Child Abuse and Neglect Essay -- Violence Against Children

Did you know that in 2011, nearly five children died every day in America from child abuse and neglect? In this research paper I will discuss what is child abuse and neglect. Then, we will discover why some parents choose to abuse their children. Next, I will dive into a discussion about the long term effects of child abuse. Finally, we will explore what age groups are affected by abuse. What is child abuse and neglect? According to Child Help, there are different forms of abuse. There is physical abuse which means any non- accidental injury to a child which includes hitting, kicking, slapping, burning, hair pulling, throwing, and whipping. There is also sexual abuse which is any sexual act between an adult and a child. This would be fondling, intercourse, and pornography. Example of another type of abuse would be emotional abuse which is any attitude or behavior that interferes with a child’s mental health. This would include yelling, screaming, shaming, and name-calling. What is neglect? Well this means a failure to provide for a child’s physical needs. There are different types of neglect such as physical, educational, emotional, medical. Physical neglect is leaving a child alone for an excessive period of time given the child's age and cognitive abilities. Educational neglect is when the Schmidt2 child is not allowed to attend school. Emotional neglect is when the parent encouraging the child to steal or engage in other illegal activities. Medical neglect is withholding medically indicated treatment from disabled infants with life-threatening conditions.Which would include a lack of supervision, inappropriate clothing for the weather, and denial of medical care. Most people wonder why parents choose to abuse their children... ...their children get an automatic child abuse charge and usually get their children taken away. Also sometimes parents have to take parenting classes to show they know they made mistakes. Work Cited Streetman, Cori P. "NATIONAL CHILDREN'S ALLIANCE." National Children's Alliance Digital Media Kit. National Children's Alliance, 2009. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. Young, Daphne. "National Child Abuse Statistics." Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse. Child Help, 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. Smith, Melinda. "Child Abuse & Neglect." : Recognizing, Preventing and Reporting Child Abuse. Help Guide, Aug. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. Berman, Laura. "Effects of Sexual Abuse." Oprah.com. N.p., 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. McLean, Lynne. "What Is Child Abuse?" Collin County Children's Advocacy Center: Short and Long Term Effects of Abuse. Children's Advocacy Center, 2013. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.