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Child abuse is like a virus - it attacks the host organism and alters it
physically. It self-replicates. "Infection" creates a downward spiral
through generations, each victim more likely to infect more and more
victims. Children who survive abuse to adulthood in turn are more likely to
abuse their own children who, if they survive, grow up more likely to abuse
their own children, who...
Child abuse is not just an individual or familial problem. Unless you avoid
people entirely, it is nearly impossible to go a day without encountering a
survivor of childhood abuse. Children who survive abuse grow up more likely
to negatively impact our society in many ways, not just by handing down the
legacy of abuse to their own children. Child abuse bursts out of the family
and infects our society with callousness and cynicism, anger and violence,
and crime, drugs and disease.
The effects of child abuse on victims are devastating and life-long, and its
effects on our society are pervasive. Still, it is difficult to measure the
prevalence of abuse in our society, and no attempts to measure so far have
overcome the basic difficulties of underreporting. This is frustrating
because we seem to be able to measure everything else from the number of
thumbtacks produced annually to the number of times the average person
thinks about sex every week. It reflects an attitude in our nation and in
our government - our priorities are skewed. Also frustrating is the fact
that there are many simple, cost-effective solutions to the problem of child
abuse and neglect. Still, they are not funded. On the hopeful side, the
private sector and volunteer organizations have taken the leadership role in
healing our society of the effects of abuse. There are many organizations,
staffed by volunteers and funded through donations, which are doing good
work to prevent and fix the problem. You should get involved.
How Are Child Abuse and Neglect Defined By Law?
The Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) (42 U.S.C.A
§5106g), provides the following definitions:
Child is:
A person who has not attained the age of 18, except in cases of sexual
abuse, or the age specified by the child protection law of the State in
which the child resides.
Child abuse and neglect is, at a minimum:
Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which
results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or
exploitation. An act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk
of serious harm.
Sexual abuse is:
The employment, use, persuasion, inducement, enticement, or coercion of any
child to engage in, or assist any other person to engage in, any sexually
explicit conduct or simulation of such conduct for the purpose of producing
a visual depiction of such conduct. The rape, and in cases of caretaker or
inter-familial relationships, statutory rape, molestation, prostitution, or
other form of sexual exploitation of children, or incest with children.
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Each State is responsible for providing its own definitions of child
abuse and neglect within the civil and criminal context.
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Definitions propose four main types of child abuse (physical abuse, sexual
abuse, emotional abuse, and child neglect), but rarely if ever does one form
of abuse occur alone. The idea in itself is absurd. Physical abuse and
sexual abuse never occur in the absence of emotional abuse. Children who are
sexually abused often suffer physical injuries. When one form of abuse does
exist in absence of others, it is likely to be emotional abuse.
10
Abuse is divided into four categories for policy, research and treatment
purposes - the different types of abuse have different effects, different
types of perpetrators and different types of interventions. Sexual abusers
are mostly males. Men and women inflict physical and emotional abuse, and
women make up most of the cases of neglect. (Of course, most of the women
prosecuted for neglect are single mothers - the men who abandoned their
families and their responsibilities are almost never prosecuted for neglect.
You'll find that many things make absolutely no sense when it comes to child
abuse).
Many abuse survivors are highly competent in their professional and personal
lives, compensating for the adverse effects of an abusive childhood until
some added stress is introduced, perhaps a physical illness, birth of a
child, or the death of a family member. 11
Beyond the obvious effects of child abuse (physical injury and
stress-related physical ailments) victims of emotional, physical, sexual,
and verbal abuse experience psychological damage that can last a lifetime.
The results of abuse may include chronic depression, anxiety, behavior
problems, problems in school - the list goes on and on.
The links below offer answers to questions about child abuse and resources
for children and families. Hopefully, this will guide you to a better
understanding of the problem and maybe inspire you to get involved by
contacting your senator or congress person (tell them to spend your tax cut
on fixing this situation!), volunteering your time or donating your money
toward prevention or treatment organizations.
Newton, C. J.
Child
Abuse: An Overview TherapistFinder.net Mental Health Journal.
April, 2001.
For full article including footnote references, please follow the link
above.
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