Introduction
Child abuse can have various immediate as well as long-term effects. Physical violence on children can lead them to stress that might damage their mental development and immune systems. Slow cognitive development, School dropouts or bad performance, mental disorders, suicide attempts, and health risks are some consequences that one might face if he has been the victim of child maltreatment. There exist various social programs that have been instituted with the cause of prevention of child abuse. These programs promote non-violent values and norms, strengthen economic security and families’ income, provide life skills training and education, offer support services and create a secure environment for the children by enforcing laws that oppose child abuse.
Child Maltreatment
Constant abuse, either physical or emotional or even just being a witness to domestic violence happening to others can interfere with the secure environment that children are being brought up in. They develop a sense of fear and lack of self-worth. Children being constantly exposed to such traumas experience health risks and long-term problems such as chronic mental illness, addictive and psychiatric disorders, and vocational, legal and family problems. Studies suggest the children who are exposed to family violence, maltreatment or loss of their guardians develop one or more of these seven domains of impairment; affect regulation, attachment, dissociation, biology, cognition, self-concept, and behavioral regulation.
Children develop their self-worth and psychological representations of other relationships during their early childhood. If the source of their traumas is their caregivers in any way, it is certain that their attachment relationship will be compromised. The majority of abused children are found to have developed attachment patterns that are way too insecure. When the parents are distressed, occupied, distressed or unpredictable; children get distressed as well and grow to be socially challenged (Best, 2017)
Child abuse and trauma are very unhealthy for a nation. Therefore, they need to be resolved through proper intervention and prevention. The chronic abuse strongly affects the development of the brain and the mind. Child trauma is a public health problem that must be urgently cured. This trauma leads to uncontrollable responses to stress. About 3 million children in the United States are at risk because of maltreatment and physical abuse. The costs that are directly associated with child maltreatment are estimated to be about $24.4 billion, which includes the costs of treatment of mental health and chronic health problems, hospitalization, the judicial system, and law enforcement expenses and child welfare services. However, the indirect costs of special education, adult mental health, adult criminality, juvenile delinquency are around $69.7 billion.
A study was conducted in the year 2017 to perform an analysis of the child abuse situation in the United States. It has been mentioned before that around 3 billion children are most likely to get affected by maltreatment every year and face different kinds of multiple disorders. Most of them have been physically abused. A survey was conducted by the Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) to measure the ratio of adults with psychological problems and determine whether it is due to childhood abuse, family dysfunction or neglect. 30.1% were found to be physically abused, 23.5% got exposed to family abuse, and 19.9% were sexually abused, 18.8% faced exposure with mental illness, 12.5% of them watched their mothers getting battered, and around 5 percent were exposed to family drug abuse.
The families can play a major role in the treatment of the abused Childs. Their support is something that can help children recover from such traumatic experiences very quickly. Rapid improvements are observed in such cases where the families of the sexually or physically abused children are standing behind them. Surveys suggest that the mental health condition of the children who face physical violence or abuse from their families is relatively severe as compared to those who face an accident or get victimized by an impersonal trauma. The role that the family environment played in the victimization, the response of the parents towards the abuse, the extent to which parents got affected by the traumatic event and their psychopathology are some additional factors that determine the fate of the child after being exposed to trauma.
Children who get exposed to abusive trauma are more likely to develop certain psychological disorders such as depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, sexualized behavior, school problems, and dissociative disorders. It indicates that maltreatment is not only a stressor but also affects one’s psychological, biological and regulatory capacities. The children who are exposed to adults who smoke on a regular basis are also at certain risks. It also includes being in touch with the byproducts of smoking materials on furniture or clothing such as tobacco. This exposure is unhealthy for children. They might get breathing problems. Also, the people who are exposed to drugs and smokes in their childhood are more likely to get involved in smoking-related addictive disorders in their adulthood (Brody, 2018).
