An overview: Child abuse and neglect

Pages: 934-937
Preeti Masih (Department of Psychology, St. Johns College, Agra, Uttar Pradesh)

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child. There are four major categories of child abuse: neglect, physical abuse, psychological/ emotional abuse, and child sexual abuse. By learning some of the common warning signs of child abuse and neglect, we can catch the problem as early as possible and get both the child and the abuser the help that they need. Children are at a much greater risk in certain situations: alcohol and drug abuse, stress and lack of support, domestic violence, lack of parenting skills and untreated mental illness. Some of the effects of child abuse and neglect are physiological effect, psychological effect, trust and relationship difficulties, and core feelings of being “worthless” or “damaged” and trouble regulating emotions. According to the BBC News 2017, in India, a child is sexually abused every 15 minutes, according to the latest government figure a study on Child Abuse: India 2007, conducted by Ministry of Women and Child development (GOI) revealed, two out of every three children were physically abused. 53.22% children reported having faced one or more forms of sexual abuse. Every second child reported facing emotional abuse. India has signed a number of international documents and declarations that pertain to the rights of the children. The Constitution of India contains a number of provisions for the protection and welfare of the children. It found that child neglect and child abuse were far more common in single-parent families than in families where both parents are present. A number of treatments are available to victims of child abuse, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, child-parent psychotherapy, group therapy, play therapy, and art therapy.