Introduction
Society in the United States faces the spread of new challenge as to the family relations and attitude towards children by parents. In this regard, several social organizations note the increase in the level of the violent behavior in relation to the children what falls within the scope of the child abuse. In face, it is hard to measure all acts of the child abuse within the country as the majority of the families do not report the organizations about the inability to behave the child, while the social organizations responsible for the behavior of the children can not investigate and deter these actions. Despite the fact that the child abuse is not relatively new for society, the state bodies do not have proper plan that will provide them with the opportunity to decrease the level of the child abuse and neglect. Moreover, it is highly important to state that the child abuse results in the numerous negative consequences of different dimensions that have the influence on the further development of the child and his behavior. In this regard, the United States should adopt the plan of the reforms allowing to create the strong level of the surveillance of the actions of child neglect in order to prevent the spread of the problem undermining the life of the children. From this point of view, the purpose of the paper is to define the effects of the child neglect over the child, on the physical and emotional development. Regardless of the necessity to be aware of the impact of the child abuse over the child’s life, everyone should be able to define the causes of the aggressive behavior of the parents which may be regarded as the child neglect. In case the state will be familiar with all reasons of the child neglect, the relevant measures may be adopted by the state bodies for the removal of the child abuse actions.
Overview of Child Abuse and Neglect
In 1999 the World Health Organization adopted the understanding that the child abuse should be understood as any form of physical or emotional treatment on on behalf of the parents of the child covering the actions of sexual abuse or neglect which lead to the harm of the health and development of the child. With that, the child abuse applies to the actions having the single exposure or lasting on the long-lasting period. Meanwhile, it should be said that the child abuse can not abuse from any particular reason due to the findings of the scholars supporting the idea that combination of the factors forces the parents to act aggressively and abusive towards their children. In this respect, the abuse or any action of the child neglect usually takes place in the families which are living under the pressure or any financial support. Besides, to most popular reasons of the child abuse, the experts refer the following:
Absence of the financial resources necessary for the behavior of the child;
Violent actions among the members of the family which influence the child;
Lack of the education;
Problems between the spouses;
Lack of the proper housing conditions so that the parent feels himself unable to behave the child and provide him with the proper living conditions;
Mental or physical illnesses of the parents or close relatives;
Worsening of the working conditions of the parents;
Availability of more than two children in the family leading to the inability of the parents to control the activity of all children and provide them with the financing beyond the poverty level (Dubowitz, 2004).
Accordingly, the child abuse should be understood as the actions committed only by the parents of the child, while the activity of the close relatives is not covered by this notion. Moreover, there are several types of the child abuse that should be classified into the following:
Emotional abuse takes place when the parents are not able to provide the children with the necessary support and care so that the child feels himself as the person without reliable environment;
Physical abuse covers the actions of any injury upon the child which have been committed with the direct intention;
Sexual abuse where the adult takes the child for any sexual activity which should be prosecuted by the relevant enforcement agencies;
Neglect and maltreatment exists in case the parents can no satisfy the basic needs of the child which cover the proper clothing, living conditions, food nutrition and medical care, education;
Family violence in case particular member of the family commits aggressive action in the manner that the child is afraid to live with the family due to the risk to his life;
Organized abuse refer to the group of the violent actions.
Despite the existence of the extended vision of the classification of the cases of the child neglect, it is highly important to understand that in case child is a subject of the physical or emotional abuse, the effects are significant enough to damage the stable environment and physical ability of the child. Consequently, the United States maintains the range of the state bodies which conduct the surveillance over the child neglect within the particular region. For example, Prevent Child Abuse New York is responsible to manage situations with child neglect taking place among the citizens of New York. According to the research of this organization, in addition to the general reasons of the child abuse, the next ones are the following:
Drug abuse on behalf of any member of the family;
Alcoholic abuse;
Substance abuse;
Domestic violence (Kendall-Tackett, 2002).
Consequently, it should be said that the child abuse usually takes place in the families where the poverty or any other mental or physical problem exists. In addition to the fact that the child abuse undermines the development of the child, the external factors in form absence of the proper education deepens the crisis pertaining to the formation of the personality of the child. Moreover, according to the findings of the scholars, in case a child is living in the unfriendly and abusive environment, he will get accustom to the necessity to survive through the life regardless of the involvement of the parents. Moreover, the consequences of the child abuse may be divided into the next categories:
Physical
Behavioral
Physiological.
