The most painful taboo to discuss and acknowledge is the abominable reality of child abuse in our world. Millions of children are exposed to this uncalled heinous abuse everyday around the globe.
World Health Organisation (WHO) defines child maltreatment as “all forms of physical and emotional ill treatment, sexual abuse, neglect and exploitation that results in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, development or dignity”. According to WHO’s statistics, nearly 300 million children across the globe suffer some form of physical punishments to emotional abuse every year. While these staggering statistics reflect the number of reported cases each year, its unimaginable to determine the magnitude of unreported cases that are swept under the carpets by parents/guardians or caregivers.
A highly disturbing reality that affects millions of children around the world, child abuse has some serious detrimental implications on the physical and psychological well being of children. There are several types of child abuse and identifying them is essential for addressing this dilemma effectively.
Neglect is the most common type of abuse which often goes unreported. It is considered abusive when the caregiver, specially parents, fail to provide for the basic essential needs like nutrition, shelter and education. This form of abuse is usually due to the social and economic status of individuals where they are struggling to make ends meet and hence unable to provide for their children.
Physical abuse includes beating, shaking (usually infants), burning, biting, kicking and other show of physical force towards a child. The cases of physical abuse are usually reported in children in the age bracket of 2 to 14 years where the abusers are parents or caregivers. This aggressive form of abuse results in physical bruising, broken bones and skin burns. The documented reason for this demented abuse is lack of parenting skills and inadequate knowledge and poor socio-economic status of a family which often leads to high levels of stress and frustrations.
The most underdiscussed type of child abuse is the “emotional abuse”. It is the form of abuse that impacts the mental and psychological growth of a child. Emotional abuse is when a child is constantly humiliated or belittled by adults. Insulting, teasing, emotional manipulation and rejecting a child leaves unseen emotional scars on their personality which often results in low self-esteem, severe anxiety, depression, personality disorders and violent outbursts.
Sexual abuse is another diabolic form of child abuse that involves any sexual activity with a child. It includes situations where any adult exposes a child to sexual content or involves them in sexual acts. The trauma of such abuse never leaves a person. This heinous crime leaves the child feeling violated and powerless and has a profound impact on the victims’ physical and psychological wellbeing. Victims of child sex abuse suffer through life long post-traumatic stress, lack of emotional dependability or trust, anxiety, depression, sexually transmitted infections, gynecological disorders and unwanted pregnancies.
When children are used for monetary or illegal activities such as prostitution, slavery, beggary or underage labour, this type of abuse is referred to as child trafficking. It is that severe form of abuse which strips children of their basic human rights and adversely impacts their physical and psychological health. Another form of child abuse is underage marriages which often lead to physical and emotional abuse. Underage marriages are normal occurrences in underdeveloped countries where such marriages are part of some settlement deals or monetary leverages.
There are multiple solutions to avoid and address child abuse. Educating societies as a whole is the key factor that can help in identifying and reporting this heinous crime. Societies also need to open up to better communicate with children. Education can come in the form of awareness workshops, seminars and training programs for adults while children should be taught about their basic rights, identifying abuse and should be encouraged to communicate to a trusted adult. Counselling and therapy can also play a vital role in helping victims heal and recover from their trauma. On state level, policies for strictest punishments should be made and implemented with an iron fist.
Child abuse is a sinister and vile crime/offence. It is a diabolic violation of basic human rights. Every child is born with a right to beloved, nurtured and protected. Failing to provide this basic and most important shelter to our children is not just the failure of an individual but failure of the society as a whole.