 Child Abuse Child abuse is a worldwide problem affecting children from birth to 18 years of age.

(
https://www.majortests.com/topics/Child-Abuse-Essay.html)
 Child abuse is any form of physical, emotional and/or sexual mistreatment or lack of care that causes
injury or emotional damage to a child or youth. The misuse of power and/or a breach of trust are part of
all types of child abuse. https://www.redcross.ca/how-we-help/violence-bullying-and-abuse-
prevention/educators/child-abuse-and-neglect-prevention/definitions-of-child-abuse-and-neglect

 physical
 sexual
 emotional https://www.qld.gov.au/community/getting-support-health-social-
issue/support-victims-abuse/child-abuse/what-is-child-abuse/child-abuse-types
 neglect. World Health Organization and International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and
Neglect (2006). "1. The nature and consequences of child maltreatment" (PDF). Preventing child
maltreatment: a guide to taking action and generating evidence. Geneva, Switzerland. ISBN 978-
9241594363.

Such activities may include:

 assault by penetration, such as rape or oral sex

 non-penetrative sexual activities, such as touching outside of clothing,

rubbing, kissing, and masturbating

 watching others performing sexual acts or getting a child to watch such acts

 looking at, showing, or sharing sexual images, videos, toys, or other material

 telling dirty jokes or stories

 forcing or inviting a child to undress for sexual gratification

 "flashing" or showing one's genitals to the child

 encouraging the child to behave in a way that is sexually inappropriate

 grooming, or preparing for future abuse or activity

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241532.php

Emotional abuse
 not allowing children to express their views and opinions
 ridiculing what they say
 silencing them
  frequently shouting at or threatening them
 mocking the way they are or how they try to communicate
 giving a child the "silent treatment" as a punishment
 limiting physical contact
 telling them they are "no good" or "a mistake"
 preventing normal social interaction with peers and others
 ill-treating another person in front of the child for example, through domestic violence
 bullying, including online bullying
  "emotional blackmail" https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241532.php

 not providing appropriate food, clothing, or medical care

 locking a child in a room or closet
 not providing adequate shelter, including abandoning a child or excluding them from the
family home
 placing or leaving the child in a situation in which they might experience emotional or
physical danger or harm
  leaving a child alone for a long time or so that they experience harm"
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241532.php

Prevention

You can take important steps to protect your child from exploitation and child abuse, as
well as prevent child abuse in your neighborhood or community. The goal is to provide
safe, stable, nurturing relationships for children. For example:

 Offer your child love and attention. Nurture your child, listen and be involved in
his or her life to develop trust and good communication. Encourage your child to
tell you if there's a problem. A supportive family environment and social networks
can foster your child's self-esteem and sense of self-worth.

 Don't respond in anger. If you feel overwhelmed or out of control, take a break.
Don't take out your anger on your child. Talk with your doctor or therapist about
ways you can learn to cope with stress and better interact with your child.

 Think supervision. Don't leave a young child home alone. In public, keep a close
eye on your child. Volunteer at school and for activities to get to know the adults
who spend time with your child. When old enough to go out without supervision,
encourage your child to stay away from strangers and to hang out with friends
rather than be alone — and to tell you where he or she is at all times. Find out
who's supervising your child — for example, at a sleepover.
  Know your child's caregivers. Check references for babysitters and other
caregivers. Make irregular, but frequent, unannounced visits to observe what's
happening. Don't allow substitutes for your usual child care provider if you don't
know the substitute.

 Emphasize when to say no. Make sure your child understands that he or she
doesn't have to do anything that seems scary or uncomfortable. Encourage your
child to leave a threatening or frightening situation immediately and seek help from
a trusted adult. If something happens, encourage your child to talk to you or
another trusted adult about the episode. Assure your child that it's OK to talk and
that he or she won't get in trouble.

