CHILD ABUSE /MALTREATMENT

Child abuse is one of the most dangerous things on earth. Child abuse or child maltreatment is common among we Nigerians, especially mothers. Child abuse or maltreatment is the physical, sexual, or psychological (emotions) maltreatment or neglect of a child(ren) especially by a parent or caregiver. According to The World Health Organization (WHO) defines child abuse and child maltreatment as “all forms of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power.”

There are many types of child abuse/maltreatment. The World Health Organization recognizes four types of child maltreatment: physical abuse; sexual abuse; emotional (or psychological) abuse; and neglect.


➡ Physical abuse involves the lack of parental warmth, or using of physical force which can harm the child; health and body. This includes hitting, beating, kicking, shaking, biting, strangling, scalding, burning, poisoning and suffocating. Much physical violence against children in the home is inflicted with the object of punishing. And corporal punishment also like; hitting (‘smacking’, ‘slapping’, ‘spanking’) children, with the hand or with an implement – whip, stick, belt, shoe, wooden spoon, pestle etc. But it can also involve, for example, kicking, shaking or throwing children, scratching, pinching, biting, pulling hair or boxing ears, forcing children to stay in uncomfortable positions, burning, scalding or forced ingestion ( forcing child to swallow food unwilling). Often, physical abuse as a child can lead to physical and mental difficulties in the future, including re-victimization, personality disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, dissociative disorders, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, substance abuse, and aggression. Physical abuse in childhood has also been linked to homelessness in adulthood.”


➡ Sexual Abuse; Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent abuses a child for sexual stimulation, and it is often most sexual abuser are acquainted with their victims; relatives of the child, most often brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, uncles or cousins; and other acquaintances such as friends of the family, babysitters, or neighbours; and strangers but that’s rare. Forms of CSA include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities (regardless of the outcome), indecent exposure of the genitals to a child, displaying pornography to a child, actual sexual contact with a child, physical contact with the child’s genitals, viewing of the child’s Instruments without physical contact, or using a child to produce child pornography. Effects of child sexual abuse on the victim(s) include guilt and self-blame, flashbacks, nightmares, insomnia, fear of things associated with the abuse (including objects, smells, places, doctor’s visits, etc.), self-esteem difficulties, sexual dysfunction, chronic pain, addiction, self-injury, suicidal ideation, somatic complaints, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, other mental illnesses including borderline personality disorder and dissociative identity disorder, propensity to re-victimization in adulthood,vbulimia nervosa, and physical injury to the child, among other problems. Children who are the victims are also at an increased risk of sexually transmitted infections due to their immature immune systems and a high potential for mucosal tears during forced sexual contact. Sexual victimization at a young age has been correlated with several risk factors for contracting HIV including decreased knowledge of sexual topics, increased prevalence of HIV, engagement in risky sexual practices, condom avoidance, lower knowledge of safe sex practices, frequent changing of sexual partners, and more years of sexual activity.

➡ Psychological abuse; this is most dangerous of all and the most challenging and prevalent form of child abuse and neglect. Almost all the children pass through it. Some have defined it as the production of psychological and social defects in the growth of a child as a result of behavior such as loud yelling, coarse and rude attitude, inattention, harsh criticism, and denigration of the child’s personality. Other examples include name-calling, ridicule, degradation, destruction of personal belongings, torture or killing of a pet, excessive criticism, inappropriate or excessive demands, withholding communication, and routine labeling or humiliation, isolation, blaming etc. Victims of emotional abuse may distancing themselves from the abuser, closing off themselves, low self esteem, fighting back by insulting the abuser or aggressive. Emotional abuse can result in abnormal or disrupted attachment development, a tendency for victims to blame themselves (self-blame) for the abuse, learned helplessness, felling useless, depression, self-harm and overly passive behavior. And this is common with mothers

➡ Child negligence is the failure or omission of a parent or caregiver with responsibility like feeding, shelter, medical care, clothes etc. It also means lack of attention to the child’s surroundings. Or love and care. It has subdivision; physical neglect, medical neglect, supervisory neglect, emotional neglect, educational neglect and abandonment. Children who are victims of neglect can have a more difficult time forming and maintaining relationships, such as romantic or friendship, later in life due to the lack of attachment they had in their earlier stages of life” I explained.

“Effect of child abuse; it was said that the children we give birth to now are our futures, leaders of tomorrow but if we don’t ‘t take care of them now, then our futures and leaders are at stake. It maybe physical or emotional. Emotional effects, children who are constantly abuse grow to have influenced in how they react. They can grow up experiencing insecurities, low self esteem, difficulties in trusting, withdrawal in social in, trouble in school and bad in relationships,anxiety, suicidal thought. Also domestic violence takes a toll on children. A child witnessing domestic violence can also suffer emotion effects by detaching from school or social activities, aggressive, irritability. Physical effects includes broken bones, bruises, hemorrhage, death. And those who experience it may have addiction to smoking, illegal drugs, alcoholism, attempt suicide, sexual promisity and they generated later lungs damage or sexual transmitted diseases.

*Is there a causes for child abuse?”.

➡ No. There is no specific causes but ; unemployment of the parents of caregiver, age of maturity, parental stress, drug abuse influence, mental illness etc.

*How can we prevent this?.

➡ By orientation. Before parenting let’s have an orientation session. Supporting groups, interacting with the kids. Treatment, it is not easy to heal a child that was abuse. Abuse-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, Rational Cognitive Emotive Behavior Therapy, Parent–child interaction therapy and other forms of treatment include group therapy, play therapy, and art therapy etc.


Now let’s support one another to stop child abuse. Let’s save out young ones.
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Written by Um_royhan.

An amateur writer striving to become a professional writer.


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