Discipline or Child Abuse?
March 2016
Intro
It's hard walking back home from school. Every step, your walking even closer to something you like to keep behind closed doors. You know what's coming to you. Even if you didn't do anything wrong. It doesn’t matter. Only when their in the mood. You have cuts and bruises plastered all over your body to prove it. All your friends ask what happened whenever a new piece of art appears on you, but you always say it was out of your clumsiness. The weapon can change today. It could be a rough, leather belt, or maybe they decide skin-on-skin contact is the best way. The impact varies from each. It could be a callous, raging male, to a drunken, delicate female. Maybe even your older sibling wants to get a try at you. Spending hours at a time guessing if it was all your fault. This situation can be described as no other than child abuse.
Child Abuse is a worldwide problem. Ranging from verbal to sexual abuse, it’s something not a lot of people can forget, especially previous and current victims. But, some abusers don’t think of it as abuse, these people reword it as “discipline” for the child. These people feel as if they are doing it “to teach the child” respect. But there are many differences. But surprisingly, there are a few similarities that may or may not shock you.
What is Discipline?
Discipline is the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience. It is used so in return from the child, they hope to get good behavior. It is used to educate, not to instill fear in the child. According to Hamilton County Job and Fair Services, discipline is NOT acceptable when it is used for these purposes: Child is physically injured, including bruising, broken skin, swelling or a situation that requires medical attention;
punishment is meant to instill fear rather than to educate the child; caretaker, whether a parent, guardian or school official, loses control; action is inappropriate for the child’s age; action results from a caretaker’s unreasonable demands or expectations for the child.
What is Child Abuse?
Child Abuse is when a parent or caregiver, whether through action or failing to act, causes injury, death, emotional harm or risk of serious harm to a child. A discipline move can go to child abuse real quick when the reason for it is one of the ones listed above. In 2013, an estimated 1,520 children died of abuse and neglect in the United States. Not counting other countries that also use the practice of child labor. According to the article “Child Sexual Abuse: Top 5 Countries With the Highest Rates”, Ludovica Iaccino states that the the top five countries with the highest rate of child sexual abuse are South Africa (5), India (4), Zimbabwe (3), United Kingdom (2), and of course, the United States (1).
Are there any similarities?
Surprisingly, yes, there are similarities. Discipline and child abuse can be both used for the same reason. In child abuse, the punishment can result in being used a little too far, but all-in-all, it was used for the same reason. Discipline has been used for such little acts, especially under the form of a strict household. Not too small actions, which would be ruled out as child abuse, but enough to make a child in this generation think of it as something they do and never would get in trouble for some of the time depending on how reckless they can be.
Works Cited
Works Cited
"The Difference Between Discipline and Abuse." Hamilton County Job Family Services. Hamilton County Job Family Services, 02 Feb. 2016. Web. 02 Feb. 2016.
Stein, Hailey, John Stein, and Wendy Stein. "The Truth About Abuse."Infobase Learning - Login. Health Reference Center; Facts on File, 03 Feb. 2016. Web. 03 Feb. 2016.
Iaccino, Ludovica. "Child Sexual Abuse: Top 5 Countries With the Highest Rates." International Business Times RSS. International Business Times, 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.