Running head: child abuse

Child Abuse
J. McCorkindale
Mrs. Disher
December 16, 2014

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Abstract

This paper will discuss the causes and effects of child abuse. This is a problem that is
way too prevalent in society. There is no single reason for the spread of child abuse. There are
multiple different causes of the abuse, but the primary causes are inadequate parenting, domestic
violence, and substance abuse. Inadequate Parenting has several causes in itself, but this paper
will only focus on how inadequate parenting leads to child abuse and how it contributes to the
ongoing cycle of this maltreatment. Domestic Violence stems from overall aggressiveness of a
person associated with the abused child and what triggers that aggressive behavior. Substance
Abuse leads to multiple impairments that cause the abuser to not be fully aware of their actions
and the effects of their actions. There is no cause of child abuse that seems to be the childs fault.
Children too often believe that they did something bad to end up in this situation and carry all of
the blame for their abuser. These children will grow up judging themselves not because of their
own actions, but because of the harm others have done to them.
Keywords: Child Abuse, Inadequate Parenting, Domestic Violence, Substance Abuse,
Maltreatment

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Child AbuseChildhood should be carefree, playing in the sun; not living a nightmare in the
darkness of the soul. Anonymous. Child abuse is an issue that should be held with much
gravity. The childhood years are meant to be the most enjoyable. Those years are when kids are
most impressionable. They begin forming opinions, making dreams they wish to live out in the
future, and discovering who they are and who they want to be. Imagine how children must feel
when they look back and they are besieged by a past filled with fear, violence, and abuse.
Childhood is no longer the lighthearted past people reminisce about. The past of an abused
victim will haunt them throughout their lives. It ebbs at them every day and slowly takes away a
part of who they are. That pain will never go away. Even after the abuse ends, the abused are left
with scars that rarely heal and a past that is irreversible. However, that is if the abuse ends.
Inadequate Parenting
One of the main causes of child abuse is inadequate parenting. Certain parenting
behaviors may lead to the abuse of an innocent child. This abuse can range from the unstable
mental health of a parent to how parents react to child misbehavior. Poverty and homelessness
are also major factors that affect the actions of parental guardians. In some cases, the parents
believe they are raising their children just as well as any other parent, and that the punishments
for misbehavior are just. Any reasonable person looking into the eyes of an abused child would
see that these punishments were never just. At the core of child abuse is force: the force used by
the parent striking the child. Parents may not understand the intense magnitude of the abuse
when they are impaired by their emotions, substances, or any mental health disorder.
A major portion of child abuse is neglect. Inadequate parenting leaves children feeling
neglected. The love of a parent for their child is often described as a strong connection; however,
Children who have been abused know that is a lie. They are left feeling unwanted, unloved, and

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not cared for. The worst part is that when these children go to bed experiencing their parents
aggression in a fit of anger; they blame themselves. They feel that they did something wrong that
prevents their parents from loving them. These feelings do not go away when the abuse ends;
these emotions become a part of them that impacts their entire future. Inadequate parenting is the
route of child abuse.
Domestic Violence
An estimated 30 to 60 percent of the families where either domestic violence or child
maltreatment is identified, it is likely that both forms of abuse exist. (U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, 2015) Domestic Violence and child maltreatment go hand in hand. When
children are exposed to domestic violence, it leads to a multitude of problems including
behavioral, social, and emotional problems, cognitive and attitudinal problems, and long-term
problems such as depression and tolerance of abuse. Even if the victim is not directly abused,
witnessing domestic violence has some of the same effects as child abuse. In most cases, the
domestic violence is caused by the aggression of the parents which is then transferred to the
child. The aggression can be caused by many outlying factors such as anxiety or marital
problems. In cases of domestic violence, the children are almost always caught in the center. The
child may be victimized and threatened as a means of punishing and consoling the adult victim
of domestic violence or they may be unintentionally harmed when they are brought into the
center of an aggressive argument between spouses.
When child abuse occurs because of domestic violence, it pushes the victimized spouse to
get out of the situation faster. They see that harm is not only being done to themselves but also to
their child. Children who experience domestic violence also tend to obtain serious emotional
damage resulting from living in a violent household. Domestic violence is often kept a secret.

