Child Abuse: Results

“Upon our children, how they are taught, rests the fate or fortune of tomorrow’s world.” - B.C. Forbes Page 9

WHAT ARE THE • Personal problems, such as marital confl ict. WARNING SIGNS • Financial diffi culties, such as unemployment or housing problems. AND SYMPTOMS No one has been able to predict OF CHILD ABUSE? which of these factors will cause someone to abuse a child. A signifi cant factor If you suspect child abuse, always is that abuse tends to be inter-generational report it, for the sake of the child. Call Child – those who were abused as children are Protective Services: 509-456-4451. more likely to repeat the act when they To recognize child abuse, look for become parents or caretakers. clusters of the following physical and In addition, many forms of child abuse behavioral symptoms: arise from ignorance, isolation, or benign Some signs of physical child abuse: neglect. Sometimes a cultural tradition leads • Burns, bite marks, cuts, bruises, or welts in to abuse; for example, such beliefs as: the shape of an object. • Children are property. • Resistance to going home. • Parents (especially males) have the right to • Fear of adults. control their children in any way they wish. Some signs of emotional child abuse: • Children need to be toughened up to face • Apathy, depression. the hardships of life. • Hostility. • Girls need to be genitally mutilated to • Diffi culty concentrating. assure virginity and later marriage. Some signs of sexual child abuse: • Inappropriate interest in or knowledge of sexual acts. • Seductiveness. WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OF CHILD ABUSE? WHY CARE? Because preventing child abuse is not a hopeless cause. • Avoidance of things related to sexuality, or Child abuse can have dire consequences, rejection of own genitals or body. • Either over-compliance or excessive during both childhood and adulthood. Child abuse may result in: WHY S•C•A•N? aggression. • Fear of a particular person or family member • Impaired social behavior, antisocial behavior, and diffi culty establishing intimate personal relationships. Because we make heroes out of parents. Some signs of neglect of a child: • Alienation and withdrawal. • Clothing unsuited to the weather. • Being dirty or un-bathed. • Extreme hunger. • Depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, feelings of worthlessness, self-injury. • Suicidal tendencies. WHY NOW? Because this problem • Apparent lack of supervision. • Substance abuse and high levels of medical won’t go away by itself. WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF CHILD illness. • Eating disorders or drastic changes in appetite. ABUSE? • Problems in school or work. Why would someone abuse a defenseless • Impaired psychological development; child? What kind of person abuses a child? personality disorders. Not all child abuse is deliberate or intended. Several factors in a person’s life may combine • Abusive parenting or care-giving. to cause them to abuse a child: • Prostitution (in the case of sexual abuse). • Stress, depression, or anxiety; includes the • Cognitive disorders. stress of caring for children, or the stress of • A distorted view of sex, and diffi cultycaring for a child with a disability, special relating to others except on sexual terms (in needs, or diffi cult behaviors. the case of sexual abuse). • Lack of the nurturing qualities necessary for • Nightmares and bed wetting.caring for a child. • Death of a child; or death of the abuser, if • Diffi culty controlling anger. the child eventually fi ghts back. • A personal history of being abused. The effects of being abused as a child • Isolation from the family or community. vary according to the severity of the abuse • Physical or mental health problems (in the abuser). and the surrounding environment of the child. If the family or school environment is nurturing and supportive, the child will • Alcohol or drug abuse. probably have a healthier outcome.