Introduction
More and more children become the victims of child abuse. Children who need to be loved to become the victims of different forms of child abuse. Child abuse may be physical, sexual, or mental. Physical abuse means any kind of maltreatment towards the children in a physical way. It includes improper physical attitude or poor nutrition. Emotional abuse presupposes hurting the children’s emotions and self-confidence. Sexual abuse is concerned with the sexual seduction of children. Sexual abuse is considered to be the worst case of child abuse. Any kind of child abuse has a lot of effects on the children’s lives and therefore it should be given particular attention. Children are helpless before adults, and it is quite difficult for them to defend themselves (Gibson, 2008).
Child abuse is the burning issue of modern society
This problem is one of the burning issues nowadays. According to the latest statistics, 3.3 million children suffer from child abuse and neglect in the USA (National Child Abuse Statistics, 2012). There are five child-abuse deaths registered in the USA every day. It is a deplorable fact that 80% of those children who die from abuse are under 4 years old (National Child Abuse Statistics, 2012). It should be noted, that in most cases the perpetrator is a close relative, or the person known by the children. It is one of the main factors that make it difficult to prevent child abuse as far as children are not insured by their parents. They are the only people in the world that are expected to protect their children, but they abuse their power above their children.
Parents, as well as their children, should be aware of this problem to prevent them from becoming the victims of child abuse. Parents should know the ways of protecting their children from child abuse and children should be taught how to behave in cases of child abuse. They should be aware of the services that they can refer to for help.
The main factors of growing the problem
The cases of child abuse are growing every year. It has been caused by a wide range of factors. There are people with psychological problems in our society who can easily hurt children (Gibson, 2008). These people should be prohibited to live in normal society with normal people. They need to be hospitalized and treated properly. The main problem of our society is that these sick people are not paid attention and they live their own life. More than that, the governments of many countries do not allocate money for the hospitalization of mentally sick people.
Family problems are another reason for the growth of child abuse. There are a lot of young families who are not ready to bring up their children and as a result, children are treated inappropriately and lack parents’ attention. There are a lot of cases of alcoholism or drug addiction in families with children. More than that, there are more and more cases of teen pregnancy that is also one of the main reasons for child abuse. Financial problems may also be the reason for child abuse when parents use their children as the kind of outlet for their emotions (Gibson, 2008). Sexual abuse often happens in a one-parent family when a single parent has a lot of partners and brings them home. The perpetrators are often stepfathers, boyfriends, or uncles.
Risk of the problem
There are risk factors that make children more vulnerable to child abuse. Any kind of pressure on the family may be considered a risk factor of child abuse. Poverty is one of the main factors making parents exploit their children. There are cases when parents make children work and when their child is a girl, they make her engage in prostitution. Poor families are risky to child abuse. These families have to fight for their lives, and they have the stress every day. These stresses may be the reasons for unfair judgment of the children and make parents use their physical power in children’s upbringing. The cases of child abuse are often observed in problem families where one or both of the parents abuse alcohol or drugs. These parents are not able to provide an appropriate upbringing to their children. More than that, these people have unpredictable changes in their mood that put their children at risk of child abuse (Carney, 2010). Parents who suffered child abuse themselves in their childhood are more likely to treat their children in the same cruel way.
Means of prevention of child abuse in Tulsa. CAN as the organization providing help to the victims of child abuse
There are a lot of special organizations which may help children. There are hotlines where children may call if they need help. These organizations may help the victims of child abuse as well as problem families. More than that, these organizations may prevent cases of child abuse controlling problem families and other risky families regularly.
There is a special organization in Tulsa created to reduce the trauma of children suffering from child abuse. It is known as the Child Abuse Network (CAN). CAN is a member of the National Children Alliance (NCA) and it provides specialized medical and mental health investigations to determine whether child abuse occurred and special treatment to those children who have become the victims of child abuse (Tulsa’s Children’s Advocacy Center, n.d.). CAN is known for less traumatic investigations of child abuse. It is a well-known fact that children who became the victims do not want to talk about it as far as the recollections hurt them. This organization cooperates with others to protect children from child abuse. The organizations that collaborate with CAN are Tulsa Country District Attorney’s Office, Tulsa Country Department of Human Services – Child Welfare, United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma, University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine, Tulsa County Sherriff’s Office, Tulsa Police Department, and others. These organizations aim at identifying, investigating, and prosecuting those persons who commit crimes against children; providing the victims of child abuse the necessary help; organizing the investigations of causes and effects of child abuse to prevent it; promoting any activity chosen by the members to be in the interest of children within Tulsa City and others (WE CAN, 2011). There are also Tulsa Child Abuse Attorneys who are responsible for protecting children from child abuse.
