Child Abuse and Neglect Essay -- Violence Against Children

Child Abuse is a very serious issue all throughout the world, in all different countries, cultures, and communities. The four main types of abuse are emotional abuse, physical abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse, and although emotional abuse and neglect are often overlooked, each has just as severe effects on children as sexual and physical abuse (Saisan et al.). The many causes of all kinds of the abuse of children have devastating effects on the child’s life presently and later on in life. There are multiple different causes of child abuse, and although abusing a child cannot be pinpointed to one specific characteristic, issue, or situation, there are factors which contribute to the abuse or neglect of a child. It is preposterous to determine whether child abuse will occur, but commonly a family may be at risk if the caretaker is young, has little education, has little knowledge about child development, has had several children born within a few years, is under great stress, and is extremely dependent on social welfare (Causes and Effects). As a child being taken care of by someone with alcohol and/or drug addictions is difficult, as a result of these addictions sometimes caretakers cannot make good parenting choices and all too often are unable to properly provide for their children. There are many factors that can lead to child abuse, but not all families who meet this â€Å"criteria† abuse their children, just as those families who seem perfect on the outside may actually abuse their children (Saisan et al.). Child abuse happens in all different types of families, and although there are some predicaments where abuse is more common, there is still no singular cause of child abuse. Contrary to many beliefs, the emotional a... ...Emotional Child Abuse – Definitions of Child Neglect and Other Emotionally Abusive Behavior. American Humane Association, n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2014. Miller, Debbie. "Child Abuse and Neglect." Encyclopedia of Education. Ed. James W. Guthrie. 2nd Ed. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2003. 267-270. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 28 Jan. 2014. Neher, Jon O. "Unreleased Emotions from Child Abuse Can Create Devastating Anger." Child Abuse. Ed. Heidi Williams. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "The Decade Dance." Annals of Family Medicine 3 (2005): 462. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. Saisan, MSW, Joanna, Jeanne Segal, Ph.D., and Melinda Smith, M.A.,. "Child Abuse & Neglect: Recognizing and Preventing Child Abuse." Helpguide.org: Understand, Prevent and Resolve Life's Challenges. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Jan. 2014.