destructive and considered emotional abuse.

Parents who permit their children to use drugs or alcohol, watch cruel behavior toward animals, watch or look at inappropriate sexual content or to witness or participate in criminal activities such as stealing, assault, prostitution, gambling are corrupting them. It must be reported if a child  is encouraged to do things that are illegal or harmful.

Giving a child responsibilities that are far greater than a child of that age can handle or using a child for profit is abusive. Exploitation can be considered manipulation or forced activity without regard for a child’s need for development. For example, repeatedly asking an eight-year-old to be responsible for the family’s dinner is inappropriate.

Signs of Child Abuse

Child abuse is a very serious issue. More than 80% of abused children suffer emotional, sexual or physical abuse or neglect by close family friends, their parents or other relatives. It has been revealed that 84% of the prison population as of 2010 in the United States were abused during their childhood.  In order to take appropriate action, we should realize the signs so we can take action and help improve a child’s life.

Be watchful for children who tend to avoid social interaction. Children who are abused, do not have the willingness to trust and confide in others. They often avoid getting close to anyone both emotionally and physically and keep to themselves. Their interest for activities that they previously loved to do like a hobby or sport may diminish.

Children who have difficulty interacting in a normal, healthy manner due to little patience, incessant arguing or undeveloped social skills with their friends is a sign of abuse. Behavior may change drastically. A once-happy child may suddenly become severely depressed, jittery or angry. A sexually abused youth may show an interest in sex or display behaviour that is sexually inappropriate. When changing clothes around others, they may be tentative or terrified to do so.

Abused children see themselves in a negative light. The abuse they experienced can take a toll on them. They have no self-worth and feel like they are not good enough. Eventually these feelings lead to lowered expectations and little drive to succeed.

It is unusual for a young child not to be excited or happy to see mom or dad walk into the room. Look for signs of discontent or zero emotional attachment to a parent or loved one. Children may react strongly and resist going home. The abusive parent may scold or ignore the child blatantly in public and show no affection.

Look for bodily marks that take the shape of a hand, iron, or other object. Abused children may hide their wounds by wearing long-sleeve clothing, a jacket or sweater that they are reluctant to take off or roll up. Unexplainable physical bruises, broken bones, scars or burns are a concern.  Sexually abused youth may show signs of pain or discomfort when walking or sitting down and may contract STDs or become pregnant.

When frequently left without parent supervision and care, neglected children are unable to take care of themselves. A deteriorating or unhealthy appearance from not bathing, not combing the hair or appearing consistently hungry or malnourished is reason for suspicion.

Effects of Child Abuse

The major types of child abuse are physical, sexual, and emotional neglect. Physical abuse includes shaking, burning, hitting or beating the child. There may be unexplained or repeated like bruises, burns, or welt marks on the child. The child’s injuries may be caused by a belt buckle or electric cord. Self-destructive tendencies and aggressive behavior of the child also indicate physical abuse. Parents can commit abuse when they neglect the child or fail to fulfill the child’s physical needs such as food, shelter, clothing and medical care, as well as emotional needs like attention, care and affection. A neglected child has poor personal hygiene, inadequate clothing, constant hunger, untreated medical problems, no social relationships and destructive tendencies.

When a child is constantly blamed or put down, this is a kind of emotional abuse. Aggressive or withdrawn behavior, continual self-depreciation, inappropriate response to pain, neurotic behavior like hair twisting or rocking, extreme fear to any new situation and extremes of passivity or aggression are signs of an emotionally abused child. The child shows some physical signs such as pain, redness, swelling, itching and discharge in the genitals or rectal area, bruises or other injuries in the genitals and difficulty in sitting or walking in cases of sexual abuse. Emotional and behavioral changes such as extreme reactions like self-mutilation, inability to concentrate, depression, sudden loss of appetite, suicide attempts and anorexia, being isolated or withdrawn, being overly knowledgeable in a sexual way, and personality changes like becoming insecure or clinging are changes that can be witnessed in the abused child. Any kind of abuse can be extremely harmful to the physical and psychological health of the child.

A severe impact on the child can be left by the physical, sexual or emotional abuse. Several problems can be experienced in the emotional and physical development of the child. Abuse can affect a child differently, depending upon the severity and frequency of abuse, age of the child, child’s relationship with the abuser, availability of emotional support and the child’s capacity to cope. After some time, the abused child can recover from the physical harms and injuries with proper medical attention. But the long-lasting psychological effects can be very difficult for the child to cope up with. They are also at risk of developing certain serious psychiatric problems and mental illnesses. Disruptive Disorder is one of the most common psychological problems in a physically abused child. They tend to show excessive aggressiveness and delinquent behavior. The child may become extremely violent or self-destructive.

Behavioral problems, attention problems, anxiety, alcohol abuse or drug abuse, bed-wetting, academic difficulties, concentration problems and chronic sexual behaviour are some other common psychological effects of child abuse. They also experience depression, insomnia, eating disorders, dissociative states, fear or shyness, failure to thrive, learning problems, inability to concentrate, panic attacks, malnutrition and repeated self-injury.

