The Sad Truth On Child Abuse

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The Sad Truth on Child Abuse

“Childhood should be carefree, playing in the sun; not living a nightmare in the darkness of the soul” (Pelzer). In other words, childhood should be filled with happy memories, not depressing events. Child abuse and molestation is an issue that occurs frequently. Child abuse is the “physical maltreatment or sexual molestation of a child” (Oxford Dictionary). Child abuse is an issue that can potentially affect a child’s life and their way of being permanently. Kids should be able to distinguish right from wrong when it comes to violence and molestation . The term “prevention techniques” refers to what can be done to minimize the chance of that particular thing happening. Penalties applied to child molestation
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However, the three main forms of child abuse that occur more frequently are neglect, physical abuse and sexual abuse. Neglection towards the child is the act of the parent or caregiver not caring for the child’s well being or giving them affection. In other words, neglect is not giving the child their basic needs. “Neglect can result in physical and psychological developtment delays. A neglectful mother may not feed her baby properly, which can slow brain developtment, or an emotionally abusive father may damage his child’s ability to form trusting relationships” (Understanding Child Abuse). Physical abuse is when the parent purposefully causes the child an injury. Physical abuse includes striking, kicking, burning, biting, hair pulling, choking, throwing, shoving, whipping or any other action that injures a child. Lastly, sexual abuse is “the use, persuasion or forcing of a child to engage in sexual acts or imitation” (Understanding Child Abuse). All of these specific forms of maltreatment can have many negative effects on the child, whether it is physical or …show more content…
However, there are numerous signs that demonstrate that the abuse is occurring. When a child is being neglected, the signs may include low body weight, hygiene problems, and clothing that is not in good conditions (Child Abuse). When a child is subjected to physical maltreatment, the signs may be aggression towards other children, fear of parents or other adults, and wears long sleeves out of season. When a child is being sexually abused, some signs that they may show are lack of self confidence, aggression, and sleep disturbance. These three main forms of abuse all have one sign in common: Depression. When a child is being abused, they may go through many changes as well. One general change that a child might go through is their behavior. A child that is going through maltreatment will most likely begin to act aggressive, depressed or show lack of enthusiasm and energy towards things that they usually enjoyed. “Sometimes, abuse can lead to lasting or recurring health problems, such as shaken baby syndrome or impaired brain development” (Causes & Effects of Child Abuse). Also, their performance in school changes. If the child is usually an outstanding student, their performance will weaken. All of these factors can show that a child is being molested. Many of these signs should be paid attention to, in order to know if a child is currently in danger of abuse or molestation, especially their physical