The ways of prevention of child abuse
Parents who are emotionally healthy and mature do not hurt their children. Nevertheless, nobody is insured from regular stresses that are significant contributors to child abuse. Thus, parents should control their emotions. If parents need psychological help different organizations deal with family problems and are ready to help. The parent who has problems with alcohol and drugs should refer to special organizations too. If parents have a problem, they should share their stress with others that is why it is necessary to talk. Community programs make these problems easier to get through. Any young couple that is going to have a child should be aware of all responsibilities connected with upbringing. There are a lot of special programs preparing young couples to become parents. Family should be the best and the warmest place for the child. The child should feel his/her protection. Families should spend a lot of time together and share all their problems as well as happy moments. The access of any family to organizations providing help reduces the rates of child abuse (Carney, 2010).
One of the basic means of prevention of child abuse is awareness. Parents should be taught how to bring up their children as well as how to protect them from child abuse on the one hand and children should be taught to behave in such situations on the other hand. To my mind, it is necessary to add this problem to the programs of children’s education. Children should know where they can refer to if their safety is in danger. They should be taught not to be afraid to report on their parents. All these basic rules should be taught from early years. As has been described above, one of the basic reasons for child abuse is the immaturity of many young couples to have a child. To my mind, it is necessary to provide obligatory courses for young couples who are going to have a child. These courses should provide the necessary knowledge and pieces of training on how to bring up children.
Causes of child abuse
Except for parents’ immaturity, there are a lot of other factors of child abuse. They are “social-economic causes, family environment, parental profile, and child-related characteristics” (Causes of Child Abuse, 2008). Social-economic causes include low family income levels, differing cultural values, and institutionalized manifestations of abuse. As for the family environment, the main factors of child abuse are domestic violence, single parents, and child-rearing practices. The immature age of parents, their low self-confidence, drug and alcohol problems, mental health problems, low prevalence of social bonds, their strict refusal to consider their methods of upbringing to be wrong, and other parental profile factors contribute to the rise of child abuse. A child’s characteristics also play a vital role. Some children are more susceptible to child abuse. Their susceptibility depends on their age, gender, mental health, poor communication with parents, the disappointment of parents’ expectations, and other factors that contribute to the lack of a child’s self-confidence (Causes of Child Abuse, 2008).
Effects of child abuse
The effects of child abuse depend on the kind of abuse and personal characteristics of a child that identify his/her reaction to the happened. Children who suffered from child abuse have emotional and mental problems. Depression, trauma, and stress are the most widespread effects of child abuse. Child abuse makes the children’s self-confidence lower. They are more likely to commit suicide. About 30% of children who suffered from abuse will later abuse their children and this circle of child abuse becomes endless. 25% of abused children experience teen pregnancy (National Child Abuse Statistics, 2012). They practice unsafe sex that is the main reason for many venereal diseases. Child abuse is one of the main reasons for psychological disorders among young people aged 21. Except for various kinds of psychological disorders child abuse has become the main reason for criminality among young people who seek to revenge for their child abuse. About 59% of juveniles who suffered child abuse are more likely to go to prison and 30% of them are likely to commit a cruel crime (National Child Abuse Statistics, 2012). All these statistics testify to the fact that child abuse is the current problem that should be immediately solved.
The role of the government in prevention this problem
Government is one of the main defenders of children’s life. Government should allocate money to prevent child abuse by sponsoring special organizations. More than that, children who suffered from child abuse should be provided the necessary help free of charge. As we have described above, one of the main causes of child abuse is economic problems in families. The government should pay special attention to the families having children and it should provide regular economic help to them. For example, there is The Parent-Child Center in Tulsa supported by the government. Parents, as well as children, may refer to this center for help free of charge. Such centers are created in many countries and funded by local governments.
The ways of treatment
Children who suffered from child abuse need medical and psychological help. Medical professionals, teachers, and childcare professionals should provide the necessary help to these children. Children need time to get through this traumatic event. The victims of child abuse should be paid a lot of attention.
From the above said, we may conclude that child abuse is the burning issue nowadays. This problem concerns every member of our society. Every parent, as well as every child, should be aware of this problem and the means of its prevention. As for the government, it should allocate money to special organizations providing help to parents as well as to children. All these joint efforts may help to reduce the number of children suffering from child abuse.
Reference
Carney, S. (2010). Child Abuse Risk Factors and Prevention Strategies. Web.
Causes of Child Abuse (2008). Web.
Gibson, E. (2008). Child Abuse – What Are the Causes and Effects? Web.
National Child Abuse Statistics. (2012). Web.
Tulsa’s Children’s Advocacy Center. (n.d.). Web.
WE CAN. Child Abuse Network. (2012). Web.