Child abuse stories are seen in the news, but some people may not know the severity of child abuse until they see the hard-cold facts. Here are some of the themes that Americanspcc.org shares.
74.8% of victims are neglected
Child neglect abuse is failure to handle children with proper care. Psychologytoday.com states some of the reasons why children are neglect by parents because of circumstances that place families under extraordinary stress—for instance, poverty, divorce, sickness, disability—sometimes take their toll in the maltreatment of children. Parents who abuse alcohol or other drugs are more likely to abuse or neglect their children.
18.2% of victims are physically abused
Some signs of physical abuse are clearly noticeable such as cuts, bruises, broken bones, and black eyes. These are short-term effects of abuse. Healthyplace.com shares long-term effects of abuse. Some of them are heart disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), arthritis, and chronic pain syndromes. These are not easy to overcome.
Almost 60,000 children are sexually abused
60,000 is a big number! The Stopping Child Sexual Abuse post gives insight to help put an end to it:
Talking about sexual abuse can be uncomfortable to do, but it needs to be done. Children need to be aware of predators and their intentions.
Parents need to use proper terminology for their children’s intimate body parts such as penis and vagina as well as breasts. This shows little ones that there is nothing to be ashamed of
Adverse Childhood Experiences
People who’ve been abused, neglected or traumatized at a young age have gone through Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE). On the Understanding Trauma page, people can check their score by answering 10 confidential questions.
Child abuse prevention
Children shouldn’t be treated this way. How can this horrific act be stopped? Preventchildabuse.org gives 10 tips to child prevention. Here are the top 5:
Be a nurturing parent. Children need to know that they are special, loved and capable of following their dreams.
Help a friend, neighbor or relative. Being a parent isn’t easy. Offer a helping hand take care of the children, so the parent(s) can rest or spend time together.
Help yourself. When the big and little problems of your everyday life pile up to the point you feel overwhelmed and out of control – take time out. Don’t take it out on your kid.
If your baby cries… It can be frustrating to hear your baby cry. Learn what to do if your baby won’t stop crying. Never shake a baby – shaking a child may result in severe injury or death.
Get involved. Ask your community leaders, clergy, library and schools to develop services to meet the needs of healthy children and families.
People may not know much about child abuse. Therefore it’s important to get educated. No child should live his or her life in harm. This issue can be put to an end if people come together and do everything they can. Change is hard to be made by one person, but it can be done if groups of people fight as one.
Do you know your score?
Discover your ACE score and unlock a new understanding of your life. Take the test and gain insights into how your early experiences shape your well-being. Don't let your past define you – empower yourself with knowledge.
Joanne Marszal
Author
I live in West Palm Beach Florida and I have a Multimedia Journalism degree from Florida Atlantic University. Writing is my passion. I love helping people with information they need to know.