ART 3170 Civic Engagement: Social Issues "Action" Project: Child Abuse

Child Abuse

What is child abuse?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the noun "child abuse" is defined as, "maltreatment of a child, esp. consisting of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, neglect, or any combination of these."

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Different types of child abuse

The Joyful Heart Foundation lists the following as different forms of child abuse:

Physical Abuse: non-accidental physical injury from beating, kicking, shaking, throwing, or otherwise harming a child.

Emotional Abuse: behavior that impairs a child’s emotional development or sense of self-worth, such as constant criticism and threats.

Psychological Abuse: behavior that affects a child’s sense of worth, such as harsh demands and yelling.

Sexual Abuse: any sexual act on a child by an adult or older child, with or without force or threat of force, such as verbal seduction or abuse, anal or vaginal intercourse, oral sex, or manual stimulation.

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Childhood is something which is illustrated as a happy and safe time, but the reality of the situation is far from true. According to Child Help, "Every year more than 3.6 million referrals are made to child protection agencies involving more than 6.6 million children. The United States has on of the worst records among industrialized nations- losing on average between four and seven children every day to child abuse and neglect." If your childhood was anything like mine, physical abuse as a form of punishment for misbehaving was normalized. The abuse which I was subjected to as a child did not teach me anything about what I did wrong, all it taught me was that I could not trust my parents or anyone as a matter of fact since the two people who claimed to love and care for me the most were the ones causing me the most physical, emotional and psychological damage. No child should have to live in fear in their own home and should not have to fear or mistrust their parents.
Another form of abuse which was and is still normalized is that of sexual abuse. I say this for two reasons, one being that while I was a child and a teenager I recall girls around my age dating boys or men far too old for them...some even became pregnant. I currently work as a tutor in a High School and this type of abuse is still extremely prevalent. Freshmen girls are dating and having sex with men as old as thirty-something, and their parents do not seem to care. According to The National Center For Victims of Crime, "1 in 5 girls and 1 in 20 boys is a victim of child sexual abuse. During a one-year period in the U.S., 16% of youth ages 14 to 17 had been sexually victimized; Over the course of their lifetime, 28% of U.S. youth ages 14 to 17 had been sexually victimized." There is also a misconception which people believe that all children who have been sexually abused have been done so by adults, but Darkness to Light statistics show that "As many as 40% of children who are sexually abused are abused by older or more powerful children."

Community/Victims of Child Abuse

1) Susana Gutierrez

I am against child abuse because as a child my siblings and I were abused. As a child, I would always see my older brother get beat with a wood turner that was used to make tamales (3 inches thick). Not only my brothers but my older sister and I would get beat. Other items my parents used to beat us were sandals and spatulas (my mother's go-to item). One time we almost got taken away from our parents because my father had stabbed my brother with a screwdriver, but my parents had us lie to the social worker. Even after that incident, my parents did not stop beating us. They would also hit us with their hands and my father is a very buff man who loves to exercise. I've been told by Beatriz that every 10 seconds a report on child abuse is called in. I wouldn't like children to have to go through the same form of abuse I went through.

2) Monica Lomely

El abuso infantil tiene diferentes fasetas. Algunas son visibles como el abuso fisico que no se puede ocultar pero creo que el que deja mayor huella en el corazón para tod tu vida es el abuso verbal y emocional. El que te digan constantemente "no sirves para nada" "eres un tonto" o lo que interiormente creas que no sirves para nada y te hace un niño temeroso con una auto estima baja carente de afecto y por con, siguiente incapaz de tomar desiciones importantes para tu vida. Quien lo provoca? Padres intolerantes que mal entienden la manera de educar a los hijos, padres que quieren tener hijos perfectos que aun siendo niños quieren que actuen como adultos.

3) Valentina Lomely

When it comes to child abuse, I am completely against it. I think that it's unjust for children to be treated in some very bad horrible ways. People need to think on what they do especially against children. This abuse could leave children, the people of our future, traumatized. Therefore, I believe that child abuse should be stopped for good.

Work Cited

“Child Abuse.” Joyfulheartfoundation.org, www.joyfulheartfoundation.org/learn/child-abuse-neglect/about-issue.

“Child Abuse.” Novabucks.org, www.novabucks.org/otherinformation/childabuse/.

“Child Abuse Statistics.” Childhelp, www.childhelp.org/child-abuse-statistics/#physical.

“Child Sexual Abuse Statistics.” Child Sexual Abuse Statistics, victimsofcrime.org/media/reporting-on-child-sexual-abuse/child-sexual-abuse-statistics.

“CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE STATISTICS.” CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE STATISTICS, Darkness to Light, 22 Dec. 2015.

“Parents Can Help Prevent Child Abuse.” Secureteen.com, www.secureteen.com/child-abuse-prevention/what-parents-can-do-to-prevent-child-abuse/.

MrHeschle. YouTube, YouTube, 11 Mar. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOeQUwdAjE0.

KatiMorton. YouTube, YouTube, 16 Oct. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNlSPUQ17u0.