 

Protecting Children through Advocacy

Protecting Children through AdvocacyOrganizations who focus on child concerns and welfare aim to create an environment that stimulates healthy communication and provide an atmosphere for effective learning . Most of these groups cater to victims of abuse and their purpose is to rebuild and create encouraging relationships between the children and their families.

Child-related cases involve a lot of scenarios. Some are seemingly minor while others involve abusive relationships with parents. All are difficult to manage though because the victim is vulnerable in so many ways. Sometimes even the solution can seem harmful to the child such as cases where the child will be permanently removed from his home and transferred to the care of the state.

Handling children with learning disabilities is also another area of concern. Not everyone who exhibit difficulties in learning are subjected to a proper medical evaluation. Because of this, they are not given the appropriate care and intervention that would help them cope effectively. While this is not as serious as abandonment, withholding the right care for minors with this condition can be detrimental to their development. Some are even required to take medications along with therapy sessions to reduce anxiety and other related behaviors.

Advocacy groups contribute to child welfare by holding fundraising activities, providing information about specific medical conditions to the public and relaying the varied concerns affecting children. Being an advocate helps the child, care-givers, educators and professionals who are involved in caring for minors. There are even online resources available to facilitate the prompt delivery of help and support for affected individuals.

Different government agencies are assigned with tasks that are related to handling concerns on the care of children and they often collaborate with each other to ensure the continuity of care. The social services department, family court systems, educational facilities and varied organizations all work together in safe-guarding the rights of the child.

All children need love, support and encouragement but a child with a diagnosed learning disability require unconditional support even more. There are now various organizations that provide services that are related to child advocacy. Different firms also provide educational outreach to parents who cannot avail of the proper medical evaluation to assist them and their children.

Important Facts on Child Abuse

Important Facts on Child AbuseIn cases of child abuse, the victim will struggle to achieve self esteem and may need professional help to do so. The child often believes that she is responsible for the abuse that has happened especially in situations where the victim knows the offender. Some victims feel that they are to blame for the crime that has occurred, internalizing the feelings of guilt, betrayal and anger all at the same time.

Cases

The situations involving child abuse are varied. Some situations are done by individuals who are involved in substance abuse. Drug addiction is a serious problem that disrupts every community and can bring about the commitment of multiple types of crime. Some children are subject to abuse from parents who suffer from depression, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, or other mental illnesses. These individuals already have trouble taking care of themselves, much less their children.

Children whose parents are divorced are subjected to another form of abuse, a psychological kind. It creates deep seated feelings of insecurity and causes the child to demonstrate harmful behaviors. The estimated number of children who are victims of violence has increased considerably over the past decade although a lot of advocacy groups have focused their work in providing support to these minors. Efforts are also exerted at improving awareness of these crimes and the need to report cases to the proper authorities.

Law Enforcement

Ironically, the facts on child abuse show a different story. Law enforcement training seminars that are presented each year denote that it is rare to come across a false accusation of abuse but only a few are convicted of the crime. This is because it is naturally difficult to subject a child to court proceedings for cases involving abuse. The psychological impact of the crime can be complicated and can be too much for a child to bear.

Abused children can send alert signals to parents, teachers and other trusted adults. This is the reason why teachers are now subjected to seminars involving the identification and reporting of child abuse cases. It’s a difficult scenario that requires school administrators to be prepared. This will ensure that they can competently handle the situation and connect with the proper federal agencies.

Causes of Child Abandonment

Causes of Child AbandonmentThe legal definition of child abandonment is when a child is left unattended without proper care, feeding, shelter and attention to basic needs. The child first learns at home which is why good parenting skills are credited to the development of good attitude, proper behavior, positive motivation and intact self worth.

One of the causes of this unfortunate situation is the separation of the parents. The children often end up confused and angry, not knowing why the parents separated and partly responsible for the situation. The parents on the other hand are experiencing mixed emotions and some end up on a destructive path. In volatile cases such as this, the best interests of the child are taken into account in deciding the terms and conditions of custody. It may result to termination of parental rights, where the court suspends the rights of a parent to the custody and guardianship of their children.

Abandonment or desertion is often considered in the same category as a no-fault divorce. Some couples may simply decide to separate after spending some time apart, but there are different implications in this instance. Victims of neglect are often left to maintain the residence by themselves. While different states have distinct laws regarding abandonment, falling behind on alimony payments can make the situation worse especially if there is a formal agreement that’s been decided in court.

There are multiple reasons why minor children become victims of abandonment. In some cases, the biological parents are physically unable to take care of a baby. Other scenarios involve the desertion of a spouse and happen when one partner refuses to have physical relations with another partner without any valid reason. Spousal abandonment is one of the many reasons for the dissolution of marriage and often results in the poor care of the children.

Questions of negligence are often raised in cases of divorce and custody. During custody hearings, it is common for emotions to be running high and parents are often focused on hurting each other and may use the child to do so. If a child custody case is still in the works, a lawyer can help you organize the custody or visitation until the final decisions are taken.

Many parents especially in large families, voice that they cannot wait though their children reach eighteen so that they can move out of the house and support themselves. This would mean more freedom for them and fewer mouths to feed and support. In a situation where a parent is already financially strapped and facing charges of abandonment, falling behind on child support makes the situation even worse.