Child Abuse
"It Shouldn't hurt to be a child"
Stop Child Abuse!!
Hundreds of thousands of children in the United States are estimated to be victims of sexual, physical, or emotional abuse. Although society recognizes the harm caused by the abuse and neglect of children, many cases go unreported. Moreover, many of the reported cases result in little or no change in the child's situation. Questions about what should be considered child abuse, when to report suspected abuse, and the proper steps to take to remedy child abuse are hard to answer and are hotly debated among parents, educators, law enforcement, lawmakers, and child advocates.
Problem with Identifying and defining child abuse
Despite the official definition of child abuse, there are various instances in which it is difficult to determine, whether abuse has occurred. The problem of defining and identifying child abuse complicates the matter of reporting abuse. Some people who suspect that a child is being abused may not report the situation to authorities because they are not certain if the behavior in question is considered abuse under the law.
facts and statistics about child abuse
fact #1
1,537 children died in 2010 in the U.S because of neglect or abuse 79.4% were younger then 4 years of age 47.7% were younger then one year of age
Fact #2
the number of reports of child abuse in the United States every year: 3.6 million. The number of children involved in child abuse reports: 6 million
Fact #3
Percentage of abusers who are someone the child knows: 81.2% Age of most perpetrators of child abuse (36.35 of cases): 20 to 29 years of the reports, 45.2% of the perpetrators were male and 53.6% were female
We need to put an end to this, there is a big difference between discipline and abuse!
History of "child abuse"
Until the 1900's much of what is now thought to be child abuse was not considered illegal or even immoral children as young as five and six years old regularly worked long hours in factories or mines performing dangerous tasks. At home, some parents and gaurdians used beatings as a means of disciplining children. What happened withing the family was considered a personal matter. Children had no legal rights, and parents generally were free to raise their children as they saw fit, even if that meant physically abusing or neglecting the welfare of their child.