Types of Abuse
This is not full notes, just extracted some for exam purpose ;p
EMOTIONAL ABUSE
- Constant attach of a child/youth by an adult that negatively affects the child/youth’s self worth.
Boys and girls reacted to emotional abuse differently because of their upbringing. Boys are taught that crying is not masculine but displaying anger and other physical behaviours are acceptable. Girls are taught that anger is not ladylike and that showing emotion is part of being female.
Signs of emotional abuse:
- agression
- stubborn
- withdrawn
- passive
- easily frustrated
Effects of emotional abuses:-
Behavioural:
- irritability
- sleep disorder
- withdrawal
- stealing
- self-harm
Physical:
- lag in physical development
- speech problems
- facial tics
- self harm
- eating disorder
Emotional:
- inability to control emotions
- questioning of religious beliefs
Types of emotional abuse:
1. Rejecting – Putting down a child/youth’s worth or their needs
- constant criticism
- yelling at the child
- verbal humiliation
- exclude child from family activities
- telling a child he/she is ugly
2. Isolating – Keeping child away from family and friends
- not allowing child to have friends
- isolating child in closet
- prevent child to interact with other children
- rewarding child for withdrawing from social contact
- insisting in excessive studying/chores
3. Ignoring – Failing to give any response to interact with a child/youth at all
- denying health care
- denying dental care
- failure to protect child
- lack of attention to schooling
- not accepting the child as an offspring
4. Corrupting – Encourage a child/youth to do things that are illegal/harmful to themselves
- reward for bullying others
- reward for stealing
- supplying drugs
- teaching and promoting prostitution
- reward for lying
5. Exploiting – Giving responsibilities that are greater than a child/youth that age can handle, usually for making profit
- sexual abuse
- participate in pornography
- child labour
- blaming the child/youth for misbehaviour of other sibling
- infants expected not to cry
6. Terrorizing – Cause a child/youth to be terrfied by the constant use of threats/intimidating behaviour
- extreme verbal threats
- yelling and screaming
- threatening abandonment
- inconsistant demand on the child
- changing the “rule of the game”
PHYSICAL ABUSE
- Physical force or action that results in or may result in a non-accidental injury of a child.
Difference of abuse and discipline:-
Abuse:
- Demonstrate anger and hostility
- Make child listen
- Involves humiliation
- Teach child that decisions are at the whim of the caregiver
- Caregiver has all the power, no respect given to the child
- Requires submission
Discipline:
- Demonstrate love and affection
- Teach child right from wrong
- Does not involve humiliation
- Teach child to make healthy choices and prepare for eventual independence
- Power balance and mutual respect
- Does not require submission
Signs of physical abuse:
1. Bruising – Most common abuse injuries, must take into account location, size, colour, and frequency usually found on forehead, knees, legs, arms, hands, shins etc.
2. Beatings – Pattern of bruising/abrasions will resemble the shape of the object/body part used such as belt, bottles, bats, sticks etc.
3. Burning – Third most frequent cause of death in children. Can be chemical, heat, electrical etc. Skin might have rashes, bleeding, pussing, blistering etc.
4. Choking and hanging – Bruise around the front and back of the neck resemble the fingers and thumb of the attacker doing the choking. Can also have bruising that take the shape of red band known as rope burn.
5. Smothering and drowning – Smothering compromises the child’s breathing, no other noticeabke abuse evidence. Can have bruising around the face(nose and eyes), and upper chest area. Drowning may have finger bruiseing at the back or side of the neck or shoulders where the child is hold under water with force.
6. Poisoning – Hard to determined as it depends on the quantity can be drugs, dish liquid, gas etc. May suffer from vomitting, nausea, abdominal cramping, diarrhoe, lethargy etc. There might be rashes, redness, bleeding around the mouth.
7. Hair-pulling – Thining hair and bald patches on the scalp. Experience headaches and neck pain.
8. Pushed from height – Brusing and broken bones are the common abuse injuries.
9. Shaken Baby Syndrom – Most common infant immortality and account for most long-term disability in infant and young children due to physical child abuse. Frequently a single event and there may be no visible injury. Mostly trigger by inconsolable crying and feeding problem. Can cause lethargy, tremors, vomiting, coma, death and etc.
Effects of physical abuse:
- behavioural problems
- negative peer relation
- depression
- violence to others
- developmental delay
SEXUAL ABUSE
- When a child/youth/adult uses a child/youth for his/her sexual gratification. This includes incest.
There are two types of sexual abuse:-
Non-contact:
- No touching
- Force to watch porn
- Force to listen to sex talk
- Force to look at others sexual parts
Contact:
- Touched/Fondled the own genitals
- Force to touch others genitals
- Force to oral sex
- Force intercourse
Sign of sexual abuse:-
Physical signs:
- Constipation
- Urine in blood
- Pain/discomfort during urination
- Difficulty in bowel/bladder control
- Pain/itching at genitals
Behavioural signs:
- Sexualized behaviour that is inappropriate in child’s age
- Promiscious behaviour
- Share same signs as emotional abuse
Sexual abuse effects:-
Emotional & physical:
- Losses self-esteem
- Losses trust
- Losses intimacy
- Losses childhood
- Losses control of his/her body
Behavioural:
- Nightmares
- Phobia
- Learning problem
- Insecurity
- Relationship problems
Factors that affect the effects:
- Relationship of the victim and the offender
- The age of the child
- Type of sexual activities exposed to
- The degree of physical aggression
- The respond receives when the victim disclose the abuse
- The availability of supportive person
Why children don’t tell?
- Fear of revenge
- No one will believe
- Openly threat the safety of the people related to the child/youth
- Fear of abandonment especially if offender is family member
- Promise with gifts/rewards/offer bribes
