Children: A History of Abuse

What is child abuse? These two words can be defined as harm done to innocent children that is difficult to understand the extent of damage one human inflict upon another. According to The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, child abuse and child neglect are the physical and mental injury, sexual abuse, or exploitation, negligent treatment or maltreatment of a child under the age of eighteen, or except in the case of sexual abuse, the age specific by the child protection law of the State by a person who is responsible for the child's welfare under circumstances which indicate that the child's health or welfare is harmed or threatened. This is just one of many laws that have been enacted to try to give a firm definition of this controversial issue. Within the topic of child abuse is physical and sexual abuse, child neglect, and mental injury. Physical abuse is characterized by inflicting physical injury by punching, beating, kicking, biting, burning or otherwise harming the child. Child neglect is characterized by failure to provide basic needs for the child. Neglect can also be physical, emotional or educational. Sexual abuse includes fondling a child's genitals, intercourse incest, rape, sodomy, exhibitionism, and sexual exploitation by a person responsible for care of a child (Abuse

8). Being a parent is a privilege that many people take for granted. To this day, child abuse has significantly increased throughout the years and continues to grow.

Although having children is considered a blessing, not just any one that's able to have children can be a parent. Raising children takes more than just buying them material objects and spending money on them. It requires them to spend time with them, teaching them right from wrong and to help them prepare them for the future. For example, when a woman has a child at a young age, she may not want to give up her freedom even though she has a child. Leaving the child with someone else such as a grandparent while partying can affect that child in the long run emotionally. When the child gets about thirteen, he or she might disobey the parent and only listen to the grandparent especially if that is who raised them. The parent might react by trying to hit that child which is considered abuse.

Nevertheless, there are some parents that can take care of their children, but not able to fully function because they use some form of substance whether drugs or alcohol. Many of those who use drugs will do anything to get what they need in order to get what they want including selling their children. This is could be considered sexual abuse, it's illegal and it has been going on for years. Also, by being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, that person may say that they are capable of caring for a child but are truthfully not. If an infant is present, and the mother or father is drunk, they are putting that baby's life in danger especially if they were to drop that child. Not only is there physical abuse

but there is mental and emotional abuse. By being under the influence of these substances, there is no time to spend with the children like there should be.

Furthermore, there are many other barriers that may hinder parenting and tribute to a child being neglected. Many people do not have the mental capacity to raise children. When someone who has a condition