Pubilc Piece

Taneisha Watson

Instructor Johnson

English 111-2901

10 April 2020

Causes of Child Abuse and Neglect

Parenting or childcare is of immense health benefits to all juveniles and society as a whole. Usually, proper parenting entails ensuring enhanced general health, wellness, and safety of minors as they grow and mature into adulthood stages of growth and development. Typically, a child born and bred responsibly grows and develops to become a healthy and responsible adult, while the reverse is equally true (Jones, Nurius, Song & Fleming, 34). Irresponsible and abusive upbringing encompasses subjecting a minor to different forms of malpractices and abuses such as cruelty, beatings, neglect, and substance abuse, among others. In reality, causes of child abuse and neglect are diverse and stem from inflicting physical and emotional harm because of various reasons ranging from lack of education, irresponsibility, financial stress or poverty, domestic violence, alcohol, and substance abuse, among others.

Background Information

Young ones expect the society in general and parents in particular to provide adequate care and protection for purposes of improved physical and psychosocial health and development. However, for several reasons, of which some are unclear, the community has turned unfriendly and uncaring by exposing the young to varied antisocial practices such as spanking. Exposure to such malpractices dramatically influences the overall health and well-being of victims. Key reasons that are to blame for all behavior of child cruelty, violence, or neglect relate closely to poverty, lack of education, alcohol use, drugs, and substance abuse by either caregivers or parents (The Effects-of-Child-Abuse-and-Neglect, Para. 3). Child abuse and neglect do not only affect victims at childhood but proceeds to influence general health and wellness during adulthood and therefore deserve shunning.

It is true that child abuse, as well as neglect, is an asocial practice that is common today and is on an upward trend despite remaining outlawed or criminalized under various jurisdictions in different parts of the world over. As already pinpointed above, child neglect and abuse involve subjecting minors to abuse and neglect inflicts both psychosocial and physical harm on the health and wellness of the vulnerable young ones. One common cause of this is poverty, especially high levels of poverty in a society. Many financially and materially underprivileged parents usually experience high levels of frustrations and stress in the process of parenting (Jones et al., 36). These sometimes compel parents to redirect their life frustrations on the vulnerable and weak, such as children under their care.

Aside from poverty is the frequent use of alcohol and substances, especially abuse of the same. Most parents, particularly those experiencing hardships, usually resort to alcohol and other unlawful drugs for solace. After consuming alcohol and drugs for a considerable period, they become addicted to the same, and this influences their health and wellness in a significant way (Afifi et al., 26). Such youths are likely to engage in child labor to fend for themselves at an early age alongside indulging in alcohol, drugs, and substance use coupled with premature sexual intercourse, which affects general health and well-being.

Similarly, parents or caregivers, on several occasions, tend to neglect or abuse juveniles under their care. In other words, on attaining alcohol and substance addiction levels, caregivers typically turn neglectful. Generally, they fail to provide the necessary basic needs, which children require for good health (The Effects-of-Child-Abuse-and-Neglect, Para. 5). For instance, over-indulgence in alcohol and drugs leads to inaccessibility of nutritious diets, clothing, and housing. Consequently, this causes child abuse and neglect, which deserves discouraging for improved health and wellness of children and future generations.

Besides that, the lack of education, mainly formal education alongside awareness concerning proper childcare, contributes considerably to child abuse and neglect (Easton 209). On many occasions, poor parents are unable to support their children to reach higher levels of formal education. Such parents usually abuse and neglect their children unconsciously. Such children mature into adulthood and again subject their young ones to similar treatments or even worse, and this perpetuates an endless cycle of child abuse and neglect in a society. Therefore, there is an urgent need for governments and other stakeholders to put in place concerted efforts to help reduce the vice for improved health and wellness of a population. For example, public familiarization campaigns concerning the social issue are significant in reducing the menace.

In addition to that is the aspect of being socially unethical and irresponsible on the part of parents or caregivers, which contributes immensely to the social vice of child abuse and neglect. As already highlighted above, alcohol and drug dependency make the society, turn irresponsible. Similarly, the entire community should take the blame for allowing acts of irresponsibility and immorality in the neighborhood, and this significantly influences the growth and development of minors (Jones et al., 37). Consequently, societies should focus on remaining as socially ethical, moral, and responsible to help nurture young ones with utmost care and responsibility to break the seemingly endless cycle of child abuse and neglect, which harms society.

On the other hand, another opinion argues that it is improper to heap disproportionate blame on the above mentioned as the causes of child abuse and neglect. They argue that there are other underlying issues, which cause child abuse and neglect in a community. For instance, child abuse and neglect is a widespread phenomenon found in both wealthy and low-income families alike. Some affluent parents or caregivers, despite their financial statuses, engage in the asocial and criminalized practice because of mental health statuses (Easton, 211). Some parents were born with unstable mental health and conditions, which sometimes compel them to engage in child abuse or neglect unconsciously. Consequently, it is incumbent upon the entire community to protect and safeguard such minors from abuse and neglect.

Moreover, some children are born with mental health disorders, and meeting the needs or requirements of such youths prove challenging for many families (Easton, 213). In other words, a child born with mentally related health challenges usually proves challenging concerning how to nurture them. Some youths end up deserting homes or families to unknown locations where they start living in seclusion, possibly on the streets because of mentally related health conditions. Therefore, it would not be for a section of society to blame issues such as poverty and drunkenness as causes of child abuse and neglect, since some children from low-income families equally grow up to responsible adults despite experiencing several childhood challenges.

To conclude, public health and the wellness of all people is necessary, especially that of minors. Therefore, parents or caregivers have a challenging task of nurturing or molding children into either responsible or irresponsible people. Typically, responsible parenting entails ensuring enhanced general health, wellness, and safety of minors as they grow and mature into adulthood. In other words, a child born and brought up responsibly develops to become a healthy and responsible adult and vice versa. In reality, causes of child abuse and neglect are diverse and stem from inflicting physical and emotional harm because of various reasons ranging from lack of education, irresponsibility, financial stress or poverty, domestic violence, alcohol, and substance abuse, among others.

Works Cited

Afifi, Tracie O., et al. "Spanking and Adult Mental Health Impairment: The Case for the Designation of Spanking as an Adverse Childhood Experience." Child Abuse & Neglect 71 (2017): 24-31.

Easton, Scott D. "Childhood Disclosure of Sexual Abuse and Mental Health Outcomes in Adulthood: Assessing Merits of Early Disclosure and Discussion." Child Abuse & Neglect 93 (2019): 208-214.

Jones, Tiffany M., et al. "Modeling Life Course Pathways from Adverse Childhood Experiences to Adult Mental Health." Child Abuse & Neglect 80 (2018): 32-40.

The Washington Post, Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/new-report-finds-that-untreated-the-effects-of-child-abuse-and-neglect-can-last-a- 12 September 2013