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People prefer to shelter these problems and act as if they do not exist in our society. The first step
in speaking out for these children and spouses who are victims of abuse is by addressing the
prevalence of this epidemic.

Substance Abuse
Substance abuse makes up a big portion of the reported reasons for child abuse. The
addiction of a parent to a certain substance has severe effects on the childs health and safety.
According to the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect, parents who abuse
substances are less likely to be able to successfully perform their parental roles. Their judgment
is impaired while under the influence of the alcohol or drugs. With a strong addiction, less time
will be spent with their children and more time will be spent looking for the drug. A parent
struggling with substance abuse will pay very little attention to their child and more attention to
when and where they will fulfill their cravings for the substance. The obsession takes over their
lives and unfortunately, has serious effects on the lives of the people around them. The basic
necessities of the child are not a priority to the substance abuser which results in neglect. The
drug will impair the judgment of the abuser, and cause them to act out in ways they normally
would not if they were sober. Domestic violence is more common in households where one or
more of the guardians abuse substances.
Conclusion
You know all that sympathy that you feel for an abused child who suffers without a good
mom or dad to love and care for them? Well, they don't stay children forever. No one magically
becomes an adult the day they turn eighteen. Some people grow up sooner, many grow up later.
Some never really do. But just remember that some people in this world are older versions of

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those same kids we cry for. (Anonymous.) Child abuse is an ongoing cycle. A son who was
abused by his father is more likely to abuse his son in the future. While the short-term effects of
child abuse are devastating, the long-term effects are even worse. After the abuse is over, those
memories still replay over and over in the minds of the victims. They will never forget the
feeling of being unwanted, unloved, neglected, and abused. Those feelings will not only effect
their mental health, but it will be present in all of their future relationships. The victims of child
abuse will forever carry the weight of all of the aggression of their abusers. The effects of child
abuse never end.
Detective Mark Holste arrived at the scene in Tampa Bay, Florida, to investigate an
alleged case of child maltreatment. Upon entering the cramped house, the detective found urine
and feces covering the floors and walls with thousands of cockroaches covering the carpets.
Holste walked down a narrow hallway and entered into a small room. He saw a young girl,
approximately 6 years of age, laying on the floor. She was wearing nothing but a soiled diaper.
She crawled to the corner of the room and laid in the fetal position. The young girl was obviously
emaciated as her collar bones and ribs were jutting out. Holste picked up the child who was only
about 46 pounds at the time. He asked for her name, but she made no sound. Her dark eyes were
wide open, but so empty and emotionless. As Holste exited the house, the young girls mother
said, I am doing the best I can. By the time the young girl, Danielle, was rescued, it was too
late for her to learn how to speak. She never had any human interaction. She never expressed any
emotions. Dani would not even cry. She had cried so many times before with no one there to
listen. By the time there was someone willing to speak up for her it was too late. Two years after
she was rescued, she was mentally six months to one year old. Now, Danielle is fifteen years old
who is developmentally only two years of age. She will never know what it feels like to be loved

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by someone. She will never understand what it is like to have to care for her. She trusts no one.
She is looked at as an outcast by society. Her symptoms are worse than those of someone with
the most severe form of autism. Child maltreatment is a serious epidemic. These children have
no voice until someone is willing to speak out for them. The sad thing is by the time someone
notices the desperation in the childs eyes, it is already too late. Child abuse has become a
nationwide epidemic. Approximately three innocent children die every day as a result of child
maltreatment. Stop the cycle; break the silence.

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References

"Causes & Effects of Child Abuse." LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 19 Feb. 2014.

Web. 17 Dec. 2014.
"Effects of Child Abuse and Neglect." Joyful Heart Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2014.
"The Future of Children, Princeton - Brookings: Providing Research and Analysis to Promote
Effective Policies and Programs for Children." - The Future of Children -. N.p., n.d.
Web. 19 Dec. 2014.
Special Section on Substance Abuse and Child Maltreatment. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications, 2007. Web.
(Version-Ccf0899), Prevent Child Abuse America. Relationship Between Domestic Violence and
Child Abuse (n.d.): n. pag. Web.
"What Are the Causes of Child Abuse?" - Department of Human Services, Victoria, Australia.
N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2014.

I dont have many corrections!

I like the content
Revised by Maya Begovic