Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Ms. Joshi
Pre-English
7/28/17
Child Abuse
Child abuse was an avoided topic for ages. Between not wanting to intervene on
parenting techniques and victims not mentioning when they were being abused, the topic
remained in the dark for a very long time. However, in current time one can find more cases of
child abuse on the news and within schools due to state laws; All States, the District of
Columbia, and U.S. territories have reporting statutes for child abuse and neglect. These statutes
outline who must report, to whom the abuse or neglect must be reported, and the form and
content of the report (Crosson-Tower, pg. 30). Unfortunately many cases remain unreported
and/or are left unreported for years into the person's abuse, in fact children who face child abuse
are often encouraged by their abuser(s) to remain silent. In Ginger Kadlec article, 7 Reasons Kids
Dont Disclose Child Abuse, revealing the true estimated number of children abused in the
United States was around 2.8 million in 1993 compared to the 1.4 million estimated in 1986.
Despite the recent attention and action based response given to child abuse cases, I often
wonder what next? For persons who have experienced child abuse, a crucial part of the recovery
process is what happens after they bring their situation to light, and/or get out of it by entering
adulthood without ever telling anyone. Personally, the hardest part of being a victim of child
abuse was figuring out what it would be like to live with it for the rest of my life. The first night I
slept under a different roof than that of my abusers, I dreamt they were still there with me; I
feared them and I missed them. I went through so much mentally when I got away from them,
that it took a larger impact on my academic life than the past 16 years of abuse had. This leads
me to ask, does child abuse hinder the development of said victim? In order to look into this we
will first have to look at the definition of child abuse. What things do or do not fall into the
category of child abuse? When thinking about the future of an abuse victim it is important to
consider in their development, what they consider proper treatment for themselves and others. In
other words, does child abuse make the victim more likely to exhibit aggressive behaviors
towards themselves and/or others? If studies do indeed show that children are very unlikely to
report their abuse then chances are they will normalize it in order to live with it (Taylor and
Francis).
Talking about child abuse can feel like crossing a line. When it comes to parenting, there
will always be disagreements about the best forms of discipline for children. For this reason child
abuse has to be part of continuous research. As of now child abuse can be defined using four
categories: physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect, sexual abuse and child prostitution, and
child labor (Unite For Sight, Inc). Unfortunately all of these categories remain way too high. For
that reason, I argue that an educational method is important in the effort towards stopping child
abuse. Researchers and specialist agree that there are many reasons behind child abuse, we
cannot stop it unless we learn them inside and out. From women who faced domestic violence
and then abused their kids to people who sell children for the money, we have to be well
educated on the topic in order to continue our efforts against it. In my Experience, families who
are identified as having ongoing abuse are given counseling opportunities. Not to say that the
victim shouldn't be centered, in any child abuse case the child should be the first concern. They
should be taken care of mentally, emotionally, and physically; once that is addressed the family
aspect can be looked into and mediation for the wellbeing of that child should be considered.
Child abuse is not the end of a family for all, but child abuse that goes un identified very well
could be detrimental to a family's relationships. Having the ability to notice signs of abuse and
knowing how to proceed once they are identified could be what saves said child. Education over
this topic will be as close as people who have not experienced child abuse will get to
Many know that trauma is a lifelong ordeal, we see it in victims of rape, in our soldiers,
in murder witnesses, and more. For children who face child abuse the same is true (Powers, etal).
They are facing the abuse at a very critical developmental time, as a child you learn morals,
values, self love, and much more. If all you receive is abuse, then how do you achieve a normal
development? What does the real development of victims of child abuse look like? Fortunately
we have ways of supporting people who experience trauma in the forms of counseling, support
groups, group counseling, etc. if we as a society provide these then its because we know
traumatic events can change the course of a person's health or even overall life. It is of
paramount that we understand in what ways that impact happens so that we can prevent it. The
more you understand a topic the more likely you are to prevent it from happening. The more you
are able to identify signs of child abuse the more likely you are to stop it. That goes for the
abuser, the abused, and third parties. Finally, much like many victims of other forms of abuse it is
very likely that child abuse victims blame themselves (Hazzard), we as a society cannot possibly
stand idly by as innocent victims take the blame for something they could not have possibly
caused. It is our moral obligation to identify cases of child abuse and learn the effects of it on the
individual.
Works Cited
"Effects of Child Abuse and Neglect." Joyfulheartfoundation.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 July
2017.
Hazzard, Ann, Marianne Celano, Jenny Gould, Suzanne Lawry, and Carrol Webb.
Kadlec, Ginger. "7 Reasons Kids Don't Disclose Child Abuse." Project Eve. N.p., 21 Sept.
Powers, Abigail, Negar Fani, Dorthie Cross, Kerry J. Ressler, and Bekh Bradley.
"Unite For Sight." Child Labor and Child Abuse in Developing Countries. N.p., n.d. Web.
30 July 2017.
United States. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children
Child Abuse and Neglect. The Role of Educators in Preventing and Responding to
Child Abuse and Neglect. By Cynthia Crosson-Tower. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 July 2017.
Wissow, Lawrence S. "Child Abuse and Neglect NEJM." New England Journal of