Lately, we are all hearing more and more news about children who are being abused. Not only does this happen in some of the homes or out in the streets somewhere, but in a place where it would seem most unlikely to happen. This happens in our public schools also. Child abuse has been happening so frequently in the schools, that all employees who work with children, have to take the Child Awareness Abuse Test. There is a federal law mandating that anyone working with children who are aware of a child being abused, must be reported to the child protection agency.
Now you may ask, “Exactly what constitutes child abuse besides physical harm?” The answer is, any form of serious mistreatment. It can be physical, mental, emotional, or using a child for sex gratification.
Physical abuse of children is one of the most common type of abuse. We read about this in the newspapers and hear about this on television constantly. The National Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect state that well over two million in the US are maltreated each year. Included in this number of children who are abused, are those who are sexually abused and psychologically abused. Being psychologically abused is when a child does not get the love or approval of a parent or an important person in their life.
You may want to know what causes parents to abuse their children. There are several reasons. One common reason for parents to abuse their children is due to the fact that sometimes when parents themselves have been mistreated, they carry this trait on with them when they have children. This is particularly true when people have become parents at a young age. This is also at a time when they are too immature and inexperienced to be able to cope with the demands that are made by a young child. Child abuse is also common when a parent is not capable of handling their own emotions. This is common among people who get angry very easily.
In recent years, one of the most common type of child abuse is rape. Raping a child is not only due to a man’s sexual desire, but often due to hostility and a great deal of anger. It is during this act when he can temporarily release his hostile feelings. Many of these men will rape women because of these feelings, but those who rape children, sometimes do so because they feel their actions won’t be reported.
Besides the physical damage that can happen to a child who has been raped, it is very common, especially in a very young child, the psychological effects it can have. The emotional damage is often very severe. The damaging effect that rape can have on a child, can remain through adult life. This can include anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder. A child can also have nightmares and have bad dreams as an adult.
As we are all aware of, alcoholism, drug addiction, and emotional problems are other reasons for being abusive parents.
For children or teenagers who suffer from psychological trauma, rape crisis counseling can be very beneficial.
Source: The American Medical Association, Encyclopedia of Medicine