Effects of Child Abuse and Neglect Essay -- Violence Against Children

Every year more than 3 million reports of child abuse are made in the United States involving more than 6 million children(Child Abuse Statistics & Facts). Child abuse doesn’t necessarily have to be physical, it can be mental, emotional, or sexual, it can even be neglect. Abuse doesn’t only effect the child being abused but it also affects the people witnessing the abuse. Child abuse can affect the child in many different ways. There can be many effects of abuse on the child (Kraizer). The worst way the child can be affected is suicide. Every child abuse case is different in its own way. Of course child abuse can lead to problems and suffering, but it's not that simple. Every child will have a different way of dealing with the problem that they think is alright because they have been raised knowing only that. Common effects of child abuse; Nightmares or difficulty sleeping, low self-esteem, antisocial behavior, including rebelliousness or running away, increased hostility or aggression. Feelings of fear, shame, anger, guilt, anxiety, or confusion are often found in a child that is being abused. The child will tend to stay away from other children and play by themselves. A child that is abused will most likely be abused until they are a teenager and will usually find themselves in an abusive relationship later in life, if they’re not being abused they will usually be the abuser. The child will most likely be effected by the abuse their whole lives, and will need therapy in some point in their lives. But most cannot afford it so they live with the thoughts of being abused all their lives. Many people are not aware of the long-term effects abuse can have on a child. Whether a child experiences abused, or witnesses it, the effects often affect the physical, intellectual, and emotional growth of the child. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month (Child Abuse: An American Epidemic). It is a time organizations try to make the public aware that there are children being abused everyday. It is not the only time they make it aware to the public, they do it all year long. During this month organizations try to educate people on how to bring healing to those who are being abused. Infants and toddlers (0 - 2 ½ Years ) have developmental problems. They don’t have much response to chaotic, loud, and harmful environments. Emotional withdra... ...th abuse after it is over is the toughest thing to handle, most people that could afford therapy go to it, but since most people can‘t afford it they try to deal with it the best they can. Although in most cases the child is removed from the home that the abuse is happening in, sometimes child abuse can slip by unnoticed and that can have severe consequences on the child as well as others. Everyone is urged to report child abuse if they suspect it is happening, there are anonymous numbers that you can call to report abuse. In the worst case scenario child abuse can later in life lead to suicide. Work Cited Joseph S. Volpe. â€Å"Effects of Domestic Violence on Children and Adolescents: An Overview.† Web. 16 May 2015. http://www.aets.org/arts/art8.htm Sherryll Kraizer. â€Å"Child Abuse: Effects.† Web. 16 May 2015. http://www.safechild.org/childabuse5.htm â€Å"Child Abuse Statistics & Facts† Web. 16 May 2015. https://www.childhelp.org/child-abuse-statistics/ â€Å"Social and/or Emotional Effects of Sexual Abuse.† Web. 16 May 2015. http://www.uen.org/utahlink/lp_res/husex091.htm Landau, Elaine. Child Abuse: An American Epidemic. Englewood cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990