Child Abuse Hurts and can Kill

People often think that child abuse is something that happens in other families and other neighborhoods, but not close to them.

Unfortunately, child abuse statistics show that:

• just over 1,500 children die each year in the United States from child abuse and neglect
• 905,000 children were the victims of child abuse in 2006
• 70 percent of child abuse victims are under age three years old
• over 80 percent of the abused children were abused by one the child's parent
• neglect is the most common form of child abuse, followed by physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, and lastly, medical neglect

Most importantly, everyone should be aware that victims of child abuse come from all socioeconomic backgrounds, living situations, and races.

Child Abuse Cases and Stories

These child abuse cases and stories straight from the headlines of recent newspapers can help to highlight how common child abuse is so that everyone may be more likely to report suspected child abuse and neglect:

• Neglect - Feb. 2009 - A mother in Dallas, Texas, was charged with neglect after her nine-year-old died from complications of diabetes after she failed to help her manage her disease.
• Physical Abuse - Jan. 2009 - Two parents in Dallas, Texas, were charged with abusing their six-month-old infant so severely that he was in intensive care and it was thought that he was not going to be able to recover.
• Physical Abuse - Jan. 2009 - A mother's boyfriend was charged with the death of her six-year-old son.
• Physical Abuse - Dec. 2008 - A father was charged with the death of his three-month-old infant who was found unresponsive, with bone fractures and liver lacerations.
• Physical Abuse - Feb. 2009 - A father in Lodi, California, was charged with physical abuse after a school employee noticed and reported burns on a six-year old student, which were thought to have been inflicted by a clothes iron. She had also been beaten with a stick and her mother was charged with child endangerment.
• Physical Abuse - Feb. 2009 - A mother and her live-in boyfriend in Janesville, Wisconsin, were charged with abuse after repeatedly hitting her three-year-old daughter to the point that she required emergency brain surgery.
• Physical Abuse - Feb. 2009 - The boyfriend of a child's mother in Wilmington, Delaware, hit and killed a 16-month old girl because she wouldn't stop crying.
• Physical Abuse - Feb. 2009 - A nine-year-old was beaten by his mother's boyfriend in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
• Physical Abuse - Jan. 2009 - In Fall River, Massachusetts, a mother was charged with burning her four-year-old foster son with a curling iron, causing third-degree burns that required skin graft surgery.

Unfortunately, many more cases of child abuse go unreported.

If you think a child is being abused or neglected, report it.

 

Physical abuse of children includes any nonaccidental physical injury caused by the child's caretaker. It may include injuries sustained from burning, beating, kicking, punching, and so on. While the injury is not an accident, neither is it necessarily the intent of the child's caretaker to injure the child. Physical abuse may result from extreme discipline or from punishment that is inappropriate to the child's age or condition, or the parent may experience recurrent lapses in self-control brought on by immaturity, stress, or the use of alcohol or illicit drugs.

Some children are more susceptible to being maltreated than others. Some require a great deal of care (e.g., premature babies or disabled or developmentally delayed children), and others may be difficult to raise (e.g., hyperactive children, children with behavioral problems). These children would fare well in some families, but not in other families where the burden is too great for the parents to cope with the special needs of these children.

Regardless of whether the child has special needs or not, signs of physical abuse often are difficult to interpret with absolute certainty and may be confused with normal childhood injuries, such as bruises.

Behavioral Clues That May Indicate Child Abuse Although there are many other potential indicators, the abused child may:

• Be aggressive, oppositional, or defiant
• Cower or demonstrate fear of adults
• Act out, displaying aggressive or disruptive behavior
• Be destructive to self or others
• Come to school too early or not want to leave school%u2014indicating a possible fear of going home;
• Show fearlessness or extreme risk taking
• Be described as "accident prone"
• Cheat, steal, or lie (may be related to too high expectations at home)
• Be a low achiever (to learn, children must convert aggressive energy into learning; children in conflict may not be able to do so)
• Be unable to form good peer relationships
• Wear clothing that covers the body and that may be inappropriate in warmer months (be aware that this may be a cultural issue as well)
• Show regressive or less mature behavior
• Dislike or shrink from physical contact%u2014may not tolerate physical praise such as a pat on the back)

