Child Abuse Consequences

The Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect The problem of child abuse does not receive enough of public attention, despite the fact that the issue is international and the frequency of child abuse remains high. In addition to this, it is important to understand that usually only those incidents of child abuse that are visible and tangible come into the public eye, while the rest are often ignored or paid much less attention to. Thus, those children who are affected by emotional abuse or neglect every day are out of the public eye because emotional scars are difficult to reveal. In the end of the 20th century the international law on child protection had been actively developing, which partly contributed to the growth in the public

Society often tends to accept that fact that parents might sometimes physically hurt their children as long as this harm is not related to serious physical injuries. Spanking, for example, is usually not associated with the real intention of parents to hurt their children, yet abuse is defined by the harm that it brings and not by motivation of the caregivers. Physical abuse, as empirical studies show, is associated with the chronic arousal of stress responses and high level of arousal to environment (Jelic Tuscic, Flander & Matescovic, 2013). Therefore, regardless of the fact that physical abuse might often be perceived as something that only affects child’s physical state, the negative consequences of physical child abuse are also psychological. As to short-term consequences of this type of abuse, they include injuries and chronic pain. Finally, physical abuse of children might also lead to the most awful consequences such as child’s death or serious physical traumas that make children disabled. Thus, physical abuse cannot coexist with the normal psychological and physical health of a child. Yet, the statistics of physical child abuse remains high. For example, in 2010 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirmed over 754,000 cases of child maltreatment, of these, 18% were victims of physical maltreatment or physical abuse,

Physical and emotional abuse, including social ostracism, has short-term and long-term consequences for the mental and physical health of individuals who are the victims of it. The experience of abuse makes a child more likely to be affected by stressful environment and leads to a number of physical problems. In addition to this, child abuse negatively influences children 's cognitive skills, their ability to concentrate and participate in social situations. Some people might, however, believe that the hardship that an individual might overcome in his or her childhood might, in fact, positively influence his or her assertiveness and inner strength. The experience of abuse will not make a child stronger or more resistant to external social influences. On the contrary, it decreases the level of child’s self-esteem, his or her effectiveness in dealing with stress, and his or her cognitive capacity. Given the fact that child abuse cuts across national and ethnic borders, the problem is to be addressed more effectively in order to protect the lives and the well-being of millions of children. This can be achieved through the development of the system of reporting of child abuse and neglect, a more thorough supervision of families, especially those that are dysfunctional, and