SOCIAL ILLS: CHILD ABUSE 1

Social Ills: Child Abuse

Diversity Project
Marie Brannon, Sarah Carlson, and Tara Warren
North Greenville University
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Every society faces its challenges. They are branded “social ills” or “social issues,”

problems that influence a considerable number of individuals within the society (Social issue,

2017). One such social illness that the modern world faces is child abuse. Defined as the

“physical, sexual, or emotional ill-treatment or neglect of a child, especially by those responsible

for its welfare” (Child abuse, n.d.), child abuse comes in many forms and has a lasting impact on

its victims. It can occur from strangers or family members and often is in correlation with

domestic violence.

Children who live in families where domestic violence is present are impacted in various

negative ways. They are affected physically, emotionally, socially, and psychologically.

Psychologically, they are prone to develop various psychopathologies such as depression,

anxiety, antisocial personality disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Physically, children

might experience stomach aches, headaches, a frequent sense of sickness due to the stress of the

situation, and sleep problems. Emotionally, witnessing domestic violence causes feelings of guilt

because the children will feel that it is their fault that one parent is hurting the other. Socially, it

impacts the bonding with their parents as well as building close interpersonal relationships with

their peers. Children who live in these situations are also more likely to be abused physically,

emotionally, and sexually which branches out into child abuse and maltreatment. Overall, it

impedes the proper development in children by disrupting the stages, causing them to fall behind

their peers at school. In Olusegun’s article “Domestic Violence, Risky Family Environment, and

Children: A Bio-Psychology Perspective,” he says that, “Although evidence shows that most

child victims are resilient, the significant few, still suffer long-term adverse psychological and

biological consequences in later life” (Olusegun, 2014, p. 44). Surprisingly, a lot of past and

current literature speaks on this topic such as Clover’s Secret, a story about a girl who witnesses
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domestic violence in her home frequently but copes with it by playing as if she were in a pretend

magical land with her best friend where they can fly (Winn, 1996), and A Terrible Thing

Happened which is about a raccoon named Sherman Smith who witnessed his parents fighting,

causing him to feel nervous and angry all the time and to get in trouble at school, but the story

gets better as he forms a close relationship with his teacher Ms. Maple and is able to talk to her

about what is going on (Holmes, 2000).

Domestic abuse is a common gateway for child abuse. Child abuse can be divided into

four categories: physical, emotional, verbal, and sexual. In addition, neglect is a form of abuse

that comes in a form of its own. Physical abuse is when a parent, guardian, or authority figure

intentionally harms a child to the point where the injuries may be seen on the child’s body.

Emotional and verbal abuse go hand in hand. Using language in a demeaning way can cause

emotional abuse. By doing this, a child is taught his emotions are unimportant, and this can have

serious psychological effects. Sexual abuse is touching, showing, or making children show their

private parts in a setting that is inappropriate. Neglect is not acknowledging the needs of the

child. This could come in the form of not giving him a coat or packing a lunch when the guardian

has enough money to provide. Neglect is not being there for the child emotionally and denying

their value as a person. Psychology Today said, “The younger the child is and the closer the

child's relationship to the abuser, the more serious the emotional damage will be. As adults, they

may develop marital and sexual difficulties, depression or suicidal behavior” (“Child abuse,”

2017). This can create long-lasting problems such as major trust issues toward a particular

gender or authority, anxiety or aggression when entering their adolescent years, or health issues

from the abuse they are experiencing. Children can also suffer from asthma, head trauma, stress,

diabetes, obesity, and more. Developmental delays along with cognitive learning can become a
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hindrance. Crime, drug abuse, STDs, and alcohol addiction can stem from child abuse.

