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  • Essay / Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse - 1073

    Every day around the world, thousands of innocent and defenseless children are exploited by those they trust most. Child abuse has become as widespread as the abuse of women. Here in America, in New York, for example, “on average two children die every week as a result of abuse and neglect” (Stoesz and Karger). The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) (Child Welfare Information Gateway) positively impacts American society by punishing criminals, protecting children, and raising awareness. According to CAPTA, a child is “a person who has not attained the age of 18 years or the age specified by the child welfare law of the state in which the child resides.” Children under the age of five are more likely to be abused because they are more vulnerable and more easily accessible to sexual predators. Child abuse is the exploitation or harm caused to a child by a parent, close family member or guardian. What are the extenuating circumstances that lead a person to mistreat weak and naive children? There are various reasons why one might do this. One particular reason, but certainly not an excuse, is due to unstable mental health which can be genetically inherited. “Child abuse was once defined broadly to include: physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect” (Stoesz and Karger). Today, there are a handful of other classifications under the term “abuse.” Four main types include physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and emotional abuse. Physical abuse is violent or hostile behavior resembling bruising caused by hitting, choking, kicking, punching, shaking, or other harmful things toward a child. Sexual abuse refers to the activities of a parent or guardian who sexually exploits a child or engages in incest with a child. Negligence is the failure to respond to a chi...... middle of paper ......rrection. Washington State Department of Corrections. 2012. December 19, 2013 <>.DesLauriers, Austin T. “Kansas Sex Offender Treatment Program.” Corrections Today 64.4 (2002): 1-7. Feiring, Candice and Lynn S. Taska. “The persistence of shame following sexual abuse: A longitudinal look at risk and recovery.” » Child Abuse (2005): 337-349. North Carolina Department of Justice. “NORTH CAROLINA.” Law Enforcement Liaison Section. August 2013. Otterman, Sharon. “Therapist sentenced to 103 years in prison for child sexual abuse. » NY Times January 22, 2013: 1. Schulte, Brigid. “Child abuse damages the brain; the damage can last a lifetime. » Washington Post September 13, 2013: A.3.Stoesz, David and Howard Jacob Karger. “Suffering Children: How the government is failing its most vulnerable citizens, abused and neglected children.” Washington Monthly (1996): 20-25.