Discussion b

Child Maltreatment: A New Focus Child maltreatment refers to the various forms of abuse a child can undergo if they are not taken care of by their guardians. The forms of abuse include physical, emotional, sexual and neglect. The listed forms of abuse are the widely known, but the list is endless due to the vulnerability of children. Physical abuse includes any form of physical affliction that the guardian inflicts on their child. These physical wounds at times result to the death of the infant while others leave both physical and emotional scars on the victims (Blakemore& Frith 93). Sexual abuse refers to the use of a child, by the guardian, in acts of sexual gratification. Intercourse, genital contact and exposing a child to pornography are some of the actions categorized under sexual abuse. Emotional abuse, on the other hand, refers to the act of an adult inflicting emotional harm to a child using words or actions (Blakemore& Frith 95). Lastly, neglect is the failure of a parent or guardian to provide the basic physical, educational, medical and emotional needs of the child. Neglect exposes the child to risks and infections that lower their chances of survival.
Child maltreatment is a topic that gained traction since 1960s and continued ever since. Children, despite the economic background of their parents, should not experience any form maltreatment. Furthermore, there is a direct correlation between maltreated children and the number of juvenile delinquents in jail (Burgess, Robert & MacDonald 79). This statistics, among many others, highlights the importance of stemming child abuse from society. In addition, child maltreatment has long-term effects on the individuals who were affected. This abuse later alters with the child’s development in terms of perceptual-motor coordination, behavior, learning ability and other important skills.
Summary
Child abuse often at times goes unnoticed while its effects are visible in the form of mal-adjusted adults. For this reason, society needs to be educated about this vice and ways to prevent the same.
Question
How should society be informed about the various forms of child abuse and ways to prevent them?
Work Cited
Blakemore, Sarah-Jayne, and Uta Frith. The Learning Brain. 1st ed. Malden, MA, USA: Blackwell, 2005. Print.
Burgess, Robert G, and Kevin B MacDonald. Evolutionary Perspectives On Human Development. 1st ed. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 2005. Print.