Advocates for Child Abuse Victims Essay Example

Introduction

In the world of today, people fail to address a number of issues that need to be given attention. Unfortunately, one of the most heated issue that most countries are plagued with is child abuse. Millions of children suffer from different forms of child abuse every year. This issue is often overlooked because everyone has a different perspective of what the definition of child abuse is. Tragically, most people hesitate to report suspected cases of child abuse due to various reasons like thinking that the child may be lying, or having difficulty in believing that the alleged person could be a child molester. The paper specifically illustrates the insights from an interview conducted on directors and staff of the World Health Organization (WHO) concerning child abuse and negligence. However, the World Health Organization is an institution that is committed to achieving better health for everyone everywhere. They help mothers and children to survive and thrive so that they can age while they are healthy. The institution headquarters are in Avenue Appia 20, 1202 Geneva (World Health Organization, 2000). In-depth, the paper contains a reflection of the interview, the institutions' possible impacts to families, and how one might services in the fight against child abuse and negligence.

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Child maltreatment is the willing infliction of physical, moral, and sexual pain and suffering on a child. From the interview with the WHO staff, child abuse has enormous immediate and long-term repercussions. This results when adults are unable to control their anger or stress that they encounter in their lives. The institution believes that there are different kinds of child abuse which include; neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse (Runyan et al.,2002).

1) Neglect

Child neglect is hard to be noticed and it is readily ignored by anyone who is not in close contact with the child because the indicators of this form of abuse are usually not very clear at first. Neglect refers to the failure of the parent or the caregiver to provide for the growth and development of the child whereas they are in a position to do so. This mainly occurs in the account of health, education, safe and better-living conditions, emotional growth, shelter, and nutrition. Thus, according to World Health Organization neglect is distinguished from circumstances of poverty and can only occur in cases where reasonable resources are available to the family or caregiver.

2) Physical abuse

World Health Organization defines physical abuse of a child as those deeds of command by the parent or caregiver that cause real physical harm or have the perspective for harm. The longer the abuse continues on the child, the more it causes serious injuries and the more it gets harder to eliminate the abusive behaviour. Nevertheless, those children who survive the physical abuse, emotional trauma remains long after the external injuries have been cured.

3) Emotional abuse

This type of abuse is the deeds or the failures to act by the parents or caregivers that have resulted to or could result in adverse effects on the emotional health and development of a child. These acts include excessive, unreasonable or aggressive demands that place expectations that are beyond the capacity of a child. Such deeds include restricting a child's movement, ridicule, denigration, intimidation and threats, rejection, discrimination and other forms that are not physical but are of hostile treatment.

4) Sexual abuse

WHO defines sexual abuse as the inappropriate sexual behaviour with the child. This type of abuse is the most underreported because of the secrecy that so often surrounds these cases. Thus, physical indicators such as difficulty in walking or sitting, underwear that is stained or bloody, torn clothes, pain or itching in the genital area, and venereal diseases are signs that should be paid close attention to and taken seriously.

Health Impact on Abused Children

Beyond death, physical injury and disability, maltreatment can lead to strain that impairs brain growth and damages the nervous and immune systems. As a result, this is associated with delayed cognitive development, poor performance in school and dropout, suicidal attempts, mental health problems, and increased health-risk behaviours.

Public Health Approach to Child Maltreatment

Child maltreatment is a global public health challenge and remains as an area of concern for child advocates, service providers, policymakers, and researchers. Child abuse results in immediate and long-term negative health consequences making it a concern to the public health department (Tonmyr & Hovdestad, 2013).

Prevention

Whenever a child protection agency like the WHO is encountered with cases of suspected child abuse, they initiate a number of steps to evaluate the charge, protect the child during the evaluation and take necessary steps as the court rules. Otherwise, various measures can be taken to prevent such cases from resulting. These may include; using Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) and programs like the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) which demonstrate long-lasting health benefits for both children and their mothers. Moreover, parents too take measures in ensuring that child maltreatment cases decrease or else cease completely. These measures include volunteering their time by involving with other parents in the community and starting playgroups and aiding vulnerable kids and their families. Also, disciplining their children thoughtfully and educating children their rights thus making them realize it is a right for them to be safe and this makes them feel free to report any cases of abuse. Besides, parents should participate in reporting abusive cases they come along with or witness. By doing this they make the children feel that they did the right thing by telling an adult and affirm them that they were not responsible for what happened. More so, the community can encourage prevention by; developing and sustaining prevention programs, promoting child and well-being, creating public awareness and supportive communities and evaluating the prevention programs. By everyone playing their role, it will create a safe living community for children as they age.

Conclusion

Child maltreatment requires to be better recognized. In order that it is noticed, people need to acquire more knowledge thus, more information needs to be presented to the public. Child abuse affects everyone in the community as it affects the society. The four kind's physical abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse are all over the world and they are number one killer of children. Significantly, everyone should work together to decrease or prevent this problem. Both the society and the children rights organizations should team up in educating people on the consequences and repercussions that go along with child maltreatment and take necessary measures in curbing the same. All the same, child abuse is common everywhere and it is very shocking as the abusers inflict emotional, sexual and physical trauma on those children that are unable to defend themselves every day. The scars left behind can be deep and long lasting thus, focused support by everybody can be of great help to both the victims and the abusers themselves.

References

Runyan, D., Wattam, C., Ikeda, R., Hassan, F., & Ramiro, L. (2002). Child abuse and neglect by parents and other caregivers

Tonmyr, L., & Hovdestad, W. E. (2013). Public health approach to child maltreatment. Paediatrics & child health, 18(8), 411-413.

World Health Organization. (2000). The world health report 2000: health systems: improving performance. World Health Organization.