Child abuse in Canada, like anywhere, is something that needs to be eliminated.
Even though controls and regulations are in place, one case of child abuse is one too many. Some countries view abuse as an acceptable form of control. That’s unfortunate. In Canada, in theory, a no tolerance policy is in effect the law. Abuse should never be acceptable.
the results of child abuse
The determination of how widespread child abuse in Canada is remains unknown. It often goes undetected and surfaces years later. There is devastating result. One that is carried over into adulthood for life.
A combination of physical, academic, emotional, physiological, sexual, esteem, perceptional, behavioural and interpersonal deficiencies are generally the outcome.
Alcoholism, drug use, running away and suicide are some of the outcomes. The luckier ones usually permanently deal with grief and depression. They may live as non-functioning, excessively emotional (or lacking) adults that don’t know where to turn. A feeling of helplessness often controls their lives.
The victim is usually dependent on the abuser and those that witness the abuse are often scared to get involved or have views on punishment that allow it to continue. There are some regulations and guidelines such as mandatory registry for offenders and protection for the child but it still requires education and awareness of the total population.
types of abuse
The main forms of child abuse include physical, sexual, neglect and emotional. Each one carries with it a unique set of problems and underlying causes. These abuses could be a one off event or could continue over the course of years. Trauma will continue for many more, sometimes forever.
Physical Abuse: This involves any form of physical contact including hitting, choking, biting, shaking, kicking, beating, throwing things, burning and any act even a slap that subjects the child to harm. About 30% of abuse takes place in this form.
Sexual Abuse: Involving a child in any form of sex including porn, touching, fondling, exhibitionism, sodomy, rape, intercourse, oral sex is the wide scale of abuse. About half of these go undetected for years and approximately 10% of all cases of abuse are sexual.
Neglect: Generally includes a failure to provide a child with the basic needs in life. These are not limited to food, shelter, clothing, protection, medical and hygiene. They could include a failure to provide love, safety and emotional growth. Unfortunately this is the highest figure with about 40% of cases being a form of neglect. To lead to neglect, meant that the reporting took far too long.
Emotional Abuse: All forms of abuse involve emotional control but by definition, emotional abuse is an abuse that leads to a harm in an individuals sense of self. The forms are varied and can include exposure to violence, verbal tirades, putting a child down continually, intimidation or various social requests that isolate the child. About 20% of cases are reported to be a form of emotional abuse.
If you are being abused, know someone that is, are abusing someone or were abused in the past – seek professional help to deal with issues that will control your life and effect other lives until you change them. This is important and it won’t just go away and stopping it depends on everyone taking action instead of ignoring the problem.
Abuse, no matter how little, should not be overlooked.
Turning a blind eye will not protect a child. If it was you or your child, you would want someone to do something about it. For those of you that have suffered and seen abuse it is important to prevent it in the future. Get help, speak out, share your story and stop it from happening to others.
We can make this world a place where abuse no longer exists but only if we educate and make efforts to do so.