Childhelp, Psychology Today, and NSPCC reported statistics on children who have experienced

abuse. Childhelp told readers that a child abuse is reported every ten seconds. Psychology Today

reported that one in every four girls are sexually abused as well as one out of eight boys before

turning eighteen years old. Also, Psychology Today told readers that one of twenty children have

experienced physical abuse in their lifetime. NSPCC talked about having one out of ten children

reporting that they have experience some type of neglect. For adults experiencing abuse as a

child are astounding. Childhelp and NSPCC identified the percentage of adults who came in

contact with abuse. For physical abuse, Childhelp said 28.3% of adults experienced this as a

child. Also, 20.7% of adults were sexually abused and 10.6% were emotionally abused as

children was reported by Childhelp. NSPCC said that 30% of children had an encounter with

neglect, just last year (“Neglect: Facts and statistics,” 2017)! Some children, however, are able to

overcome the effects of their abuse and live a good life. Others are not so fortunate. Counseling

is a good tool for helping a child to overcome their issues. It provides them with a safe place to

talk about what is going on or what had happened. Counselors are there to help the child

understand and heal from the horrors they experienced, even years after the abuse. Knowing they

are not alone is a great way for the child to open up and accept help. Some of the signs a child

will show if experiencing abuse are if a child is in a physically abusive home, they will wear

long-sleeve shirts all the time (including summer and spring), they will be depressed, anxious, or

aggressive towards peers or authority figures, or they will have a self-destructive attitude and act

out frequently. If a child is in a sexually abusive home, they will have torn, stained, bloody

undergarments; bleeding, bruises, pain, swelling of genital area, and any sexually transmitted

diseases. They will resist changing clothes and may develop anxiety, depression, eating
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disorders, a poor self-image, poor self-care, and a lack of confidence. Signs of emotional abuse

are a delayed development, wetting of the bed or pants, speech disorders, habits like sucking,

biting, or rocking, learning disabilities, anxieties, phobias, sleep disorders, and suicidal thoughts

or behaviors. When a child is neglected, he will show signs of hygiene problems, low body

weight, dirty clothes, extensive school absences, untreated medical issues, and much more.

When these signs are shown, a teacher should contact the supervisor and explain to them what is

being seen. In It Happened to Me; Based on a True Story by Jan T Stuart-Rosenstein (2014), a

little girl is sexually abused by her neighbor when her dad and his girlfriend leave. The neighbor

tells her they are going to play “house” and be like husband and wife. He threatens to hurt the

little girl’s family if she tells anyone. Eventually, she tells her dad what happened, and he calls

her mother. They get the police involved, and the police help the little girl. In God Made All of

Me: A Book to Help Children Protect Their Bodies by Justin and Lindsey Holcomb (2015), two

parents talk to their children about their bodies. They tell them that their bodies are private and

define what private means. The parents tell the children to come talk to them about any kind of

touch the children think is inappropriate. The parents also tell the children that it is okay if they

do not want to be touched. If anyone touches them on the arm or shoulder in a way that they do

not like, they are to go talk about it with people who are safe. This is a great book for parents to

introduce the signs and effects of sexual abuse to children with.

Although statistics reveal that 93% of children and teens that are victims of abuse know

their attacker, 7% of abuse cases are reported from strangers (“Perpetrators of sexual violence:

Statistics,” n.d.). This is often where parents begin (and sometimes end) the conversation about

abuse and danger. They teach their children simple concepts such as “don’t talk to strangers” or

“stranger danger” but often do not go farther. A more necessary skill to teach children, however,
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is how to distinguish between safe and unsafe strangers. In The Berenstain Bears Learn about

Strangers by Stan and Jan Berenstain (1985), Mama talks to Sister about strangers, cautioning

her against accepting rides or talking to strangers. She specifies though, “That doesn’t mean that

all strangers are bad. [...] The trouble is… well, it’s like this barrel of apples. There’s an old

saying that goes, ‘There’ll always be a couple of bad apples in every barrel.’ That’s the way it is

with strangers. Cubs have to be careful because of the few ‘bad apples’ ” (p. 18-19). It is

important that children understand not every stranger is going to be a “bad apple.” In fact, if they

do find themselves in a situation of abuse, strangers may be the ones they need to get help from,

e.g. a helpline operator, a social worker, a policeman, a support worker. To help children develop

a schema for safe and unsafe strangers, they need to first be taught what safe feels like and that

they have a right to always feel that way (“The 'stranger danger' message isn't protecting our

children from abuse,” 2013). Another strategy for preventing abuse and for helping children

understand what “safe” means is to brainstorm with children about who the good apples around

them are. Make a list of trustworthy adults who will listen to, believe, and help the child. The list

must go beyond the child’s parents to their teachers, grandparents, a friend’s mom, a neighbor,

etc. (“Parenting to prevent abuse,” n.d.). Children need to know which adults are safe to talk to.

