Read! Child abuse: A societal problem?

Child abuse is the physical, sexual or emotional mistreatment or neglect of a child or children.

Child maltreatment could also be described as an act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child.

Child abuse can occur in a child’s home, or in the organizations, schools or communities the child interacts with.

There are four major categories of child abuse: neglect, physical abuse, psychological or emotional abuse, and sexual abuse.

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Physical abuse involves physical aggression directed at a child by an adult. Most nations with child-abuse laws consider the deliberate infliction of serious injuries, or actions that place the child at obvious risk of serious injury or death, to be illegal. Physical abuse is the intentional or non-accidental production of a physical injury.

Child sexual abuse on the other hand is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent abuses a child for sexual stimulation.

While emotional abuse is defined as the production of psychological and social deficits in the growth of a child as a result of behavior such as loud yelling, coarse and rude attitude, inattention, harsh criticism, and denigration of the child’s personality.

In many parts of the world, particularly in the developing countries, innocent children are subjected to hardship all in because of poverty.

Some parents or caregivers are in the habit of beating, biting, blaming and yelling at their children all because they want to correct them of their wrong deeds.

Children are often punished for behavior they are too young to control. Abusive parent has failed to understand the need to imbibe in the children the desired qualities and ways of life.

It shouldn’t hurt to be a child. Many children who should be in school or with their parent to receive parental care, love and protection are on the street, on the highways hawking to earn a living or to help their parent.

Many children had been exposed to sexual act and other anti-social behaviour through this.

Abused children believe they don’t have values; they cannot affect the world around them hence they angry, dejected and depressed.

Abused children are likely to experience generalized anxiety, depression, truancy, shame, suicidal and homicidal thought or to engage in criminal activity and promiscuity.

- Aminah Oyeleye

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