The World Needs To Protect Our Greatest Treasure.....
THE CHILDREN

One of the worst tragedies which can happen to a child is abuse.

Child abuse is defined as: "the physical or emotional or sexual mistreatment of children."

Unfortunately, staggering amounts of children have abuse inflicted upon them on a daily basis. This page was created in an attempt to bring an awareness to people of this ongoing tragedy and shed light on the signs of abuse. This page was created out of love for humankind and the love for our future....Our Children! Please take the time to read this page completely and be alerted to potential abusive situations. If you are an abuser, PLEASE seek help immediately! If you don't want to do it for yourself, then please do it for the child....they deserve to live a happy, abuse-free life.

The origination of identification of child abuse stemmed back to 1962 when C. Henry Kemple conducted a survey. The survey encompassed 88 hospitals in which he targeted 302 children who were "battered." From that survey came the term "Battered Child Syndrome". It graphically categorized the brutality inflicted upon young children, many of whom endured multiple injuries. By the exposing of that survey, it alerted the public to a serious matter and initiated the development of child abuse reporting systems.

By 1966, all 50 states had passed legislation controlling child abuse which mandated reporting of it. By 1986, each state except for one required the reporting of neglect, and 41 of the 50 states had explicit referral to reporting of emotional and psychological abuse. Mandation reporting was initially limited to physicians, but was eventually extended to include teachers, nurses, and the general public.

Each day in the United States, more than 3 children die as a result of abuse or neglect. In 1996, 1046 children died of confirmed child abuse or neglect. Of these 1046 children, 82% were under the age of 5 years and 43% were under the age of 1 year.

According to the National Committee To Prevent Child Abuse, of the confirmed cases of abuse, 23% were physical abuse, 9% were sexual abuse, 60% were neglect, 46% were emotional maltreatment, and 5% were other varied forms of abuse.

There are 4 general areas of abuse:

Emotional Maltreatment

Physical Abuse

Sexual Abuse

Neglect

Emotional Maltreatment

Emotional maltreatment is defined as the constant emotional or verbal assaults which cause a child to feel sad, worthless, and unwanted.

Emotional abuse, because it doesn't leave visibly seen "marks", is possibly the most difficult to conquer because it is the most difficult to uncover.

A list of child physical indicators for emotional maltreatment are:

Speech disorders

Lags in physical development

Failure to thrive

A list of child behavioral indicators for emotional maltreatment are:

Habit disorders (biting, rocking, sucking, etc.)

Conduct disorders

Neurotic traits (sleep disorders, speech disorders, inhibition of play)

Psychoneurotic reactions (hysteria, obsessions, complulsions, phobias)

Behavioral extremes (compliant passive, shy aggressive, demanding)

Overly adaptive behavior (inappropriately infantile)

Developmental lags (mental, emotional)

Learning Problems

Attempted suicide

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is defined as ballering and beating, physically harming or injuring a child under 18 years of age by a person who is responsible for the child's welfare.

One thing everyone must acknowledge and accept is that abuse is never a child's fault.

A list of child physical indicators for physical abuse are:

Unexplained bruises and welts

Unexplained burns

Unexplained fractures

Unexplained lacerations or abrasions

Head injuries

Human bite marks

Premature loss of teeth

Frequent injuries which are "accidental" or "unexplained"

A list of child behavioral indicators may be varied and influenced by a child's age, developmental level, and the severity of the abuse.

Wary of adult contacts

Anger, aggression, consistent hyperactivity

Apprehensive when other children cry

Behavioral extremes

Aggressiveness, withdrawl, introverted, extremely passive

Frightened of parents or unnaturally dependent

Frequently truant or late to school

Afraid to go home

Terrified to make a mess

Reports injury by parents

Young child who "takes care" of the parent

Wears a long-sleeved shirt or similar clothing to hide injuries

Seeks affection from any adult with no discrimination

Non-expression of his needs, non-communicative

Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse is defined as the forced or tricked sexual conduct between an adult and child.

One thought to always remember is that children rarely lie about sexual abuse.

A list of physical indicators for sexual abuse are:

Difficulty in sitting or walking

Torn, stained, or bloody underclothing

Pain or itching in genital area

Bruises or bleeding in external genitalia, vaginal, or anal areas

Venereal disease (especially in pre-teens)

Pregnancy

A list of child behavioral indicators for sexual abuse are:

Unwilling to change for gym or participate in phys. ed. class

Withdrawl, fantasy, or infantile behavior

Bizarre, sophisticated, or unusual sexual behavior or knowledge

Wary of physical contact, especially with an adult

Poor peer relationships

Onset of bedwetting, nightmares, or thumbsucking

Delinquent or runaway

Reports sexual assault by caretaker

Neglect

Neglect is defined as the failure to provide for a child's physical and emotional needs, such as food, shelter, clothing, and supervision.

A list of physical indicators for neglect are:

Consistent hunger, poor hygiene, inappropriate dress, chronically unclean

Consistent lack of supervision, especially in dangerous activities for long periods

Unattended physical problems or medical/dental needs

Abandonment

Often tired or listless

A list of child behavioral indicators for neglect are:

Begging or stealing food

Extended stays in school (early arrival and late departure)

Infrequent attendance at school

Constant fatigue, listlessness, or falling asleep in class

Alcohol or drug abuse

States there is no caretaker

If you suspect any form of abuse is occurring to a child, you must report it to the proper authorities. One service which may be notified is the National Child Abuse Hotline Childhelp USA (1-800-4A CHILD). One may also notify their local police department or Children & Youth Agency. Not to report a suspected case of abuse is, in essence, condoning the action and possibly assisting in the eventuality of a child's permanent disability or even death.

I have included sites which will provide valuable information concerning identification of abuse, notification of abuse to proper authorities, and referral for both the child and the abuser. Let's make this a safe and happy world in which the children live. It should never hurt for a child to live!

Abuse Information Sites Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Child Abuse Articles Child Abuse Prevention Services National Committee To Prevent Child Abuse The National Center For Missing And Exploited Children

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please email me so that I may remove them from the page.
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This page has earned an award entitled "Love Of Children Award". I want to thank Kim for honoring this page with the award.

As April is remembered as Child Abuse Awareness Month, please place the green ribbon below on your page as a remembrance to the children who have suffered abuse and as a form of support from you for the prevention of this tragedy. Please assist in giving the children a voice in this world and enabling them to receive the love and safety to which they are entitled.

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