Long Term Effects
Child Abuse
Alicia Baldwin
English 1302
Dr. Hood
11/3/2014
The topic of this essay is child abuse and the way it effects the person as they mature and become adults in society.
When humans are young, their world revolves around their parents or primary care-givers. Parents or care-givers are the primary source of safety, security, love, understanding, nurturance and support. When a child feels as if they can not trust their own parents they learn to trust no one. Child abuse violates the trust at the core of a child’s relationship with the world. The definition of child abuse is all forms of physical, emotional, ill-treatment, sexual abuse, and neglect (Sommer). These all lead to actual or potential harm of a child’s health, survival, and trust of anyone in society.
Parents are looked at by their children as their first love in life and when the relationship is destroyed by abuse this stamps every relationship the child ever has in life. When a child can not feel safe at home they will not feel safe anywhere and will always isolate themselves. A child just wants to be accepted by their parents mainly but also by every one around abuse causes a child to feel unsafe and unwanted by anyone in life. A parent has to be the one who understands everything that goes on in their child’s life. If there is no understanding or trust between a child and their parent they tend to venture and find it in all the wrong places. Parents are suppose to be their child’s biggest supporter in life and if this relationship is not established a child becomes a outcast in all they do. Abuse is a major reason children grow older and become nothing in life and it will only be the parents fault for physically, emotionally, and sexually abusing the child as a minor.
Medical neglect is the failure to provide appropriate health care for a child although financially able to do so, thus placing the child at risk of being seriously disabled or disfigured or dying (Jaudes). Concern is warranted not only when a parent refuses medical care for a child in an emergency or for an acute illness, but also when a parent ignores medical recommendations for a child with a treatable chronic disease or disability, resulting in frequent hospitalizations or significant deterioration. Even in non-emergency situations, medical neglect can result in poor overall health and compounded medical problems. Medical neglect is not as severe as other forms of abuse, but attribute to a child’s treatment of themselves because their parent does not care for their well-being why should they. Parents may refuse medical care for their children for different reasons religious beliefs, fear or anxiety about a medical condition or treatment, or financial issues. In these cases it is considered medical neglect, but there is no way you can change a humans beliefs on life.Physical neglect accounts for the majority of cases of maltreatment. Physical neglect generally involves the parent or caregiver not providing the child with basic necessities adequate food, clothing, and shelter. Failure or refusal to provide these necessities endangers the child’s physical health, well-being, psychological growth and development. Physical neglect also includes child abandonment, inadequate supervision, rejection of a child leading to expulsion from the home and failure to adequately provide for the child’s safety and physical and emotional needs. Physical neglect can severely impact a child’s development by causing failure to thrive; malnutrition; serious illness; physical harm in the form of cuts, bruises, burns or other injuries due to the lack of supervision; and a lifetime of low self-esteem. Children are to be cared for by their parents in the best way possible, so neglect should never be an answer to the way you treat your child. Children love their parents unconditionally and should be their parents pride and joy not neglected or abused in any