April is officially Child Abuse Prevention month, and learning the signs of child abuse is at a forefront. Preventing children from being hurt or abused, however, should be a daily concern. In 2010, the last year for which there is solid statistics available, approximately 695,000 children were victims of some type of child abuse, including physical abuse, neglect, and emotional abuse. Every day, about five children die from child abuse in the United States. These deaths can be prevented, but it takes vigilance from those in the child’s life to recognize the signs of child abuse.
Signs of Child Abuse
Children who are being abused at home may exhibit many of these signs of child abuse, or very few. Each child is different, so those closest to the child would know best if something has changed in his or her behavior. Signs include:
- Withdrawing from friends and family. In many cases, abused children withdraw from those around them, preferring to spend more time alone. In some cases, they are trying to hide the physical evidence. In others, they are too ashamed, scared, or depressed to be around others.
- Negative Changes in school work. If a child who is typically a good student starts to go downhill on assignments and in test scores, it may be a sign that something is going on at home.
- Physical injuries that have not been seen by a doctor. All children fall, get bumps and bruises, and even broken bones from time to time. It’s part of childhood. If a child seems to be suffering from moderate to severe injuries, and the parents refuse to get them treated, however, it could be a red flag that something more serious is going on.
- Child is left unattended. Neglect is a form of abuse in which children are often left unattended for unreasonable periods of time. Reasonable amounts of time vary depending on the child’s age. For example, it is perfectly legal and reasonable to allow a 15-year-old to go home alone for two hours after school. It is not reasonable to allow that same 15-year-old to stay home alone for a week. Children younger than 12 should not be left home alone at all.
Parents who are abusing their children also exhibit different signs of child abuse. Like with children, these can vary significantly depending on the person.
Signs that a parent may be abusing his or her children include:
- Blaming the child. Parents who abuse their children often claim that the child is at fault for everything from lack of finances to poor performance at school.
- Making statements about the child’s lack of worth. Calling a child worthless, saying he’s a bad kid, or declaring the child to be a burden on the family are all forms of psychological abuse.
- Relies on the child as a source of happiness. On the flip side, some abusive parents completely rely on their child as their sole source of happiness. These parents rarely let their children have outside friends, don’t allow play dates, and often make the child feel guilty for not wanting to spend every moment with his parent.
- Places extreme and unrealistic demands on the child. In some cases, abusive parents demand completely and constant perfection from their children. Kids may be enrolled in numerous sports or activities and subject to harsh punishments for not winning, or may be expected to maintain a perfect grade point average.
Learning to recognize signs of child abuse in children and their parents can help save lives. If you think a child in your life is being abused, please stand up and say something.
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