Child abuse
From Freepedia
| Topics relating to Abuse. |
| By means |
|
Physical abuse Psychological abuse |
| By victim |
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Child abuse / Domestic violence |
| By offender |
Child abuse is the physical or psychological maltreatment of a child by an adult or adults. Child abuse is often synonymous with the term child maltreatment or the term child abuse and neglect.
There are many forms of abuse and neglect and many governments have developed their own legal definition of what constitutes child maltreatment for the purposes of removing a child and/or prosecuting a criminal charge. The Federal Government puts out a full definition of child abuse and neglect and creates a summary of each State definition. To view, go to Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect: Summary of State Laws [1] that is part of the 2005 State Statute series by the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information.
Contents |
Symptoms
Among the symptoms that various professionals sometimes ascribe to and seek as signs of child abuse are as follows:
- 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
- broken promises to child by care givers without valid reasons
- 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 or height 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
- 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
- Related to non-natural (e.g. adoption, foster, step) parenting
- parent(s) compare their child to a hypothetical "perfect" biological child
- parent(s) believe their child has some sort of genetic defect, but are vague on specific details
- common childhood problems (e.g. bed wetting, shyness, etc.) are blamed on child's heredity
- one parent (often father) does not love his/her non-biological child(ren), but pretends to care to appease spouse
- sexual abuse of child solely because they are not biologically related ("this isn't really incest")
- asexual couple adopts child and remains silent and negative on all sexual matters
- pretending to be the child's biological parents or saying nothing to child regarding their adoption in infancy
- constant, extreme, or false criticism of child's biological parents, regardless of whether the child knows them or not
- uneven fairness in a family involving a mixture of biological and non-biological children
- parent (often mother) wants child to be her "baby" forever; child not independent enough relative to age
Reporting Abuse and Neglect in the US
Anyone may make an anonymous report of abuse or neglect. Trained call screeners will either open the case for investigation, or log the report. One report may not be enough to open a case, but multiple reports (by different reporters) may be enough. At that point, someone will investigate the family. The investigators may determine there is no evidence of maltreatment, there is evidence enough to offer support to the family in the home, or that there is evidence enough to remove the child from the home.
Some people who work with children are mandatory reporters. Each State and U.S. Territory designates individuals, typically by professional group, who are mandated by law to report child maltreatment. Such individuals often include health care workers, school personnel, child care providers, social workers, law enforcement officers, and mental health professionals.
Some States also mandate animal control officers, veterinarians, commercial film or photograph processors, substance abuse counselors, and firefighters to report abuse or neglect. Four States--Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, and South Dakota--include domestic violence workers on the list of mandated reporters. Approximately eighteen States require all citizens to report suspected abuse or neglect regardless of profession.
Reporting Abuse and Neglect in Australia
Child abuse and neglect is the subject of mandatory reporting in most Australian jurisdictions. Usually professional people such as doctors, nurses and teachers are bound to report strong evidence of abuse or neglect. State authorities, such as the Child Protection Unit of the Department of Human Services (Victoria), have statutory authority to investigate and deal with child abuse.
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
- Child Labor and Worst forms of child labour
- Child Suicide Bomber
- Domestic Violence
- Empathy
- Military Use of Children
- Street Children
- Spanking
- Child abuse industry
- 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.ca - 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
- 'What to do if You're Worried a Child is Being Abused', leaflet published by the UK Department of Health
- Hell is for Children - An on-line book that is autobiographical in nature and deals with a person's experience of child abuse and neglect.
Categories: NPOV disputes | Child abuse | Abuse | Childhood | Miscellaneous psychiatric disorders | Family law
