The Negative Effects of Child Abuse and Neglect Essay -- Consequences

Children are beaten until their bodies no longer heal, they are scalded with boiling water, they are starved and so dehydrated that their skin shrivels around their fragile bones, they are sexually assaulted and forced to perform all sorts of perverted acts, and they are locked in closets or tied to bed posts for days on end (Koster and Swisher). In the year of 2012, more than four children a day were killed due to child abuse, and the number seems to be steadily rising (Child Abuse Statistics & Facts). Child abuse is a horrible crime that harms many of the children in today’s society. One problem with this crime is that it is a silent crime, one that most often happens in the privacy of a family’s home. It is sad fact that, due to the crime being hidden, children in society suffer in silence, and not all perpetrators get caught for their crime. However, people need to be aware of the problem, because child abuse has adverse psychological and social effects. Though child abuse has adverse psychological and social effects, to understand how these effects come about, one would need to know what child abuse is. Child abuse is an act â€Å"carried out by a child’s caretaker or allowed to happen, that results in a range of injuries ranging from death, to serious disabling injury, to emotional distress, to malnutrition and illness† (Gelles 14). All these different forms of injuries are what cause children to have psychological and social problems. Doctors, psychiatrists, and legal system all have different interpretations to what defines child abuse. There are varying forms of the definition, but the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act defines child abuse as, â€Å"The physical and mental injury, se... ..., Jacquelyn Quiram, and Nancy R. Jacobs, ed. Child Abuse: Betraying a Trust. Wylie,TX: Information Plus, 1995. Lowry, Laura. Personal interview. 8 Nov. 2002. Mammen, Oommen K., David J. Kolko, and Paul A. Pilkonis. â€Å"Negative Affect and Parental Aggression in Child Physical Abuse.† Child Abuse and Neglect 26 (2002): 407-424. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Roesch Library, Dayton. 17 Oct. 2002 . Mitchell, Brandon J.A. Personal interview. 8 May 2015. Veltman, Marijcke W. M., and Kevin D. Browne. â€Å"Three Decades of Child Maltreatment Research: Implications for the School Years.† Trauma, Violence & Abuse 2 (2001): 215-239. Academic Premier Search. EBSCO. Roesch Library, Dayton. 18 Nov. 2002 . "Child Abuse Statistics & Facts" ChildHelp Web. 3 June 2015. https://www.childhelp.org/child-abuse-statistics/