Since children typically receive bruises during the course of play or while being active, the leading or bony edges of the body, such as knees, elbows, forearms, or brows, are most likely to be bruised. The soft tissue areas, such as cheeks, buttocks, and thighs, are not normally injured in such circumstances. Additionally, bruises received during the normal course of childhood activity are rarely in distinct shapes, such as a hand, belt buckle, or adult teeth marks. Bruises in soft tissue areas or in distinct shapes are much more indicative of physical abuse.Children who are being abused may demonstrate a change in behavior. Many become more aggressive, destructive, fearful, or withdrawn. Often, in an effort to avoid the abuse, they will stay away from home as much as possible. They may see school as a safe environment. Some children are abused because their parents have higher expectations of them than the children are able to achieve or because the expectations are developmentally inappropriate. The case example below illustrates this point.

Case Example

Sandy was 10 years old when her teacher became concerned about possible abuse. She was extremely shy and withdrawn and often took a great deal of time to grasp ideas, despite the fact that testing showed no significant organic or perceptual difficulties. Her mother, a professional artist who had chosen to stay home with her four children, and her father, an accountant, found Sandy's slowness especially distressing.

As the homework required of Sandy increased, she became more withdrawn. The teacher suggested she ask for help at home, especially with her math. At first Sandy began coming to school with peculiar marks on her hands and arms. On another day she arrived with a burn mark covering a good part of her hand. It had not been treated and had become infected. In asking Sandy about her injuries, the teacher learned that Sandy was being abused by her father. After several drinks, he would "help her" with her homework, become angered by her slowness, and prod her with his lit cigarette. The latest burn was a result of Sandy's hand being pressed on an iron when her father had taken over her mother's efforts to teach Sandy how to "iron properly."

Sandy's story of parents who expect too much is common. The child's withdrawn behavior was indicative of her poor self-concept and exacerbated by her experiences at home. Cigarettes are tools for abuse due to their ready accessibility, as are objects such as irons, electric cords, and other household items. Substance abuse also may be a factor in child maltreatment cases.

Despite their need for help, many children and adolescents do not initially admit to being abused. Rather they often may invent seemingly plausible explanations, but the explanations tend not to fit the injury. Despite the abuse, children often are understandably fearful of being taken from their families or getting their parents into trouble. Other children also may just assume that this behavior is normal.

Sometimes, it is assumed that physical abuse does not occur typically with adolescents or that, since they often are more difficult or provocative, they "invite" abuse. After all, adolescents are stronger, have more resources, and can run away. In fact, neither resistance nor flight is a good option for most adolescents. Resistance might further ignite their parents' anger, and unless they want to deal with the harsh realities of life on the street, flight is not an option for most adolescents. In addition, since adolescents often are perceived as more capable, adults are less likely to intervene or alert them to the resources available that can address personal or family issues.

Case Example

Dara, a ninth-grade student, began complaining to her gym teacher after a particularly intense argument with her parents. Despite her complaints, Dara insisted that her bruised face was the result of "bumping into a door." The teacher suspected otherwise because of the location of the bruise and Dara's frightened demeanor, but chose not to act. It was not until Dara began vomiting several months later and was doubled over in pain that the situation came to anyone's attention. It was discovered that Dara had internal injuries from a severe blow to the abdomen. The girl finally admitted to the teacher about months of physical abuse she received from her father.

Abuse situations similar to Dara's happen to adolescents for various reasons. In Dara's home, adolescence, with its emerging sexuality, created problems. Her father sought to control her with force, perhaps fearful that she would become pregnant before marriage, as her sister had done. The fear of losing a child can sometimes paradoxically drive parents to abuse. In other homes, physical punishment already present may increase and escalate into abuse as the child matures.