As to the physical consequences, the injuries may be minor or severe due to which the child may die or obtain the scars. Besides, it is quite difficult to deter the cases of the physical abuse until there are evidences on the skin of the child about the actions of the parents. The physical abuse may become vulnerable to the functioning of the brain, as this part of the body is developing for years while the physical harm to the particular harm may change the cognitive development and other abilities of the child. Despite the significant impact of the physical harmful treatment, the psychological effects should be taken into account as they give rise to the formation mental illness and depression mood. Moreover, the children that are feeling themselves abused and isolated are subjects of the several emotional effects which lead to the transformation of the consequences into the absence of the self-confidence in the personal ability to take any action in the life. Furthermore, these children are afraid to communicate with other people and children as they prefer to stay alone and consider the personal problems. In contrast, the representatives of the law enforcement agencies believe that the existence of the child abuse in the early hood leas to the fact that in some years, this person will be the offender of the current legislation. Moreover, the person being involved in the child neglect is much more likely to commit the actions falling within the scope of the offensive behavior prosecuted by the police officers. Accordingly, it is observed that approximately about 30% of abused children upon becoming parents treat their personal children in the same manner. Besides, certain experts have come to the conclusion that the effects of the childhood abuse may last though the entire life of the person based on the severe effect of the action. At the same time, the people as the victims of the child abuse confirm the existence of the following effects:
Poor mental health;
Unhappiness with the life and surrounding world due to the inability to communicate with other people because of fear;
Pursuit of the broken relationships;
Isolation in the society in addition to the disconnection with perspective friends;
Poo self-esteem;
Eating disorders (Litty, Kowalski & Minor, 1996).
Beyond the abovementioned factors, the researchers believe that such notion as the complex trauma has the origin in the early childhood due to the child neglect or abuse. According to the findings obtained through the surveys, the complex trauma implies the existence of the severe problems with the mental and physical health so that the person is not able to adopt personal decisions having the influence over the further development of the person. Besides, the children which were exposed to the child neglect usually have the negative imagination about their place and role in the life so that they can no find the successful job. Furthermore, the child abuse influences the academic performance of the child at school and other educational facilities die to the fact that the child is concerned with the family problems rather than to pursue the high achievements at school. Meanwhile, in the adulthood, it is quite difficult to predict the stability in the relations with the person having the acts of the child abuse due to the fact that any particular event may trigger the feelings this person had in the childhood. Furthermore, the child abuse may involve the experience of the betrayal and powerlessness as the child can not influence the actions and behavior of the parents in order to cease the aggressive actions.
Given the abovementioned effects, the social organizations should provide the assistance to the families and children having the problems with the child abuse. In this regard, there are several programs financed by the state or non-governmental organizations based on which the special trained professionals may instruct the parents about the proper behavior with the child. Furthermore, in case the investigator of the organization watches inability to recover the stability in the family, this person submits the case to the court with the purpose to deprive the parent with the parenthood for the benefit of the child. In addition, there is voluntary or involuntary deprivation of the parenthood. In case the parent accepts his inability to meet the needs of the child, the person requests the court to locate the child in the special institutions where the child will be provided with proper education, healthcare and medical treatment. From one point of view this behavior is regarded as reasonable one as the parent will act as to prevent the other negative consequences to the development of the child. However, the life without the parent is devastating and harm. For sure, this problem still requires the deliberate investigation as it is hard to develop all measures that should be taken by the state and relevant state bodies within society for the provision of the assistance to the children with child abuse.
References
Dubowitz, H. (2004). Measurement of Three Major Subtypes of Child Neglect. Child Maltreatment, 9(4), 344-356. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1077559504269191
Kendall-Tackett, K. (2002). The health effects of childhood abuse: four pathways by which abuse can influence health. Child Abuse & Neglect, 26(6-7), 715-729. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0145-2134(02)00343-5
Litty, C., Kowalski, R., & Minor, S. (1996). Moderating effects of physical abuse and perceived social support on the potential to abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 20(4), 305-314. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0145-2134(96)00011-7
