Child abuse generally refers to mistreatment of a child by a parent or another adult. However, there is no standard definition of child abuse. A narrow definition is limited to life-threatening physical violence. Such violence might include severe beatings, burns, and strangulation. A broader definition includes any treatment that may harm a child. No one knows how many instances of child abuse occur each year because many cases of child abuse are never reported.
Child abuse takes many forms. It includes physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Another form of child abuse is neglect. Neglect is the failure of a parent or caregiver to provide for the basic needs of a child. It is the most common form of child abuse.
Views about the causes of child abuse have changed through the years. Many social scientists once believed that only people with severe emotional problems would abuse children. However, studies indicate that most individuals who abuse children do not suffer from traditional psychiatric illnesses. Another common view is that abused children grow up to be abusive adults. This phenomenon is referred to as the cycle of abuse. Research has shown, however, that abused children do not necessarily become abusers as adults.
Today, many experts believe child abuse is widespread because society regards physical punishment by parents as a reasonable way of changing children’s behavior. Thus, adults who hurt children sometimes only intend to correct them. The adults do not realize how easily children can be injured.
Some experts also believe that stress is a cause for some cases of child abuse. Parents who are unemployed, isolated, or under stress for other reasons are more likely to abuse their children than parents who do not have such problems. Children who are difficult to care for, such as premature infants and children with disabilities, create more stress for parents. Thus, such children are more likely to be abused than are other children. Parent support programs, such as Parents Anonymous, and other professional services can help relieve many of the stresses that lead to abuse. In extreme cases, a juvenile court may remove a child from the home and place the child in a foster home or other care facility to ensure the child’s safety.
The problems of pedophilia and child sexual abuse have received much attention in the media. Pedophilia is sexual attraction in an adult toward children. Adults who are sexually attracted to children are called pedophiles. Children should be warned not to let people, even family members, touch them in ways that make them uncomfortable. Children should also be told to tell a trusted adult if they are sexually abused. Children should be urged to discuss anything that bothers them with a trustworthy adult. But experts point out that frightening warnings about something small children cannot understand can terrify and confuse children.
Before the 1800’s, little was done to prevent child abuse. In the late 1800’s, citizens of some large cities set up agencies to deal with social problems, including poverty, overcrowding, and child abuse. The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NYSPCC) was established in 1875. It was the first child protective agency in the world.
Child abuse gained major attention in the United States in the 1960’s. This increased attention was linked to the identification of the battered child syndrome. C. Henry Kempe, a professor of pediatrics, and his associates first identified the syndrome. Kempe’s studies pointed out the responsibilities of people in medical, psychological, social, and legal professions to help control child abuse. All 50 states soon required physicians and other professionals to report suspected cases of abuse to a government authority.
In 1974, the U.S. Congress organized the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect. The center was reorganized in 1996 as the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect. The office is a division of the Children’s Bureau, within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The office helps support programs that deal with child abuse. Today, state child welfare experts investigate abuse cases and counsel families of abused children.
