Violence Against Children

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Parents exist in the lives of their children to meet their physical, emotional, social, and various other needs. What happens when a parent or parents fail to meet these needs? When a parent fails to meet these needs, it is classified as child maltreatment, commonly known as child abuse. There are several forms of child abuse; the signs of each vary making some more obvious, the effects of each can damage the abused person for a lifetime, and discovery is made difficult for some forms because of common misconceptions in society. Child abuse is the term applied to the abuse of anyone under the age of 18. Abuse is not just a bruise on the skin or a broken bone though, there are several forms of abuse and some are unknown to most people. Physical abuse is anything that leaves a mark, causes pain, or causes any type of injury. This includes; punching, slapping, biting, pushing, hitting, kicking, choking, burning, beating, or even throwing the child. Using inappropriate punishment for the child’s age, such as using a belt on a toddler is also considered physical abuse. Most of the time physical abuse is intentional, but if a parent or caretaker gets carried away with disciplining the child it is also considered abuse. Child neglect is a common form of abuse. It is considered child neglect when a child is not given the things that they need; such as food, love, shelter, medical care, proper clothing, education or supervision. An example of this would be parents allowing their child to miss school for extended periods of time, or never enrolling their child in school to begin with. Sexual abuse is also known as child molestation, rape, and sexual assault. This form of abuse does not have to be physical though, it is any form of sexual... ... middle of paper ... ...abused. Works Cited 1.) "Child Abuse & Neglect." : Recognizing, Preventing and Reporting Child Abuse. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2014. . 2.) "Adult Surviving Child Abuse About Resources What Is Child Abuse?" Adult Surviving Child Abuse About Resources What Is Child Abuse? N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. . 3.) "Adult Surviving Child Abuse About Resources Types of Child Abuse." Adult Surviving Child Abuse About Resources Types of Child Abuse. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. . 4.) Kim, Henny H. Child Abuse. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 2000. Print. 5.) Gordon, Sherri Mabry. Beyond Bruises: The Truth about Teens and Abuse. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow, 2009. Print.

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