Child Abuse

Child Abuse..

What is child Abuse?

Child abuse or child maltreatment is physical , sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to act by a parent or a caregiver that results in actual or potential harm to a child, and can occur in a child's home, or in the organizations, schools or communities the child interacts with.

Types of child abuse.

Physical Abuse:-

• Most children are abused at home or by someone they know. They often love this person, or are afraid of them, so they do not tell anyone.
• Child abuse can happen to a child of any race, religion, or economic status..

• Child physical abuse is when a person physically hurts a child. The abuse is not an accident. Here are some examples of child physical abuse:

  • Hitting and beating a child
  • Hitting a child with an object, such as a belt or a stick
  • Kicking a child
  • Burning a child with hot water, a cigarette, or an iron
  • Holding a child under water
  • Tying up a child
  • Severely shaking a baby

Sexual Abuse:- Child sexual abuse, also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whether by asking or pressuring, or by other means), indecent exposer (of the genitals, female nipples, etc.), child grooming, and child sexual  exploitations including using a child to produce child pornography.

Prevention:-

Research shows that the two most effective ways to prevent abuse are education and training of adults and skills training in children. When school-based programs are used in conjunction with parental involvement, they produce more benefits than either approach does individually.

When focusing on children, the goals are to increase their knowledge and use of strategies that prevent victimization and to create an empowering atmosphere that leads to increased disclosure rates. Studies indicate that the likelihood of a child reporting abuse is a significant deterrent to perpetrators, and perpetrators may be less likely to victimize a child with high self-esteem who appears less vulnerable.

Psychological Abuse:-

Psychological abuse, often called emotional abuse, is a form of abuse characterized by a person subjecting or exposing another person to behavior that may result in psychological trauma including anxiety chronic disease, or post traumatic stress disorder It is often associated with situations of power imbalance in abusive relationship, and may include bullying , gaslighting, and abuse in the workplace It also may be perpetrated by persons conducting torture other violence, acute or prolonged human rights abuse particularly without legal redress such as detention without trial , false accusations , false convictions and extreme defamation such as where perpetrated by state and media.

Prevention:-

In Intimated Relationships.

Recognition of abuse is the first step to prevention. It is often difficult for abuse victims to acknowledge their situation and to seek help. For those who do seek help, research has shown that people who participate in an intimate partner violence prevention program report less psychological aggression toward their targets of psychological abuse, and reported victimization from psychological abuse decreased over time for the treatment group

In the Family.

Child abuse in the sole form of emotional/psychological maltreatment is often the most difficult to identify and prevent, as child protective services is often the only method of intervention, and the institute "must have demonstrable evidence that harm to a child has been done before they can intervene. And, since emotional abuse doesn’t result in physical evidence such as bruising or malnutrition, it can be very hard to diagnose. Some researchers have, however, begun to develop methods to diagnose and treat such abuse, including the ability to: identify risk factors, provide resources to victims and their families, and ask appropriate questions to help identify the abuse

Prevention for Child Abuse:-

1. Be a nurturing parent.
   Children need to know that they are special, loved, and capable of following their dreams.                                
2. Help a friend, neighbor, or relative.
   Being a parent isn’t easy. Offer a helping hand take care of the children, so the parents can rest or spend time together.                                                                                                                                                        
3. Help yourself.
   When the big and little problems of your everyday life pile up to the point you feel overwhelmed and out of control—take time out. Don’t take it out on your kid.                                                                                                 
4. If your baby cries…
   It can be frustrating to hear your baby cry. Learn what to do if your baby won’t stop crying. Never shake a baby—shaking a child may result in severe injury or death.                                                                                 
5. Get involved.
   Ask your community leaders, clergy, library, and schools to develop services to meet the needs of healthy children and families                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  _ Rohan Singh Chauhan.