Katie Arevalo

Ms. Joshi

Pre-English

7/28/17

Child Abuse

Child abuse was an avoided topic for ages. Between not wanting to intervene on

parenting techniques and victims not mentioning when they were being abused, the topic

remained in the dark for a very long time. However, in current time one can find more cases of

child abuse on the news and within schools due to state laws; All States, the District of

Columbia, and U.S. territories have reporting statutes for child abuse and neglect. These statutes

outline who must report, to whom the abuse or neglect must be reported, and the form and

content of the report (Crosson-Tower, pg. 30). Unfortunately many cases remain unreported

and/or are left unreported for years into the person's abuse, in fact children who face child abuse

are often encouraged by their abuser(s) to remain silent. In Ginger Kadlec article, 7 Reasons Kids

Dont Disclose Child Abuse, revealing the true estimated number of children abused in the

United States was around 2.8 million in 1993 compared to the 1.4 million estimated in 1986.

Despite the recent attention and action based response given to child abuse cases, I often

wonder what next? For persons who have experienced child abuse, a crucial part of the recovery

process is what happens after they bring their situation to light, and/or get out of it by entering

adulthood without ever telling anyone. Personally, the hardest part of being a victim of child

abuse was figuring out what it would be like to live with it for the rest of my life. The first night I

slept under a different roof than that of my abusers, I dreamt they were still there with me; I
feared them and I missed them. I went through so much mentally when I got away from them,

that it took a larger impact on my academic life than the past 16 years of abuse had. This leads

me to ask, does child abuse hinder the development of said victim? In order to look into this we

will first have to look at the definition of child abuse. What things do or do not fall into the

category of child abuse? When thinking about the future of an abuse victim it is important to

consider in their development, what they consider proper treatment for themselves and others. In

other words, does child abuse make the victim more likely to exhibit aggressive behaviors

towards themselves and/or others? If studies do indeed show that children are very unlikely to

report their abuse then chances are they will normalize it in order to live with it (Taylor and

Francis).

Talking about child abuse can feel like crossing a line. When it comes to parenting, there

will always be disagreements about the best forms of discipline for children. For this reason child

abuse has to be part of continuous research. As of now child abuse can be defined using four

categories: physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect, sexual abuse and child prostitution, and

child labor (Unite For Sight, Inc). Unfortunately all of these categories remain way too high. For

that reason, I argue that an educational method is important in the effort towards stopping child

abuse. Researchers and specialist agree that there are many reasons behind child abuse, we

cannot stop it unless we learn them inside and out. From women who faced domestic violence

and then abused their kids to people who sell children for the money, we have to be well

educated on the topic in order to continue our efforts against it. In my Experience, families who

are identified as having ongoing abuse are given counseling opportunities. Not to say that the

victim shouldn't be centered, in any child abuse case the child should be the first concern. They
should be taken care of mentally, emotionally, and physically; once that is addressed the family

aspect can be looked into and mediation for the wellbeing of that child should be considered.

Child abuse is not the end of a family for all, but child abuse that goes un identified very well

could be detrimental to a family's relationships. Having the ability to notice signs of abuse and

knowing how to proceed once they are identified could be what saves said child. Education over

this topic will be as close as people who have not experienced child abuse will get to

understanding what life is like for a child abuse victim.

Many know that trauma is a lifelong ordeal, we see it in victims of rape, in our soldiers,

in murder witnesses, and more. For children who face child abuse the same is true (Powers, etal).

They are facing the abuse at a very critical developmental time, as a child you learn morals,

values, self love, and much more. If all you receive is abuse, then how do you achieve a normal

development? What does the real development of victims of child abuse look like? Fortunately

we have ways of supporting people who experience trauma in the forms of counseling, support

groups, group counseling, etc. if we as a society provide these then its because we know

traumatic events can change the course of a person's health or even overall life. It is of

paramount that we understand in what ways that impact happens so that we can prevent it. The

more you understand a topic the more likely you are to prevent it from happening. The more you

are able to identify signs of child abuse the more likely you are to stop it. That goes for the

abuser, the abused, and third parties. Finally, much like many victims of other forms of abuse it is

very likely that child abuse victims blame themselves (Hazzard), we as a society cannot possibly

stand idly by as innocent victims take the blame for something they could not have possibly
caused. It is our moral obligation to identify cases of child abuse and learn the effects of it on the

individual.
 Works Cited

"Effects of Child Abuse and Neglect." Joyfulheartfoundation.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 July

2017.

Hazzard, Ann, Marianne Celano, Jenny Gould, Suzanne Lawry, and Carrol Webb.

"Predicting Symptomatology and Self-blame among Child Sex Abuse Victims."

Predicting Symptomatology and Self-blame among Child Sex Abuse Victims -

ScienceDirect. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 July 2017.

Kadlec, Ginger. "7 Reasons Kids Don't Disclose Child Abuse." Project Eve. N.p., 21 Sept.

2013. Web. 27 July 2017.

"Normalization of Violence: Experiences of Childhood Abuse by Inner-City Crack Users."

Taylor & Francis. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 July 2017.

Powers, Abigail, Negar Fani, Dorthie Cross, Kerry J. Ressler, and Bekh Bradley.

"Childhood Trauma, PTSD, and Psychosis: Findings from a Highly Traumatized,

Minority Sample." Child Abuse & Neglect 58 (2016): 111-18. Web.

"Unite For Sight." Child Labor and Child Abuse in Developing Countries. N.p., n.d. Web.

30 July 2017.

United States. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children

and Families Administration on Children, Youth and Families Childrens Bureau.

Child Abuse and Neglect. The Role of Educators in Preventing and Responding to

Child Abuse and Neglect. By Cynthia Crosson-Tower. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 July 2017.

Wissow, Lawrence S. "Child Abuse and Neglect NEJM." New England Journal of

Medicine. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 July 2017.

Wolfe, David A. Child Abuse: Implications for Child Development and Psychopathology.

Thousands Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publ., 1999. Print.