child abuse

Child abuse can be simply defined as the maltreatment of children. It can take different forms like psychological, sexual or physical. Child abuse has detrimental effects on the lives of the children. Let’s dig in and find out more.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of this topic, you are expected to;

• Understand the meaning of child abuse
• Understand the different forms of child abuse
• Understand the effects of child abuse
• Understand the causes of child abuse

Child abuse can also be referred to as child maltreatment. It refers to sexual, psychological and/or physical maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, mainly by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse also includes all the acts or failures to act by a caregiver or parent that results in actual or potential harm to a child. This can occur in the child’s home, communities, schools or organizations that the child interacts with.

The terms child maltreatment and child abuse can be used interchangeably. However, some researchers make a distinction between them, treating child maltreatment as an umbrella term covering trafficking, neglect, and exploitation.

The term abuse is closely related to neglect, however, abuse generally refers to deliberate acts of commission while neglect refers to the acts of omission. Child maltreatment includes acts of both commission and omission on the part of caregivers or parents that cause actual or potential harm to a child.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines child abuse and child maltreatment as all forms of emotional and/or physical ill-treatment, neglect, sexual abuse, negligent treatment or other exploitation (commercial or not), resulting in actual or potential harm to the health of the child, dignity, development or survival.

TYPES OF CHILD ABUSE

There are four types of child maltreatment according to the World Health Organization. They are;

• Physical abuse. Physical abuse normally does not occur in isolation but as part of a constellation of behaviors which include lack of parental warmth, anxiety-provoking behavior, and authoritarian control. WHO defines physical abuse as the intentional use of physical force against a child that results in a high likelihood of harming the health, survival, development, and dignity of the child.
• Sexual abuse. Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a form of child abuse where an older adolescent or an adult abuses a child for sexual stimulation. Some of the effects of child sexual abuse are; guilt, insomnia, fear of things associated with the abuse, nightmares, self-esteem difficulties, post-traumatic stress disorder, sexual dysfunction, dissociative identity and re-victimization in adulthood.
• Psychological abuse. This refers to a non-accidental verbal or symbolic act by a parent or a caregiver that results in or has a reasonable potential to result in significant psychological harm to the child.
• Neglect. This refers to the failure by parents or those tasked with the responsibility for the child to provide needed supervision, food, shelter, clothing, medical care and safety which causes a threat to the wellbeing of a child. Acts of neglect can be divided into six sub-categories which are: supervisory neglect, physical neglect, medical neglect, emotional neglect, educational neglect, and abandonment.

EFFECTS OF CHILD ABUSE

Child abuse may result in immediate adverse physical effects but it is also strongly related to developmental problems and many chronic psychological and physical effects. Maltreated children may grow up to become maltreating adults. The effects of child abuse can be classified into emotional, physical and psychological.