Bshs 408 - the System of Child Abuse

The System of Child Abuse

Nadia Garcia

BSHS 408

January 20,2016

Cynthia Hebron

The System of Child Abuse

Family plays an important role when it comes to protecting children, especially during the child’s earliest years in their lives.  When children form engagements and relationships their role grows broader as it deepens over time, and for this reason; protecting children are both a public and private responsibility. The way we make judgements towards child abuse is by looking through the history of childhood.  History sheds light on present issues of child abuse.  Some people feel that whatever is happening today is an improvement on the past, while others look at past centuries through rose- colored spectacles. (Walker, P. 2005)  

 Child abuse is a culturally phenomenon. Sullivan, P. (2006).   Child abuse and neglect is defined as how society as any reason to act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caregiver that has serious implications such as death, serious physical or emotional harm as well as sexual abuse or exploitation. This act of child abuse also consists of failure to act that presents imminent risk of serious harm towards the child and neglect.  As parents we want to protect our children from harm and unfortunately children are usually abused by someone they know in their own home and in most cases it is either a parent, caregiver, rather than it be from a stranger.  As parents we want to protect our children from harm.  The abuser is usually someone they love or trust.  The abuser tends to be the one that the victim loves and cares about due the manipulation that the abuser has implemented in the child the abuser will go to great lengths to try to manipulate the child to think that what they are doing to the child is okay and to not speak about the abuse to no one.  If the child does not cooperate the abuser will threat and put fear onto the child causing the child keep quiet.

 There will be families who just refuse to seek help for the victim and there are various reasons behind their choice to do so.  For example, the victim knows the person who displayed abuse on them and do not want to make it worse for the family and this situation is very difficult.   Refusing help can also cause trouble between the victim and the family and the family of the abuser which can cause stress and tension within the victim’s family.  For example, if the victim was abused by his or her cousin the victim may withhold potentially telling the family of the abuse.  It is unfortunate that reporting child abuse can sometimes cause tension among families in which can cause a rift between families that can never be mended.  However, there can be can be upside to this as family members can show support for the victim for standing up and respecting what the victim’s decision in coming forward and reporting the abuse and the family for protecting their child.  Parents need the appropriate guidance and help to protecting the child and their child’s right to be safe and protected.   The victim might be also afraid that the perpetrator might verbally and physically abuse the victim if they ever came forward about the abuse.   As a human service professional there should also be some cultural considerations in keeping in mind of cultural influences when assessing the information of the victim and their families in avoidance in personal beliefs or any biased opinions.  There are factors that are influenced by culture and among these factors there are gender, religion, sexual preference, race, social economic status, ethnicity, legal/immigration status, disability status, and age.  Culture does have influences on acceptable child behavior and discipline as well as how the family member influences towards their reaction to trauma, stress, and abuse.  There are families who have an authoritarian structured home where there is corporal punishment such as spankings that are acceptable in their home.   Furthermore, how other cultures view child discipline on various aspects of child rearing might not be acceptable let alone lawful to do in the U.S. which can have serious repercussions towards the individual causing the harm to the child.   For example, a family member such as the father who might be comfortable in having intimate relations with their underage daughter and is appropriate in their country but they happened to move to the U.S., but that in itself is immorally wrong to do in the U.S.   Later, the child starts attending public school where she eventually learns that behavior is inappropriate and against the law where the father could go to jail.  This scenario is what can cause the child to become apprehensive in coming forward causing the child fear of separating the family and more.