Child Abuse And Neglect

"I remember the feeling I experienced when I saw him put his fist to her face and watched the blood pour out of her nose and lips - my beautiful sister," recalls one victim of child abuse and neglect. "How would she live with such fear and unhappiness? How would she face school, friends, life? I knew the meaninglessness of life - I wanted to die in the act of torturing and killing him. I split in two and lost myself entirely. The next thing I remember was staring up at an enormous booted leg which led from my neck to his head and the ceiling beyond. I heard him say, 'You will NOT call that number. They will carry you out in a body bag."

There are several types of abuse and neglect perpetrated against children. Physical neglect involves the refusal of health care to treat a physical injury, medical condition or impairment, or a delay in health care. It also involves abandonment, which is the desertion of a child without supervision. Kicking a child out of the house, allowing the child to leave overnight without knowing his or her whereabouts and showing reckless disregard for the child's safety, such as driving while drunk, are all causes of physical neglect. Providing inadequate clothing, food and shelter are common causes as well. With physical abuse, the child is intentionally slapped, kicked, punched, burned or injured in an attempt to control them.

There is so single cause of child abuse, but there are certain risk factors. For example, children in single parent homes had a 77% greater risk of physical abuse, an 87% greater risk of physical neglect, a 165% greater risk of noticeable physical child abuse and neglect, a 74% greater risk of emotional abuse, an 80% greater risk of suffering serious injury from abuse and a 120% greater risk of experiencing maltreatment overall. Additionally, 7.4% of children who lived with one parent were sexually abused, compared to 4.2% of children who lived with both parents.

Children with disabilities were 1.7 times more likely to be maltreated, statistics show. Another environmental factor is poverty/unemployment. Children in households with incomes below $15,000 are 22 times more likely to be abused or neglected than children in households of $30,000 or more. Parental factors like depression, substance abuse and social isolation all increase the likelihood of abuse. Children of drug abusers are three times more likely to be domestic crime victims.

Many parents are afraid to report child abuse and neglect taking place in their own homes because they fear the children will be taken away by the state. There is an intervention process that child protection services undergo that involves interviews and check-ups. Children are rarely removed from the home immediately. In low risk situations, the family is simply directed to community resources that may be of assistance; things like substance abuse treatment or family counseling services.

If there is a low to moderate risk, then in-home child protection services may be provided. If significant, substantiated abuse has occurred, then voluntary in-home services may be provided and in some cases, a court mandate will requires family services, or at worst, child placement with a relative or foster care. In 2006, 312,000 children were removed from their homes during a child abuse investigation. Of those, 63.6% suffered from neglect, 8.6% from physical abuse, 3.2% from sexual abuse and 16.8% from multiple maltreatment, (HHS, 2008). Your first care and concern should be for the safety of you and your children so don't hesitate to call one of the hotlines today, before irreparable harm is done.

Just enter your name and email to get your FREE Domestic Violence gift immediately ! Name: E-Mail: SECURE & CONFIDENTIAL Your name and email address will not be sold, shared or disclosed to anyone. We promise to respect your privacy.

Technorati Tags: Domestic Violence, Child Abuse And Neglect