DUE TOMORROW FINAL DRAFT

Ashley Waddy 3

CHILDREN WHO ARE ABUSED

Children are who make up the segment of society that is the most defenseless, vulnerable, as well as completely dependent on adults. The adults are who to blame when children end up in areas of natural disasters and catastrophes. There has been an increase in the reported cases of child abuse by parents while ideally it is the moral duty of the parents to protect their children from any form of physical, sexual and emotion abuse.

Having grown in a neighbourhood of children who have been abused I noticed that it has detrimental effects on their social life and it led to a strained relationship with their parents and other elderly people in the society. During our interaction I noticed that the children have a form of fear for the parents and this hinders open and comfortable discussion about issues that affect their day to day lives. I have always admired close knit families and having grown up in one, I wish that every child would have the privilege of enjoying the same.

Russian academic indicates that children are highly vulnerable and at risk of atrocities from elder members of the society who might inflict bodily harm or emotional distress. The children become destitute and result to begging on the streets, prostitution and economic exploitation to meet their basic needs and interests. This have a great impact on the children’s life and this could be positive or negative.

To begin with some children learn to be self reliant and dependent which is vital for their survival. The skills picked up in this phase of life contribute to their development and form a foundation for their future. On the other hand, some children end up being disoriented and may suffer from emotional distress.

They become malnourished due to lack of adequate nourishment and might become aggressive as they seek to acquire basic needs. The results of this study are convincing though the reported cases of negative implications are more than the positive.

The major cause of child abuse that is stated in the study is poverty at the household level, I do however agree with but it also raises some questions as well. “Are all children who may be facing abuse today from poverty stricken households? As I focus on the causes, I realise that some children who are abused are from diverse backgrounds and suffer under the hands of people who are supposed to care for them. This is breaching the secure environment and the child feels threatened hence cannot easily express themselves.

An article from The Huffington Post stated that children are abused by people who are close and well known to them. This made me reflect on my family set up where as I grew up I had freedom of expression. I realise that legal bodies have a role to play to ensure that the living areas are safe for the children and that social child care systems do not only come into play at the last stages of abuse.

A review on child abuse indicated that there is an intergenerational cycle of child abuse whereby the child develops a tendency of mistreating other children and eventually their own offspring. Keri suggests that children who are abused are exposed to a variety of challenges and this in turn has an effect in their outcome of behaviour after the exposure.

He suggests that parenting plays a huge role in the morality of the children especially as they enter adolescence. A study was then conducted on both boys and girls investigating the behaviour patterns associated with domestic violence and it indicated that there is a similarity in the outcome between both boys and girls. This view put me in a dilemma since some of the children from abusive households have been rehabilitated and re-integrated into the society. They have regained acceptable social behaviour and conduct. This doubt brings up the questions that everyone may want to know “Do all children who may/have been abused become violet?”