Children are among the vulnerable societal members, as they depend on their parents or caregivers for their up keep as well as support during their transition to adulthood. However, recent research highlights the challenges children face due to lack of support from parents of today. Even more progressive and liberal families where we expect mutual support for children to occur are more involved in unethical upkeep of children. Cases of child abuse depict a terrifying reality, which is difficult to accept and understand. Undeniably, child abuse occurs when a child is mistreated, resulting in impairment of the child’s health, and eventual impeachment of normal personal development in children (Sydney & Julie 32). Precisely, child abuse can further occur in form of neglect. This emanates when parents, as well as caregivers, fail to provide the necessary care for children they have been put under their care. Child neglect occurs in the case where parents and caregivers fail to protect them from foreseen dangers such as cold and hunger.
Children further require much attention, hence, accordance of little or no attention result in neglect. Failure of children to thrive appropriately is an evidence of child neglect. Studies show that child abuse is mainly caused by parental as well as caregiver well being (Kate, 42). Child abuse cases are mainly prevalent among parents who work for long hours and social concerns related to economic inflation. Arguably, child abuse cases are rare among parents with a better (social, economic, and physical) well-being. Furthermore, unstable marriages are the leading causes of child maladjustment and harsh discipline due to withdrawal from child upkeep as well as support from the involved parties.
Parents with unstable emotional states emanating from depressing illnesses and stress and resort to violent outburst on their children. Poor family planning leads to unplanned childbirths, which overwhelm parents thus resulting in poor, as well as lack of family association among children and their caregivers. Bonding with children through use of conversations enables close observation of our children thus enabling us to offer protection and support where need be. Children born with undesirable characteristic are more abused, as parents disown them and mistreat them. Moreover, studies show that a parent who was abuse when young is more likely to abuse his or her children. Child abuse is further propelled by drug and alcohol consumption, as in most cases offenders carry out the vice when under the influence of the mentioned. Child abuse is often carried out in various forms including whipping, burning of body parts, pinching (Kate 24), and in extreme cases it extends to sexual rape/abuse.
Child abuse and neglect undeniably results in long-term consequences whose effects are irreversible. Physical effects emanating from recurrent physical injuries have dire psychological implications including delays in cognitive development (David 84). These results in high-risk behaviors ranging from drug abuse to abuse of alcohol. Childs abuse has also proved to cause poor health status during adulthood. Neglected children have trouble in their social development, as they cannot associate appropriately with people in their lives. Notably, abused children attain poorly in their education as the experiences they pass through disturbs them largely. Research evidently proofs that persons who experience abuse during the earlier stages of their lives are more likely to abuse their children when they become parents.
Work cited
David, Wolfe. Child abuse: implications for child development and psychopathology. Atlanta.
Desktop publishers. 1999. Print.
Kate, Havelin. Child abuse: why do my parents hit me? Washington. Lerner publishing group.
2000. Print.
Sydney, Newton & Julie, Gerrits. Child abuse. New York. Crabtree publishing company. 2010.
Print.