Most of all though, it is important that parents are conducting honest and open conversations

about strangers and what safety is with their children. For example, The Berenstain Bears Learn

about Strangers ends with a list of rules for cubs that Brother and Sister Bear made up. Among

them is “Don’t keep secrets from your parents- especially if someone asks you to” (S. and J.

Berenstain, 1985, p. 29). Parents should teach their children that “nothing is too awful, or too

small, that [they] cannot talk to someone about it” (“The 'stranger danger' message isn't

protecting our children from abuse,” 2013) because if they are being abused by someone close to
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them (as is the case 93% of the time), they need to know who is safe and will protect them.

“Children are not responsible for keeping themselves safe; that is the job of adults” (“The

'stranger danger' message isn't protecting our children from abuse,” 2013), but not every adult

will recognize or abide by that. This is why it is crucial to make sure children know which ones

will (e.g. policemen, social workers) if others don’t (e.g. parents, family, strangers).

Child abuse comes in many forms and its effects stretch far beyond the moment of abuse.

It is often caused by and correlated with domestic violence. It is often perpetrated by people

close to the child but may be committed by a stranger as well. It is pivotal to teach children who

the safe adults in their lives are, that domestic violence is not okay and not their fault, and that

they are the owners of their own bodies and reserve the right to say “no.” As educators, it is

important to recognize the signs of child abuse, e.g. uncharacteristically baggy clothing, anxiety,

depression, and aggressive behavior, in order to intervene as soon as possible and safeguard the

children we are responsible for.

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References

Berenstain, S., & Berenstain, J. (1985). The Berenstain Bears learn about strangers. New

York, NY: Random House.

Child abuse. (n.d.). Collins English dictionary - Complete & unabridged 10th edition.

Retrieved April 24, 2017 from Dictionary.com website

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/child-abuse

Child abuse. (2017, April 17). Retrieved April 24, 2017, from

https://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/child-abuse

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2013). Long-term consequences of child abuse and

neglect. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s

Bureau.

Holcomb, J. S., & Holcomb, L. A. (2015). God made all of me: A book to help children

protect their bodies. Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press.

Holmes, M. M., & Mudlaff, S. J. (2000). A terrible thing happened. Washington, DC:

Magination Press.

Neglect: Facts and statistics. (2017). Retrieved April 24, 2017, from

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/child-abuse-and-neglect/neglect/child-

neglect-facts-statistics/

Olusegun, E. A. (2014). “Domestic violence, risky family environment and children: A bio-

psychology perspective.” International Journal of Psychology and Counselling, 6(8),

107-118. doi:10.5897/ijpc2014.0275

Parenting to prevent abuse. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2017, from

http://www.internationalcap.org/abuse_preventionskills.html
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Perpetrators of Sexual Violence: Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2017, from

https://www.rainn.org/statistics/perpetrators-sexual-violence

Social issue. (2017, April 24). Retrieved April 24, 2017, from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_issue

Stuart-Rosenstein, J. T. (2014). It happened to me: Based on a true story. New York, NY:

Page Publishing, Inc.

The 'stranger danger' message isn't protecting our children from abuse. (2013, September 9).

Retrieved April 24, 2017, from

http://www.newstatesman.com/voices/2013/09/stranger-danger-message-isnt-

protecting-our-children-abuse

What is child abuse. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2017, from https://www.childhelp.org/child-

abuse/

Winn, C. M., & Walsh, D. (1996). Clover's secret. Minneapolis, MN: Fairview Press.