JSS 2 Social Studies First Term Week 6
Topic – Child Abuse I
Content –
- Meaning of child abuse
- Types of child abuse
- Signs of Sexual abuse in a child
Meaning of Child Abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual or emotional maltreatment or neglect of a child or children. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department for Children and Families (DCF) define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child. Child abuse can occur in a child’s home, or in the organizations, schools or communities the child interacts with.
It is the physical or psychological maltreatment of a child by an adult, it is otherwise known as child maltreatment or child neglect.
Types of Child Abuse
- Emotional abuse: This refers to the psychological and social aspects of child abuse; it is the most common form of child abuse. It is the failure of parents or guardians that have caused or could cause emotional disorder in a child. Emotional abuse could happen through consistent verbal abuse, locking up a child in a dark room as a way of punishment. They want children fulfilling their own needs and goals, rather than those of their children.
- Physical abuse: It involves inflicting physical injury on a child, it could be inform of beating, kicking, burning or harming a child.
- Commercial exploitation: This could also mean child labor, it is using of a child to work or other activities for the benefit of others. This affects the development of a child physically, academically, spiritually and morally.
- Neglect: It is generally understood that “neglect” refers to a range of circumstances in which a parent or caregiver fails to adequately provide for a child’s needs:
- through the provision of food, shelter and clothing
- by ensuring their access to medical care when necessary
- by providing them with care, love and support
- by exercising adequate supervision and control of the child
- by showing appropriate moral and legal guidance
- by ensuring that the child regularly attends school
One of the contentious aspects of “neglect”, as a category of child abuse, is that it is closely related to socioeconomic status. Many parents lack the financial support to provide for their children.
- Sexual abuse: It is inappropriate sexual behavior with a child, it can be in form of fondling the child’s genitals or making the child does the fondling, having intercourse, incest, rape etc. All this becomes child abuse if they are carried out by the person responsible for the care of the child, but if the person is a stranger it will then be regarded as sexual assault.
Signs of Sexual Abuse in a Child
Sexually abused children exhibit a range of behaviors, including:
- Withdrawn, unhappy and suicidal behavior
- Self-harm and suicidal tendency
- Aggressive and violent behavior
- Bed-wetting, sleep problems, nightmares
- Eating problems e.g. anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa
- Mood swings
- Detachment
- Pains without medical reason
- Sexual behavior, language, or knowledge too advanced for their age
Test and Exercise
- The kind of child abuse that involves the beating, kicking or slapping a child is (a) sexual abuse (b) emotional abuse (c) physical abuse (d) neglect.
- The physical or psychological maltreatment of a child by an adult is (a) child acceptance (b) child abuse (c) child agreement (d) all of the above.
- All the following are types of child abuse except (a) neglect (b) sexual abuse (c) psychological abuse (d) All of the above.
- Some signs of the sexual abuse in a child are except (a) mood swings (b) detachment (c) aggressive (d) caring.
- When sexual abuse is committed by a stranger to a child, it is then called (a) sexual assault (b) sexual abuse (c) rape (c) incest. http://passnownow.com/classwork-support/