Child Abuse and Maltreatment

Nearly five churlren cease every day in America from holler and neglect, according to either boor Matters Education Fund (as cited by The National youngsterrens all(a)iance, 2009). This goes to show that tiddler abuse is a major switch off in todays modern society. In fact, statistics show that thither atomic number 18 all over 3 billion reports of s make believer abuse each year in the coupled States al star (National Child affront Statistics, n. d. ).While the definition of tyke abuse and neglect changes from state to state, it is defined by The Federal Child holler Pr razetion and Treatment Act (CAPTA) as, at minimum Any novel act or failure to act on the part of a p arnt or c aretaker which solutions in death, serious physical or worked up harm, sexual abuse or exploitation or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm. (What is Child maltreatment and Neglect? 2008) Most states have also recognized four major types of abuse in which electric razorren whitethorn experience.It is very common for serious problems to bone up from child maltreatment, and tend to cause long-term traumatization. When it comes to dealing with children in appeal who have been exposed to abuse, special precautions and appendages must be taken into account. All of these topics help to lend some insight as to how serious the issue of child abuse truly is in todays society. To buzz off with, the four major types of child maltreatment are neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse.Neglect occurs when a parent, guardian, or other(a) caregiver fails to provide for the funda intellectual needs of their child such(prenominal) as feeding them, offering shelter, acquiring them medical attention, providing the child with an education, or ignoring the childs emotional needs. somatic abuse takes place when someone such as a parent, guardian, or other caretaker intentionally causes physical harm to a child in various ways such as punching, kicking, biting, beating, stabbing, shaking, throwing, hitting, or choking.Sexual abuse includes diverse activities such as rape, sodomy, incest, indecent exposure, exploitation through prostitution or the production of pornographic materials, or fondling a childs genitals (What is Child do by and Neglect? 2008). While boys and girls do view fairly equal amounts of physical abuse and neglect, it is four times to a greater extent liable(predicate) for a girl to experience sexual abuse than a boy (Bartol Bartol, 2012, p. 379). According to CAPTA, sexual abuse is defined as the employment, use, persuasion, inducement, enticement, or coercion of any child to eng season in, or assist any other erson to engage in, any sexually explicit conduct or simulation of such conduct for the purpose of producing a visual flick of such conduct or the rape and in cases of caretaker or inter-familial relationships, statutory rape, molestation, prostitution, or other form of se xual exploitation of children or incest with children. (What is Child Abuse and Neglect? 2008) Lastly, emotional abuse is described as acts or behaviors which negatively affect a childs sense of self-confidence or self-development.This can be caused from constant criticism, rejecting the child, threatening them, or deny love, guidance, and emotional support. However, it is very difficult to prove that a child has been emotionally ill-treated without evidence of harm or mental injury. (What is Child Abuse and Neglect? 2008). Out of all these different types of maltreatment, neglect is by faraway the most common. According to the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (2010), over both-thirds (70%) of maltreatment victims experience neglect. About 15% are physically abused, and 9% are sexually abused.Only 7% reportedly are emotionally abused, a figure that is probably greatly underestimated (as cited in Bartol Bartol, 2012, p. 378-379). While these four types of child maltreatment are the most common, there are several other well-kn sustain examples of child abuse as well. According to Emery and Laumann-Billings (1998), an estimated 1,200 to 1,500 young children are murdered each year by a parent or other person, (as cited in Bartol Bartol, 2012, p. 380). This form of infant abuse is known as infanticide, or the killing of an infant up to two years of age (Bartol Bartol, 2012, p. 80). According to data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect entropy System (NCANDS), children younger than 1 year accounted for 46. 2% of child fatalities in 2009 (as cited in the Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2011). Infanticide can be miserable down further into two terms, neonaticide and filicide, depending on how long after drive home the child was killed. For example, if a new-born baby is killed within 24 hours after his birth, it would be neonaticide. If the child is killed after he reaches the age of one year, it would be filicide.These two terms ex ist because of the substantial differences between mothers who consecrate neonaticide and those who commit filicide. agitate baby syndrome is a nonher form of child abuse in which the parent, guardian, or caretaker shakes the baby so hard that serious brain damage occurs (Bartol Bartol, 2012, p. 383). several(prenominal) common symptoms of shaken baby syndrome are seizures, inability to lift head, clog breathing, difficulty speaking, blindness, lethargy/decreased muscle tone, extreme irritability, or inability of look to focus or track movement (The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, n. . ). In some cases, death may even occur. According to Russell (2010), of those children diagnosed with SBS, about 30% die as a dissolving agent of their injuries, and only 15% survive with no lasting effectuate (as cited in Bartol Bartol, 2012, p. 