Estefania Reyes
English II- Block 2
Ms. McKoy
13 May 2013
It Shouldn’t Hurt to be A Child
“Child abuse casts a shadow the length of a
lifetime” says Herbert Ward.(Dream Catchers For Abused Children) Child abuse is a contamination of the
soul. Child abuse includes any type of
damage done to a child that affects a child’s physical or emotional
development. There are several types of child abuse; sexual, physical,
emotional and neglect. I was mostly drawn to physical child abuse because it
happens so often. Five children die every day in the United States because of
abuse and neglect. Some people think that child abuse “can” be used to
discipline their children. People who have suffered from physical child abuse
can develop disorders or become very violent.
Physical
child abuse has side effects. In the article “Child Abuse” the Columbia
University Press states that there are many effects to physical child abuse.
The results of child maltreatment are physical or mental impairment of a child
or death. Infants are more exposed to physical abuse.(Columbia University
Press) Other effects of physical abuse are anxiety, depression, truancy, shame,
guilt, and suicidal or homicidal thoughts. The Columbia University
Press also states that even though we are trying to decrease the number of
child abuse cases more than one million children are physically abused
annually.
In
the article “Mother Charged with Child
Abuse” Rebecca Clark explains that a mother in North Carolina physically
abused a 15 month old. Inconsistent
statements are usually illogical answers. (Clark.) When inconsistent statements
are given it is because the parent or abuser is lying. In this case the mother
of a 15 month old burned her child and he was put in a foster home while the
case was being investigated. This proves that a child can have negative effects
from being physically abused. In the article “Child Abuse and Neglect”, Pamela Daniel states that the most
visible type of abuse is physical abuse because you can tell by bruises on a
child’s body. She also states the factors that increase child abuse are if a
child has a mental disability, behavioral problems, caregivers abused as
children, and caregivers are unemployed or in poverty. This proves that
physical child abuse does have side effects on a child’s future life. (Daniel.)
Four
children died in Hartsville, SC in a house fire. The mother of those four
children was charged with unlawful conduct towards a child. The mother was also
charged with 4 counts of homicide. The outcome of this case was the death of
four innocent children. Another case in Las Vegas, Nevada shows how horrible
child abuse is and the outcomes of it on the child’s life. A couple was
arrested after their three year old daughter was found with scars, bruises, and
scabs. The mother in this case beat the three year old girl with a set of 15
keys in front of a witness. The little girl also experienced neglect from her
parents, they starved her and she only weighed 19 pounds. The little girl was
taken away from her parents by the Clark County’s Department of Family
Services.
People
who physically abuse children don’t think that the child that they abuse will
be hurt in several types of ways. They think that the child will learn to
behave or leave them alone. Physical child abuse is a very common problem that
is spread throughout the whole world. It causes side effects on a child’s
future life by making them develop disorders or mental disabilities. Other side
effects from child abuse can cause a child’s death. Physical child abuse can be
used to discipline children but it is not reasonable to beat a child to get
them to behave. Physical child abuse should be stopped.
Works Cited
Brides, Traci . "Judge denies bond to mother of children
in Hartsville fire."scnow.com. 26
Apr. 2013. 15 May. 2013.
<http://www.scnow.com/news/local/article_a95fb4f0-ae82-11e2-bb74-0019bb30f31a.html>.
"Child
Abuse Quotes, Sayings, and Quotes." Dream Catchers for Abused Children .
2013. 12 Apr. 2013. <http://dreamcatchersforabusedchildren.com/media/c.
Child Physical
Abuse." American Humane Association. 2013. 25 Jan. 2013.
<http://www.americanhumane.org/children/stop-child-abuse/fact-sheets/child-physical-abuse.html>.
Clark, Rebecca. “Mother Charged with Child Abuse.” www.ebscohost.com 4 Mar. 2013.<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=n5h&AN=2W62386334789&site=src-live>.
15 Mar. 2013.
Columbia
University Press. “Child Abuse."
www.ebscohost.com Feb. 2013. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=khh&AN=39051941&site=src-live>.
9 Apr. 2013
Daniel, Pamela. “Child Abuse and Neglect." www.ebscohost.com
Jun. 2012.
<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hxh&AN=70987796&site=src-live>.9
Apr. 2013.
"Effects of
Child Physical Abuse." Healthy Place. 2013. 13 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.healthyplace.com/abuse/child-physical-abuse/effects-of-child-physical-abuse/>.
