Children, the Innocent Victims

The future of America's children is in the hands of their parents. Are these parents aware that an estimated two million cases of child abuse each year? The objectives of this thesis are to inform parents of potential child abuse of their children when it is least expected and also to suggest preventative methods to ensure that their child does not encounter these terrifying experiences.There are many forms of child abuse. Some are physical abuse, but there is also emotional, verbal, and sexual abuse, as well as outright neglect. Diana Baumrind, in "The Social Context of Child Maltreatment", wrote that child abuse is a response to stress and a display of power. One factor that makes child abuse so common is the fact that our younger citizens are so vulnerable. Children, unlike adults, are confined to specific areas and do not have the freedom of mobility. They are dependent on others and have no means of supporting themselves as do adults. Often children do not understand the abuse they endure or are too scared to seek help. Most children are abused by someone they know, trust, or care about. Other than the fact that children are extremely vulnerable, what makes adult abuse children? Quite often, adults were abused when they were children and feel that it is perfectly okay because they had to go through it. Statistics show that many abused children come from impoverished homes and homes that are not fit for a child. A child learns from those that he/she is dependent upon and those that he/she looks to for support and guidance. If this so called role model is abusive then the child grows up feeling that abuse is the answer to many problems. 'The American Psychologist' states, A proposition that has been established across various types of victimization is that a history of such victimization increases the likelihood that someone will become a perpertrator of crime, violence, or abuse" ("Victimization of Children", Finkelhor and Dziuba-Leatherman, p. 173). In other words, abused children are more prone to commit violent acts or abusive acts toward others when they come adults.Children can be abused by other children mentally and sometimes physically. It is very important for a child to feel accepted by others. When he/she is denied that acceptance, it an be very emotionally stressful for that child. Due to their nature, children can not actually accuse other children of emotional abuse. Therefore, it is important to teach children how to be sociable with others. In the same manner, parents should be aware of the dangers of child abuse and how to recognize it. The first step for parents is to understand the term "child abuse" and what its elements consists of