Relationships, Marriage, and Family - Child Abuse (SOCI 1306 Sociology)

Relationships, Marriage, and Family SOCI 1306 Child Abuse Among the most defenceless victims of abuse are children. An estimated 5.9 million children were the subject of more than 3.3 million allegations of child abuse in 2010 (Child Help 2011). Professionals such as educators, police officers, and social workers report child abuse in three-fifths of cases. Anonymous sources, more family members, parents, friends, and neighbours make up the remaining ones. There are many different types of child abuse, but the most prevalent one is neglect (78.3%), which is followed by physical abuse (10.8%), sexual abuse (7.6%), psychological maltreatment (7.6%), and medical neglect (2.4%) (Child Help 2011). Some kids experience more than one of these types of maltreatment. Of those who commit crimes, parents make up the majority (81.2%), followed by other relatives (6.2%). Among all age groups, newborns (those under a year old) had the highest incidence rate (20.6 per 1,000 infants). Since this age group depends solely on their parents for care, they are more susceptible to neglect. While some parents may not intentionally ignore their children, a number of variables, including poverty, cultural norms, and societal standards of care, can contribute to dangerously high levels of neglect. Child welfare services may step in if parents have access to knowledge or help from public or private resources but choose not to use them (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). Infants are frequently the targets of physical abuse as well, especially when it takes the form of forceful shaking. Shaken-baby syndrome, a collection of medical symptoms including brain edoema and retinal haemorrhage brought on by violently shaking or striking an infant's head, is the term used to characterise this kind of physical abuse. Shaking is most commonly triggered by a baby's cries. When parents are unable to calm a baby down, they may shake the infant a lot in an attempt to vent their irritation. This kind of abuse may also be caused by other stressors including a weak economy, unemployment, and a general discontent with parental life. Although there isn't a formal central registry for information on shaken newborns, it's believed that 1,400 babies are shaken-related deaths or major injuries occur year (Barr 2007). Child abuse transcends racial and cultural boundaries and happens in all socioeconomic and educational contexts. Parents who show resistance to these challenges are less likely to mistreat their children, just as parental stress—including financial stress—is frequently linked to child abuse (Samuels 2011). Younger parents usually have lower stress tolerance, especially when it comes to the stress of being a new parent. Compared to their elder counterparts, teenage moms are more prone to harm their children. There is a decreasing chance of maltreatment as parents get older. Compared to children born to mothers ages twenty to twenty-one, children born to mothers fifteen years of age or younger have a twofold higher chance of experiencing abuse or neglect by the time they are five years old (George and Lee 1997). It is also well recognised that drug and alcohol misuse contributes to child maltreatment. According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway (2011), children raised by substance abusers are four times more likely to experience neglect and are three times as likely to experience physical abuse than other children. A history of maltreatment as a kid, depression, social isolation, and low parental education are additional risk factors. A third of children who are mistreated will go on to abuse other children (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2006). The long-term consequences of child maltreatment affect a kid's mental, emotional, and physical health. This group is prone to injury, poor health, and mental instability; by the age of twenty-one, eighty percent of them fit the description of one or more psychiatric illnesses, including depression, anxiety, or suicidal behaviour. Children who have experienced abuse may also struggle socially and cognitively. The majority of child abuse victims—though not all—will be impacted by behavioural effects. Adolescent abuse victims are 25 percent more likely to have challenges such as low scholastic achievement and teen pregnancy, or to participate in criminal activities such as drug addiction and general misbehaviour. Additionally, they are more likely to engage in hazardous sexual behaviours, which raises the possibility that they may get an STD (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2006). Abuse of drugs and alcohol is another dangerous behaviour. kid abuse problems are not limited to the kid and family; they also influence society at large, with implications for the criminal justice, health, and education systems.