Child Abuse

Child Abuse

Introduction

Child abuse is a socially defined construct; as such, it does not lend itself to an easy definition. It is a highly controversial and complex concept, subject to constant change that is influenced by a range of political and cultural factors. Historically, the highly publicized case of the abuse of a young girl named Mary Ellen Wilson led to a public outcry resulting in the foundation of the Society for the Prevention of the Cruelty to Children in 1874, which ultimately initiated dramatic changes in society's treatment of children.

However, it was not until 1974 when formal legislation was passed in North America that clearly defined a mandate for the reporting of physical child abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and physical neglect. Estimates of child abuse in North America suggest that about one in every 10 children each year receive harsh physical treatment by a caregiver or parent that puts them at risk for injury and harm (Miller, 2007).

Physical Child Abuse

Physical abuse involves any behavior by a parent that causes physical injury to a child. Physical abuse may occur even though the parent may not have intended to hurt the child, such as in the case of harsh punishment. Physical abuse typically involves a hostile, controlling, and aggressive parenting style. This parenting approach is characterized by a wide range of hurtful actions such as hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, scalding, drowning, suffocating, punching, and other examples of physical harm. Prenatal exposure to damaging levels of alcohol or drugs may also be included. Physical harm also may be caused when a parent deliberately causes ill health to a child, commonly called Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy.

Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse is related to act that involve in sexual act against child. The abuser is more powerful because of age, intelligence, physical strength, or control over the child (Corby, 2006).

Emotional Abuse

It should be noted that some level of emotional abuse is inherent in all forms of child abuse; however, it may also occur independently. Six major types of emotional abuse have been identified, including: (1) spurning, which include hostile rejection and denigrating the child in verbal and nonverbal manners through criticizing, insulting and humiliating; (2) terrorizing, in which the parent threatens to abandon, hurt, maim, or kill the child unless he or she behaves or stops being needy; (3) isolating the child from other children from everyday activities, particularly those activities that are typically ...