Child Abuse
Child Abuse
Introduction
“And when the female infant (Al-Maw\’udah) buried alive is questioned, for what sin she was killed!” (Surah 81, al takwir: 8-9). On judgmental day, fathers will be asked for which reason they abused their daughters. Islamic teachings ended those cruel pre-Islamic practices of female infanticide “wa\’d” which was common in dark ages. However, child abuse has for a long time been recorded in literature, art and science in many parts of the world. The historical record is also filled with reports of unkempt, weak and malnourished children cast out by families to fend for themselves and of children who have been physically, sexually, and emotional abused. In recent years, countries witnessed a movement towards child abuse addressing and prevention.
This concept paper aims at portraying the different types of child abuse, manifestations and consequences. Different types of child abuse are caused by many factors; those factors will be discussed also. The prevention approaches by family and health service providers will by highlighted at the end of this paper with the therapeutic approaches. Most of the available studies are concerned with aspects of physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse, and therefore the discussion and recommendations would have the most validity when applied to such situations.
Anyone under age 18 who\’s been neglected or abused by a parent or someone responsible for his care is considered a victim of child abuse. In statistics for 2002, the Department of Health and Human Services revealed that: about 896,000 American children were victims of abuse and neglect. Of all abused children, 60.5% suffered neglect; 18.6%, physical abuse; and 9.9%, sexual abuse. Some experienced more than one type. An estimated 1,400 children died from abuse or neglect; 76.1% of them were under age 4. Parents were the most common abusers. Although these numbers on child abuse are appalling, many authorities believe they\’re conservative. Because abuse occurs within the family and often involves young preverbal children, many cases are never discovered or reported. Particularly, 63% of the participants were identified as victims of domestic violence on Karachi Domestic Violence Screening Scale. 36% of the victims were males and 64% of the victims were females. 35% of the victims reported facing physical abuse, 52% of the victims reported psychological abuse and 30% of the victims reported sexual abuse from their relatives. 60% of the victims had depression and 67% of the victims had anxiety. Another Study by medical students of AKU (class of 1996) in a sample of 176 children, it showed that 27% of them had suffered physical abuse.
Child abuse crosses all ethnic, racial, cultural, and socioeconomic lines. There is clear evidence that child abuse is a global problem. “It occurs in a variety of forms and is deeply rooted in cultural, economic and social practices” (Bethea, L, 1999). Many parents who abuse their children are immature and impulsive, with low self-esteem. Sometimes family is isolated within the community and one or both parents may be a substance abuser. Environmental stressors that can trigger abuse include work problems, poverty, unemployment, illness of family members, marital tensions, and domestic violence between adults. The child consequences lead to consider child prevention as the priority in primary health care system. “The short-term consequences of abuse are the physical and behavioral indicators that led to suspect abuse in the first place in health care system”.
The role of the community, religious leaders and school teachers is vital in countering the exploitation of children, but, unfortunately, there is often ambivalence among people regarding such issues. So that there is a need to nurses to sensitize parents and teachers on the crucial issues around child abuse and mobilize them to form networks to protect children. Typically, neglect comes to light when a teacher reports a child who has poor hygiene and inappropriate clothing, appears listless, frequently complains of hunger, or frequently misses school without explanation. Neighbors may report a child being left unsupervised, or a health care provider may report that a child is missing appointments for medical care. As a health care professional, nurse role is reporting child abuse and neglect, especially when a nurse discovers it during home visitation. “Nurses who work with children and families in various health care, education, and social service settings can play a key role in stopping neglect and abuse before they begin, by promoting primary prevention procedures”. ( Kathleen ,2004)
Body
The International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect recently compared definitions of abuse from 58 countries and found some commonality in what