383). Not only are children affected epoch the maltreatment is happening, notwithstanding the memories of the abuse can have negative co nsequences for children, families, and society that last lifetimes, if not generations. First of all, a persons physical and mental health could be negatively affected.For instance, adults who have been physically abused or miss are to a greater extent likely to be suffering from asthma, arthritis, high product line pressure, bronchitis, and many more. round mental effects of abuse could be a mental disorder, depression, isolation, fear, an inability to trust, anxiety, and so on. Additionally, people who have been abused in the past have much higher chances of committing violent crimes and becoming new offenders (Long-Term Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect, n. d. ).According to English, Widom, Brandford (2004), a National base of Justice study showed that abused and neglected children were 11 times more likely to be arrested for criminal behavior as a juvenile, 2. 7 times more likely to be arrested for violent and criminal behavior as an adult, and 3. 1 times more likel y to be arrested for one of many forms of violent crime (juvenile or adult), (as cited in Long-Term Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect, n. d. ). Additionally, adults who were abused by their parents when they were kids are very likely to abuse their own kids.A lot of people who faced abuse are also very likely to have problems with drug abuse in their future (Long-Term Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect, n. d. ). Suicidal thoughts and attempts to commit suicide are also very common among victims of child abuse. Lastly, child maltreatment is very expensive for society. These cost include direct costs which are the costs associated with the immediate needs of the abused and neglected child, and mediate costs which are the costs associated with the longer term and the secondary effects of child maltreatment.Some examples of direct costs would be hospitalization, child welfare, law enforcement, chronic health problems, and is estimated annually to cost over 24 million dollar s. Some examples of indirect costs would be special education, adult criminality, juvenile delinquency, mental health, health care, and the estimated annual cost is around or over 69 million dollars. Together, the total of the direct and indirect costs for people who have suffered from child abuse can be around 90 million to 100 million dollars yearly (Chapter Six What Are the Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect? n. p. ). Finally, special procedures and precautions must be taken when dealing with abused children in the royal courts. This is where the forensic psychologist may become involved. Some of the issues the forensic psychologist may be involved with is figuring out the most appropriate procedure for taking the childs testimony, finding out under what conditions would a childs out-of-court statement (hearsay) be admissible, figuring out if the child is competent enough to provide an accurate testimony in the court of law, and if abuse or neglect occurred, and if so, who is responsible.The first issue is very classical because it is very common for the child to be under enormous durance in the presence of the defendant, or the childs possible abuser. The child is under even more pressure if they have to testify against their own parent or guardian. According to Partlett and Nurcombe (1998), The child is notoriously vulnerable while giving evidence against abusers, especially parents, when proof of the charge will result in separation. Many children are highly susceptible and subject to recantation when faced with the reality of parental separation (as cited in Bartol Bartol, 2012, p. 91-392). In order to solve this issue, many states have made and passed recent legal rules which cumber the defenders confrontation with the child by allowing the childs testimony to be taken through closed-circuit TV, or other room. Another tricky part of abused children and courts is the child evaluation. When evaluating the children, the clinicians have to be ve ry careful and have to be very sensitive and ripe to a wide range of factors. The evaluator should also try to empty tating their personal opinions when with the child. K. S. Budd, Felix, Poindexter, Naik-Polan, and Sloss (2002), report that Clinicians may be asked to assess the childs developmental or emotional functioning and needs, the effects of maltreatment on the child, the risk of harm should the child be united with his or her parents, the encroachment of separation from the biological family on the childs functioning, or the advantages and disadvantages of potence visitation or placement options (as cited in Bartol Bartol, 2012, p. 80). Lastly, in some cases it may be necessary for the courts to appoint someone to represent the child such as a guardian ad litem (GAL), to represent the childs best interests or if the child cannot do so by themself. devil responsibilities of the childs GAL is to get a clear sagacity of the situation and the needs of the child, and to ma ke recommendations to the court concerning the needs of the child ( design of Children in Child Abuse and Neglect Proceedings, n. p. ).Overall, child abuse is a serious issue in todays society. In 2009, Childrens Advocacy Centers around the country served over 254,000 child victims of abuse, providing victim protagonism and support to these children and their families. In 2010, this number was over 266,000 (National Childrens Alliance, 2010). Everyday children are exposed to child abuse and everyday children die from it. Will there ever be a day when children dont have to be hangdog of the abuse? Probably not and that is the twisted society in which we brook today.