Child abuse is a global problem that is deeply rooted in cultural, economic and social practices. It is a state of emotional, physical, economic and sexual maltreatment meted out to a person below the age of eighteen and is a globally prevalent phenomenon. However, in India, as in many other countries, there has been no understanding of the extent, magnitude and trends of the problem. The growing complexities of life and the dramatic changes brought about by socio-economic transitions in India have played a major role in increasing the vulnerability of children to various and newer forms of abuse. Child abuse has serious physical and psycho-social consequences which adversely affect the health and overall well-being of a child.
1. CHILD ABUSE – BASIC DEFINITIONS.
"Child abuse or maltreatment constitutes all forms of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child's health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power". (World Health Organization).
"Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm" (The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act – CAPTA).
"Child abuse is a very complex and dangerous set of problems that include child neglect and the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse of children." (MedicineNet.com).
"Child abuse is the physical and/or psychological/emotional mistreatment of children". (Wikipedia).
"Institutional Abuse or Neglect is that which occurs in any facility for children, including, but not limited to, group homes, residential or public or private schools, hospitals, detention and treatment facilities, family foster care homes, group day care centers and family day care homes.
It dates back far into history, as far as the colonial times and even back to biblical times. ... Accidental does not qualify as child abuse. ... Corrupting the child is another form of emotional abuse. ... Denying the child emotional responses, also the caretaker fails to provide emotional resources necessary for the child's health psychological development. ... Also, the type of abuse will affect the child. ...
Greven, a well-known author, suggests that, "depression often is a delayed response to the suppression of childhood anger...from being physically hit and hurt... ... This ideal was based on misinterpretation of biblical references to beating children with rods. ... (Anonymous) According to the Institute for the Prevention of Child Abuse, "85% of all cases of physical abuse result from some form of over-discipline through the use of corporal punishment". ... Abuse is defined as, an adult causing physical, mental or emotional injury to a child. ... If a parent were to train a child to perform tr...
Dissociation is when a child makes up an imaginary personality to take control of the mind and body while the child is being abused. The child can imagine many personalities but usually there is a personality for every feeling and or emotion that was involved during the abuse (BoyyM, 1998, p.1). As an adult, the abused child finds it hard to keep track of time and may have episodes of amnesia. ... Some alters are named after emotional responses, such as Sad One or Angry Janie. ... In satanic cults, children mistreated and abused, to intentionally cause MPD, do not know everyone who is involv...
Moral and political corruption involving deception, lies and spying generates instability and intrinsic perversion resultant from an abuse of power. ... " Claudius' uses biblical reference of Cain's fratricide of Abel, he acknowledges his moral corruption and sins within the extended rotting metaphor in "rank," as his conscience is filling with guilt. ... The male characters, conveyed as sexually experienced, abuse and mistreat the female characters. ... Shakespeare uses sexual imagery to signify Hamlet as a literary example of a child, who never overcame his Oedipus c...
Let's Drink to That Alcohol consumption has been present in society since Biblical times. ... It isn't viewed with the same regard as it is seen in the United States, simply because abuse is recognized as an avoidable extreme. ... Each time this desire to consume is quenched, the desire to abuse breeds with a fiery passion. ... Perhaps the first time a child experiences chocolate, he or she chooses to over-indulge, and the result is an upset stomach and an unhappy child. ... Individuals vary enormously in their responses to alcohol, and certain people will discover they sh...
The potentially negative consequence of alcohol abuse during pregnancy have been suspected since biblical times: "Behold, thou shalt conceive and bear a son and now drink no wine or strong drink! ... These responses usually end up in isolation from peers as they are laughed at, teased, not accepted in "click" circles and ignored. This is the one problem that often leads people to mistakenly assume the parents are either doing a poor job of parenting or abusing the child. ... Communication between all parties involved with the child is a must. ... Keeping instructions simple, specific within...
In Not wanted on the voyage, Timothy Findley rewrites a story that we believe we know and understand, the biblical myth of the deluge, and in doing so he unfolds the truth of the story. ... In other words, it becomes clear that Not Wanted on the Voyage is Findley's response to and questioning of the Bible over its philosophical value, which is, does the story of the flood, with its wicked description of sinners reflect a set of beliefs that we want to propagate? ... Many of today's citizens revolt against patriarchal order however, the ones with power see themselves above them and...
Rousseau I have endeavoured to trace the origins and progress of inequality, and the institution and abuse of political societies, as far as these are capable of being deduced from the nature of man merely by the light of reason, and independently of those sacred dogmas which give the sanction of divine right to sovereign authority. ... Rousseau tries to imagine people in their once natural state, disregarding the traditional influence of biblical rationalisation. ... An example that Rousseau uses to further illustrate this point is as follows: "A man who from a place of confinement, is co...
This decline in Jewish pluralism was in response to a large negative feeling people held towards those who favored Christian beliefs. ... In it he is told by an angel to have Mary as his wife for she will bear the Messiah as their child. Next, scene two describes the evil King Herod's attempt to find and destroy "The King of Jews", by asking the Magi to inform him when they find the child so that he can "worship him"(Matthew 2:2-8). ...