"Physical abuse is the most visible form of child maltreatment"
-American Humane Association
Physical abuse is defined "as non-accidental trauma or physical injury cause by punching, beating, kinking, biting burning or otherwise harming a child" stated by the American Humane Association. Physical abuses are mostly cause by caretakers or parents that use an "inappropriate or excessive physical discipline". But have you ever asked yourself what are the factors that lead to child abuse? Those factors are as follow: "parent's immaturity, lack of parenting skills, poor childhood experiences and social isolation, as well as frequent crisis situations, drug or alcohol problem and domestic violence".
But how can we identified when a child is going through physical abuse and not regular injuries that could happen in a playground? If the parents or caretaker are questioned about at child's injuries and there explanations don't really match with the injuries or the frequency of the injuries then physical abuse should be suspected. If the parents or the caretakers were to say that the injuries came from a single event but if it is evident that the injuries happened in different stages then physical abuse can be a reason to those injuries.
"Physical indicators of child abuse include: lacerations, swollen areas. Marks on the child's face, head, back, chest genital area, buttocks or thighs. Wounds like human bite marks, cigarette burns, broken bones, puncture marks or missing hair."
A child behavior should also be an obvious sign that physical abuse is occurring. Many victims of physical abuse may display withdrawn or aggressive behavioral extremes, complain of soreness or uncomfortable movement, wear clothing that is inappropriate for the weather express discomfort with physical contact or become chronic runaways. We also need to remember that some children don't have the willpower to speak up about any sort of abuse that happen inside of their lives. We need to be there voice and help them help themselves.
One of the main factors that lead to physical abuse is the parent's mind set. A lot of parents believe that by causing harm to their children when they do something wrong will correct them in the long term. Well this is absolutely wrong! The only that this mindset does is cause trauma. We cannot deny that kids are going to be kids. Everyone knows that it is hard to discipline a child but violence should NEVER be an option. The best thing to do is reward the children wen they do something good and deny them privileges when they do something that's unacceptable.If you have any suspicion of a child going through physical abuse, don't hesitate REPORT IT! You should search for your local child protective services in your country or in your state. By law if you're reporting physical abuse or neglect it has to be under a reasonable suspicion.
Children shouldn't be going through this, it is unfair and cruel. Please stop for a second to notice the children around you, try to look for the main things that were mention is this post. Together we can save millions of children. Speak up and let us notice the things that need to be fixed and bring awareness of this forgotten world.
Physical Abuse Citations:
