PSA

Ciao world,

For the past week I have been doing a PSA on Child abuse, through this journey I have learned a lot about how awful and sick some people are in the world that they would even concider abusing a child.

The definition of physical child abuse is any physical force or action that results in or may result in a non-accidental injury of a child. Physical abuse may involve striking the child a single time or it may involve a pattern of occurrences. Physical abuse is usually connected to physical punishment or is confused with child discipline. The community people grew up in during the 1960s and 70s believed that physical child abuse only existed if there were injuries that required medical attention, in particular, hospitalization. Bruising, fat lips, even black eyes in our home didn't constitute abuse. As children, we were blamed for the injuries we sustained at the hands of their parents. They were told: "See what you made me do" or "I wouldn't have had to punish you so severely if you hadn't . . ." What about the laws that protect children, you ask? Yes, there were laws to protect children, but few, if any, bothered to report child abuse. Many had no idea what constituted child abuse.

Child neglect is defined as when a caregiver fails to provide those basic human needs that are necessary for a child/youth to grow into a healthy adult.  Children need four specific behaviours from caring adults in order to develop into mature, healthy adults

¤ Verbal communication skills¤  A safe environment to explore both physically and socially¤  Their needs met appropriately according to their developmental stage¤  The verbal & non-verbal expression of positive feelings towards them.
Since neglect is chronic, neglected children and youth are constantly dealing with their needs not being met. Over time they begin to feel unworthy of attention and energy; acknowledging parental rejection and lack of care is more threatening to them than believing that they are the cause of their parents' unkind acts towards them

Sexual abuse of children and youth is shrouded in secrecy, guilt and fear. Offenders use intimidation and threats to keep the child from telling, but the number one reason children and youth don't tell is that they are afraid they won't be believed. Though there is widespread under-reporting of child molestation by both male and female victims, males are much less likely to disclose.

FACT:  Sexual abuse was the primary reason cited in 10% of all child maltreatment investigations (137,573) made by Social Services Agencies in Canada in 1998.

FACT:  38% of the above cases were substantiated
FACT:  At least 2 million children worldwide are affected by the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. The average age at which children are initiated into CSEC is 13 or 14 years of age.
FACT:  Clincial and anecdotal evidence suggests that the incidence of sex abuse among Canada's native peoples is as high as 80%.
FACT:  Historical Canadian data on child sex abuse shows that approximately one-third of all substantiated cases had previously been reported as allegations of forms of abuse other than sexual .
Emotional abuse is the cornerstone of all the abuses because emotional abuse is always present during physical child abuse, child neglect, and sexual child abuse, and it is the only abuse that can stand on its own. It does not have to accompany any of the other abuses.
Emotional child abuse is defined as the constant attack of a child or youth by an adult that negatively affects the child or youth's self-worth. It is important to note here the word 'constant'. With emotional abuse, the child/youth receives only negative messages, nothing positive.
Child abuse prevention means taking steps to ensure abuse never happens in the first place. Prevention means setting up laws, policies and declarations that deal with the rights of children and youth.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is one such declaration. Canada ratified this convention on December 13, 1991.
This child abuse prevention document outlines many ways that societies are responsible for their children. The document identifies that children shall be given opportunities and facilities, by law and other means, to enable him or her to develop physically, mentally, morally, spiritually, and socially in a healthy and normal manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity.
FACT: The estimated cost of child sexual abuse in Canada exceeds $3.6 billion. The true cost is higher because of secrecy and the dependency that children often have on their abusers. Other costs are estimated at: Justice system: $8 billion/year; economic costs of violence against women: $4.2 billion/year; and each youth suicide: $640,000 to $3,000,000.

Don't be afraid to speak up if you know someone or you are getting abused as a person. You never know, you could be saving someones life.