When it comes to the theme of child abuse and family violence, I find it crucially important and complicated. In my opinion, child abuse and family violence can be compared with a malignant tumor that slowly poisons and erodes the foundations of society. Childhood abuse can potentially cause severe mental health issues in adult life, including anxiety, depression, psychosis, and other types of personality disorders (Read et al., 2017). Furthermore, I would compare child abuse and family violence with a time bomb since they can escalate into a severe outbreak from a seemingly subtle or even invisible condition. The complexity comes from the subtlety and vagueness of the subject; it is obvious that child abuse and family violence cases must be identified and stopped or, in a perfect world, prevented from happening. However, it can be challenging to identify them from the sidelines because the victims are often afraid or ashamed to reveal their suffering. The abuse can occur almost in our plain sight and remain undetected, especially if there is no physical evidence.
Therefore, I would rely on empathy and personal bravery in identifying and reporting child abuse and family violence cases. When encountering a case of possible child abuse, we must remember that in such situations, there are no other people’s children. Empathy can help to notice a child’s strange behavior and see the alarming signs even if there is no visible evidence of abuse. The bravery will be necessary to take a step into the other family’s “territory” instead of pretending that nothing is happening and minding your own business. Moreover, on some occasions, bravery in reporting suspicions is more important since “playing a detective” without sufficient knowledge/skills might result in a longer time of abuse for the child (Toros & Tiirik, 2016). Empathy and vigilance are necessary to raise suspicion, but it is better to report it to competent bodies and let them handle the investigation. They will have a better chance to uncover the truth and stop the abuse if it really takes place.
The challenges of combating child abuse and family violence come from its subtlety and coping methods selected by the victims. For example, Peled found that children exposed to domestic violence often minimized or entirely refused to talk about it (as cited in Kimball, 2016, p. 626). Personally, the most difficult issue is finding the balance between vigilance, fulfillment of civic duty, and intrusion into privacy. I have to admit that it will take some time to muster my bravery and report a suspected abuse case since accusation in most forms of abuse is damning. I will probably not report a suspected case of child abuse or family violence unless I have some sort of evidence, because in some cases, even suspicions can destroy someone else’s life. In addition, protecting a child seems to be easier from the ethical point of view, while intervening in adults’ lives appears to be much more challenging. Overall, I will have to overcome these ethical issues before reporting the suspected case of child abuse or family violence.
Given the possible scenarios and challenges posed by them, I tend to consider two different strategies which will help to identify and report suspected cases. The first strategy will be employed in possible cases of child abuse. In the beginning, I will look for the visible signs of abuse, like bruises or scars. If they are present, I will notify the authorized bodies immediately, so they could intervene and conduct a proper investigation without losing time. If the visible evidence of abuse is not present, I will pay attention to the child’s behavior. Overly aggressive or, on the contrary, suspiciously quiet behavior can be related to the victim’s coping mechanisms. If I observe these alarming signs, I will inform the authorized bodies as well. Overall, I will act faster and report suspected cases as soon as I have some amount of confidence since children are highly vulnerable to abuse.
The second strategy will be used in suspected cases of family violence. I will notify the authorized bodies immediately if I notice visible or audible signs of abuse, such as bruises and scars or frequent loud quarrels. If none of these are present, I will remain vigilant until I get the clear evidence or my suspicions disappear. However, I will try to be delicate and avoid any invasions into privacy since my goal is to be observant, not obnoxious or intrusive. I will reserve my judgment and notify the authorized bodies only if I have evidence of family violence.
In conclusion, identifying and combating all forms of abuse is highly important for society’s mental and physical health. Keeping that thought in mind can resolve arising ethical issues, whether you should intervene and report your suspicions or not. In general, a responsible citizen should always report suspected cases of child abuse and family violence. However, we should not forget about discretion and fall into paranoia —protecting the vulnerable is a good cause, but groundless accusations will only thwart it.
References
Kimball, E. (2016). Edelson revisited: reviewing children’s witnessing of domestic violence 15 years later. Journal of Family Violence, 31(5), 625–637. Web.
Read, J., Harper, D., Tucker, I., & Kennedy, A. (2017). Do adult mental health services identify child abuse and neglect? A systematic review. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 27(1), 7–19.
Toros, K., & Tiirik, R. (2016). Preschool teacher’s perceptions about and experience with child abuse and neglect. Early Childhood Education Journal, 44(1), 21–30. Web.