por What is child abuse?
He child abuse It is the physical, psychological or sexual abuse of a child, occurring more frequently by parents, caregivers, teachers or close relatives. It is a frequent sociological phenomenon; a quarter of all adults report having been physically abused as children.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines child abuse as any act of abuse or neglect to which children and adolescents under 18 years of age are subjected, which harms their health or development.
Child abuse does not only refer to physical abuse or sexual abuse, it also includes neglect and psychological abuse. Other actions, such as commercial exploitation, neglect, or emotional indifference, are also considered child abuse.
Types of child maltreatment
physical abuse
It occurs when physical force is used to cause harm to the minor. Includes all intentional actions that cause physical harm to the child: blows, burns, scratches, punctures, violent jolts, etc.
The beaten child
Children who are physically beaten or abused have marks, bruises, and bruises over large areas of their bodies, and wounds in various stages of healing.
They frequently also present multiple fractures produced on different dates, injuries to the nervous system or head trauma that show physical abuse, harsh and repeated over time.
The shaken infant (shaken baby syndrome)
Violent shaking is a common form of abuse in very young children: most are less than nine months old.
These shakes can cause hemorrhages in the brain, in the retina, and small “splinter” fractures in the joints of the child’s arms and legs, caused by a rapid and forceful shaking.
Shaking can cause long-term consequences, such as delayed psychomotor development, cerebral palsy, blindness, or even death.
Neglect or abandonment
Neglect happens when the family member does not care for the minor properly. It is a lack of responsibility that leads to the omission of the basic care of the child or adolescent, whose fundamental needs are not covered.
So that you have some specific examples, there is negligence when the minor is not monitored, is not sent to school, is not fed properly, is not dressed properly or is not taken to medical check-ups or consultations, etc
psychological abuse
It is a set of behaviors and attitudes that last over time and cause a lot of damage to the mood and self-esteem of children or adolescents.
Psychological abuse includes shouting, insults, indifference, contempt, humiliation, confinement, threats or any type of hostility manifested in verbal form.
If this type of abuse happens in the first years of the child’s life, it is possible that he or she does not develop attachment, and in the future that boy or girl will feel excluded from the family and social environment.
In this way, psychological abuse negatively influences their self-esteem and social skills.
sexual abuse
Sexual abuse occurs when a child or adolescent under the age of 18 maintains sexual contact with an adult or another minor, when they are not evolutionarily prepared to do so and when this situation occurs in a relationship of submission, abuse of power and authority over the victim.
Sexual abuse also includes sexual exploitation, rape, groping, requests with sexual connotations even without physical contact, masturbation in the presence of a child, or exposure of genital organs, among others.
In these cases, it often happens that children are taken to the doctor for physical or behavioral problems that, when investigated further, turn out to be the consequences of sexual abuse.
Risk factor’s
Although child abuse can happen in any setting, you should know that there are some risk factors that increase the chances that a child or adolescent will be abused.
For example, children under the age of four and adolescents are most at risk. The same happens with children who were not wanted, who do not meet the expectations of the parents, who have a physical or mental disability or who cry a lot.
Adult guardians who have difficulty bonding with their children, who were abused themselves as children, or who have unrealistic expectations for their children’s development are at greater risk of being abusive.
In addition, financial difficulties at home and alcohol or drug use may also be risk factors.
Finally, in families that experience situations of domestic violence, that suffer isolation in their community or that have a lack of support from their own relatives to care for their children, there is also a greater risk of child abuse.
Causes of child abuse
The causes of child abuse are multifactorial.
When adults have suffered abuse in their childhood, when there are violent situations at home, low self-esteem, physical or mental disorders in parents or children, substance abuse or unwanted children, there is a greater risk of minors being mistreated. .
The lack of compensatory elements for these risk factors, such as personal satisfaction, access to therapies, attachment to the children, social support and a good economic situation also cause situations of greater risk.
Consequences
The consequences can be:
When maltreatment occurs in young children, under the age of three, it is likely that attachment will not develop and therefore their social skills and self-esteem will be damaged.
Growing up, abused children may have difficulty understanding, adjusting, and regulating their emotions and impulses. They often lack positive beliefs about themselves and the world around them. In general, they have less ability to recognize or react to the discomfort of others.
When the abuse occurs in older children or adolescents, they often run away from home, assault themselves and generally have poor academic performance.
Social isolation, juvenile delinquency, substance abuse, rejection of one’s own body, generalized fear, or the appearance of feelings of shame or guilt, or illnesses such as depression or dissociative identity disorder are also frequent.
Upon reaching adulthood, people who were abused in their childhood often become abusers of their children themselves.
Physical punishment can cause changes in the brain. Children who are hit or physically abused from an early age to beyond the age of five may have lower IQs.
Prevention
In general, the prevention of child abuse, from a global point of view, is the task of governments, which must establish aid, education and support programs for families.
This can be achieved, for example, through the formation of support groups that inform and educate parents so that they have better attitudes to raise their children by adopting positive strategies.
Also through policies that help prevent unwanted pregnancies or raising awareness and training professionals who care for minors, such as teachers or paediatricians, for the early detection of this type of situation.
In some states, pediatricians and other health care professionals are required by law to report known or suspected cases of child abuse.
But don’t worry, even if you are not a pediatrician or a social worker, you too can do things to help avoid these aberrational situations.
For example, if you have children, teach them to know their bodies and to differentiate normal contact with another person from immodest contact. Simply tell them that no one has to touch his genitals if he doesn’t want to.
In this way, you will be helping to prevent sexual abuse. Explain to your children that they should say NO when they don’t like a situation or a proposal and that if someone wants to force them to do something unpleasant, they should immediately tell an adult they trust.
In case it was of interest to you, we add the action protocol against child abuse carried out by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.
What to do if you know of a situation of child abuse?
If you know of a case of child abuse or suspect it, what you should do is contact a child protection service that is available in your city, region or state.
If you think the physical abuse or neglect is putting the child’s life in immediate danger, don’t hesitate to call the police or emergency services.
Unfortunately, child abuse will not go away if you look the other way.
And what is worse, if it is not prevented in time, it is a problem that is perpetuated. As you have surely already read above, adults who have suffered abuse in their childhood are at risk of becoming abusive or violent people.
Therefore, if you know of or suspect a case of child abuse, you must report it to the corresponding authorities, not only so that they protect that child, but also so that the family can be taught how to function properly, without violence.