more About Child Abuse...

Are girls more often abused than boys?
Yes. Girls are somewhat more likely to be abused. According to statistics published in 1996, about 52% of victims of maltreatment were female and 48% were male. Data obtained in the federally funded 2005 study demonstrate no significant change in these values.


Is the pattern of abuse different for girls and boys?
Studies have shown a consistent pattern regarding the abuse and neglect inflicted on children of different genders. Approximately 75% of sexual abuse is inflicted upon girls. Girls also are more likely to suffer from emotional abuse and neglect. Boys, on the other hand, are more likely to experience physical trauma (other than sexual abuse). When focusing solely on cause of death, studies indicate fathers are more likely to kill their child via physical abuse, while mothers kill by neglect (for example, starvation).

Types of Abuses that Children Face...

Physical abuse

: This is an intentional injury to a child given by the caretaker of the child. It may include, but is not limited to burning, kicking, punching, beating, which leaves external markings such as burns, bruises, and broken bones. Physical abuse is not accidental, and sometimes injuries will be noticeable in not so common places of general childhood accidents (knees, shins, etc.).

Child neglect: This is when a child's basic needs are not being met properly. You may notice a child not being properly dressed for the weather, comes to class consistently dirty, has poor dental hygiene, steals food from other children, and gives you verbal clues that he is not being properly cared for, among other things.

Emotional abuse: This is when a child's emotional needs are not met, such as not receiving the proper attention they need, not being shown signs of affection, harsh and consistent verbal abuse, threats in order to frighten a child, or rejection of the child.

Sexual abuse: This is simply sexual exploitation of a child.

A teacher who suspects child abuse must report the following information to social services:

The child's name and identifying marks of the child
All information known about the biological parents or the caregivers who interact with the child
The address where the child lives, along with any information such as the parent's address, if living away from the home where the child lives
Dates when incidents were noted of the child and types of incidents that occurred
History of previous noted incidents
History of any contact with the alleged abuser, or other pertinent information

Trafficking of women and girls

Many women who are offered the opportunity of ‘work’ in other countries, find themselves trapped in a world of physical, psychological and sexual abuse and economic deprivation.

Due to the covert nature of human trafficking and the involvement of criminal gangs, those who are trafficked are extremely vulnerable to violence and most human rights abuses against the trafficked remain hidden.

Many of those trafficked do not report their plight for fear of reprisals. Others are detained and prosecuted for unlicensed prostitution or illegal entry and are deported, only to be trafficked yet again.

Key points

Trafficked women and girls are subjected to a range of human rights abuses, including:
physical, psychological and sexual abuse
deprivation of liberty
denial of freedom of movement
torture and ill-treatment
in some cases even to the right to life.

Child Abuse..

Child Abuse is an issue which most of us children feel that the government is failing to bring to an end. It is very sad to note that it is those adults whom we trust most who take advantage of our weakness or inability.

The problem of Child Abuse is as old as humanity and occurs in all races, religions, economic groups (rich or poor) and cultures. Children are increasingly becoming victims of child abuse in all forms namely: physically, emotionally, negligence or sexually abused.

In most cases when children lose their parents loss and grief heavily affect them. This is the time when they are in need of love most. Traditionally, orphaned children were absorbed into the extended family. However nowadays it has changed as extended families usually have their own problems, living the poor child feeling unwanted which may lead to the child losing self-confidence that so many cases of attempted suicide have been reported. In a number of cases the children are left to with their old grandparents who are too old to offer adequate physical and psychological support to these children. These children grow at risk emotionally due to the absence of concerned adults to teach and guide them. As a result of negligence they are educationally disadvantaged as they rarely attend school. High rates of school-drop-outs have been reported recently. Because of their perceived poor prospects for the future, they are often careless and irresponsible. However poverty as also contributed much in that most youths at tender ages resort to petty crimes and girls engage in commercial sex as away of making a living. In some the cases it is the caregiver who actually influences them into such crimes.

History.....

history of humanity is founded upon the abuse of children. Just as family therapists today find that child abuse often functions to hold families together as a way of solving their emotional problems, so, too, the routine assault of children has been society's most effective way of maintaining its collective emotional homeostasis. Most historical families once practiced infanticide, erotic beating and incest. Most states sacrificed and mutilated their children to relieve the guilt of adults. Even today, we continue to arrange the daily killing, maiming, molestation and starvation of children through our social, military and economic activities. I would like to summarize here some of the evidence I have found as to why child abuse has been humanity's most powerful and most successful ritual, why it has been the cause of war and social violence, and why the eradication of child abuse and neglect is the most important social task we face today.