Child abuse as per law is defined as the physical or mental injury, sexual abuse or exploitation or negligent treatment or maltreatment of a child under age of 18 by a person who is responsible for the child’s welfare under circumstances which indicate that the child’s welfare is threatened or harmed thereby. Various age limits are prescribed by various States and 18 years is not uniform throughout all the States. Also different age limit is set for cases of sexual abuse. Persons responsible for child’s care also include employees of a residential facility or any staff person providing out-of –home care. The law is also very meticulous in defining sexual abuse.
Always investigate allegations of sexual abuse by a vulnerable adult. Examples of Sexual Abuse * Unwanted physical and sexual contact, e.g. caresses; * Intercourse with someone who lacks the capacity to consent; * Rape; * Indecent exposure; * Sexual harassment (verbal or physical); * Displaying pornographic literature videos or internet sites; * Gross indecency. Emotional/psychological abuse: Emotional, psychological abuse is defined as; Inflicting mental pain, anguish, or distress on an elder person through verbal or nonverbal acts. Psychological abuse accounts for 36% of all cases of abuse.
Lastly, there is neglect that is caused by depriving a child of their basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, emotional and physical protection and security, medical/dental care, cleanliness, education, and the proper supervision (yesican). With that being said, there is support to allege that there are over 3 million reports of all forms of child abuse are made every year (childhelp). While there is some merit in coming forward to report suspected child abuse, how many cases are truly acts of abuse and neglect or do the authorities make and honest assessment on cases that are valid. For instance, a young mother suffering from depression tries to make a claim that her child is being abused but the child is being harmed due to her mental instability. Child abuse has been around for ages with people choosing to ignore it but in the early 1870’s it was brought to our country’s attention by a little girl named Mary Ellen Wilson.
Sexually abused children are tormented by shame and guilt. They may feel that they are responsible for the abuse or somehow brought it upon themselves. This can lead to self-loathing and sexual problems as they grow older, often either they will have excessive sexual partners or an inability to have intimate relations. According to State of Nevada Division of Child and Family Services there is “approximately 100,000 cases of child sexual abuse are confirmed annually in the United States (State of Nevada Division of Child and Family Services). If a person is convicted of a sex crime depending on its severity will spend anywhere from 2 years to life in prison (Nevada Legislature,
English 11CP, Period 3 19 December 2012 Child Abuse “Every year 3.3 million reports of child abuse are made in the United States.” (National Child Abuse Statistics) Child abuse is a worldwide problem that needs to be recognized and stopped because these situations can start with the use of corporal punishment, become worse with substance abuse of caretakers, and there will always be myths that everyone questions. Corporal punishment includes a wide range of actions that inflict pain and/or discomfort. This type of issue includes slapping, spanking, swatting, and plenty of other type of “punishment”. “National surveys show that the majority of parents in the United States still use some of these methods, especially with children under
Children’s Rights Project attorney Marsha Robinson Lowry said There are a lot of injuries, a lot of abuse. The most significant thing is the psychological death of so many of these kids. Kids are being destroyed everyday, destroyed by a government- funded system set out to help them. (Thomas, 2005) The bulk of children in foster care have already suffered from an abusive past, so the goal of the system is to put them into a safer environment. Unfortunately that is usually not the case because of the multiple homes that foster children are constantly being switched to the chances of being put into an abusive surrounding is increased.
Purpose: Due to the scope of the issues children face in the 2000s, greater planning, collaboration, and program implementation across disciplines and agencies is required. Listed are a handful of the many reason why: • While their parents work, millions of children in the United States lack safe, affordable, quality child care as well as early childhood education. It is estimated that 7.5 million children are at home alone without supervision; most often after school when they
The act also states special responsibilities imposed on professionals and officials to report abuse. "Professionals and officials have the same duty as any of the public to report a child's need for protection." However, the act recognizes that persons working closely with the children have a special awareness of children who may be in abusive situations. Thus, the legislation gives these professionals a particular reporting responsibility. These responsibilities are a big step and an important part of the battle against child abuse.
Child Abuse Across America: How geography influences child abuse rates in America Did you know that more than five children die every single day as a result of abuse? (11 Facts About Child Abuse) 1 out of every 4 girls will become a victim of abuse by the time they are 17. (11 Facts About Child Abuse) Child abuse is a serious problem in the United States today and it shows no signs of improvement. Child abuse occurs at all socioeconomic classes, across ethnic and cultural lines, within all religions and at all levels of education. However, there are many contributing factors that put a child at much greater risk.
A major total of 71 percent of children have reported that bullying is a problem at their school and 15 percent of all school absentees are directly related to bullying. Every month 282,000 secondary school students are physically attacked. “Bullycide” remains to be the leading cause of deaths of children 14 years of age and younger, while the numbers remain low they are indeed “creeping up”. Suicide rates among 10-14 year olds have increased by 50 percent in the past three decades and in 2005 270 ten to four-teen year old children killed themselves due to bullying, most by hanging. All of these statistics are too high and most are escalating every day, society has to put an end to this trend and