However, the good news is that child abuse is preventable. Parenting programs need to be initiated to create awareness among the parents of society regarding the issue of child maltreatment. Parents should make their children aware of their body parts at an early age. They should have this sense that their body belongs to them, and no one should be touching their private parts. In case a kid gets sexually abused, he requires a certain feeling of comfort and trust to tell it to anyone. Parents should let their kids know that they would be understood and supported in every situation. Research suggested that child abuse has decreased by 65% in the United States over the past 25 years (Peachman, 2017).
The survey should be conducted every 10 years to better understand the reasons for child maltreatment and how it can be prevented. Children must be groomed, and awareness must be spread regarding the issue. A 2016-17 survey reported that every day, 52 children are at risk of being sexually abused. The figure is way too high. Studies and surveys in which a higher number of children are involved can help analyze more effective methods to prevent child abuse (BBC News, 2018).
One way that this mistreatment can be reduced is by reporting about it. Doctors’ caretakers, teachers, and law enforcement providers must be obligated to report any abuse that comes into their knowledge to the state authorities or courts. People from Child-welfare agencies should then investigate by interviewing the children and their parents and taking a close look at their environment (Rubin, 2018). But most of us do not want to speak about the wrongdoings that are happening right in front of us. It is because humans are brought up in a way that they are taught to follow what the person having higher authority tells us to do. It can be as bad as killing an innocent. But it is in our psychology that we are obedient to authority. Other reasons why people do not speak up about the abuse can be greed, fear, and lack of integrity or narcissism. Hence, it is important to make it necessary for every citizen to report about the abuse or he/she will be held equally responsible (Caprion, 2017).
Making the reporting mandatory and emphasizing this culture seems logical, but no evidence has been found, it would do any help in reality. If we look at the facts, more reporting contributes to making the environment less safe for children. People start reporting about everything; most of the reports are not even true, but it diverts the caseworkers’ attention from children who need help actually (Raz, 2018).
Conclusion
The child maltreatment is a very significant issue that needs to be resolved. The children of a country are every nation’s future and hence, their growth, be it mental or physical, must be given proper consideration. Child abuse is one bitter reality of our society. No matter how much we avoid talking about it, it is not only happening in the country but also happening on a huge. The majority of the children are at risk of being treated abusively whether physically, sexually, emotionally or psychologically. Developments of their brains of the effected Childs are severely affected, and health problems are observed in the survivors of the abuse. The protection of children from maltreatment is important. Thus, proper measures must be taken to prevent it. Certain programs should be instituted to create public awareness.
Information regarding the protective factors and well-being of the children must be promoted. Research must be conducted on what programs really work and what they do not so that awareness and social programs can be implemented accordingly. The sustainability of the prevention programs is not possible without family engagement and the collaboration of the community partners as cultural competence, funding and training are required. The effectiveness of these programs must be analyzed before implementing them as they can be very costly sometimes.
References
BBC News. (2018, March 27). Scale of child abuse survey ‘needed every 10 years. Retrieved from BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-43399010
Best, J. (2017). Images of issues: Typifying contemporary social problems (2 ed.). Routledge.
Brody, J. E. (2018, September 17). The Risks to Children from Adults Who Smoke. Retrieved from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/17/well/
live/the-risks-to-children-from-adults-who-smoke.html
Caprion, K. (2017, November 24). Why We Don’t Speak Up Against Sexual Abuse Of Others When We Know Of It. Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathycaprino/
2017/11/24/why-we-dont-speak-up-against-sexual-abuse-of-others-when-we-know-of-it/#7e75f60ba8ba
Peachman, R. R. (2017, November 16). What Parents Can Do to Help Keep Their Children Safe from Assault. Retrieved from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/16/well/
family/how-to-help-your-child-not-be-a-metoo.html
Raz, M. (2018, May 1). More mandatory reporting won’t keep children safe from predators. Retrieved from The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2018/05/01/more-mandatory-reporting-wont-keep-children-safe-from-predators/?utm_term=.a2bc77554e1b
Rubin, J. (2018, June 20). It’s this simple: Report the abuse. Retrieved from The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/06/20/its-this-simple-report-the-abuse/?utm_term=.c1fbd0d8abd5
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