 Teach your child how to stay safe online. Put the computer in a common area
of your home, not the child's bedroom. Use the parental controls to restrict the
types of websites your child can visit, and check your child's privacy settings on
social networking sites. Consider it a red flag if your child is secretive about online
activities. Cover ground rules, such as not sharing personal information; not
responding to inappropriate, hurtful or frightening messages; and not arranging to
meet an online contact in person without your permission. Tell your child to let you
know if an unknown person makes contact through a social networking site. Report
online harassment or inappropriate senders to your service provider and local
authorities, if necessary.

 Reach out. Meet the families in your neighborhood, including parents and children.
Consider joining a parent support group so that you have an appropriate place to
vent your frustrations. Develop a network of supportive family and friends. If a
friend or neighbor seems to be struggling, offer to babysit or help in another way.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/child-abuse/symptoms-causes/syc-20370864
Under the leadership of the WHO, a group of 10 international agencies[1] developed an approved a
series of strategies called INSPIRE, in total 7 strategies to put an end to violence against
children. Each letter of the word INSPIRE represents one of the strategies, most of which have
proven to be effective in preventing various types of violence, as well as being beneficial in such
sectors as mental health, education, and crime reduction.

The seven strategies are:

 Implementation and enforcement of laws: e.g. prohibiting violent discipline and limiting
access to alcohol and firearms.
 Norms and values: e.g. modifying the cultural norms that permit the sexual abuse of girls or
aggressive behavior between boys.
 Safe environments: i.e. identifying the “hot spots” for violence in the neighborhood and then
addressing local causes through policies aimed at resolving the problems and providing
other types of intervention.
  Parent and caregiver support: e.g. providing formation for parents of young people, and
first-time parents.
 Income and economic strengthening: such as microfinance fostering economic equality
between men and women;
 Response and support services: e.g. guaranteeing children who have been exposed to
violence adequate access to emergency care and to psychiatric and social services.
 Education and life skills: such as ensuring that children attend school and providing life
training and other social skills. https://www.pbc2019.org/protection-of-minors/child-abuse-on-
the-global-level

The challenges of conducting research in the field of child

maltreatment are enormous. Although we understand
comparatively little about the causes, definitions, treatment,
and prevention of child abuse and neglect, we do know
enough to recognize that the origins and consequences of
child victimization are not confined to the months or years
in which reported incidents actually occurred. For those
who survive, the long-term consequences of child
maltreatment appear to be more damaging to victims and
their families, and more costly for society, than the
immediate or acute injuries themselves. Yet little is invested
in understanding the factors that predispose, mitigate, or
prevent the behavioral and social consequences of child
maltreatment.
The panel has identified five key reasons why child
maltreatment research should be viewed as a central
nexus of more comprehensive research activity.
1. Research on child maltreatment can provide scientific information that will help with the
solution of a broad range of individual and social disorders. Research in this field is
demonstrating that experiences with child abuse and neglect are a major component of many
child and adult mental and behavioral disorders, including delayed development, poor
academic performance, delinquency, depression, alcoholism, substance abuse, deviant sexual
behaviors, and domestic and criminal violence.
 Many forms of child abuse and neglect are treatable and avoidable, and many severe
consequences of child maltreatment can be diminished with proper attention and assistance.
Research on child abuse and neglect provides an opportunity for society to address, and
ultimately prevent, a range of individual and social disorders that impair the health and quality
of life of millions of America's children as well as their families and communities.

2. Research on child maltreatment can provide insights and knowledge that can directly benefit
victims of child abuse and neglect and their families. Individuals who have been victimized as
a result of child maltreatment deserve to have research efforts dedicated to their experience, in
the same manner as our society invests in scientific research for burn victims, victims of
genetic or infectious diseases, or those who are subjected to other forms of trauma. Yet the
families of child abuse and neglect victims are often not active in social and political
organizations. Unable to speak for themselves or employ paid representatives to promote their
interests, they have been discounted and overlooked in the process of determining what social
problems deserve public resources and attention from the American research community.

3. Research on child maltreatment can reduce long-term economic costs associated with treating
the consequences of child maltreatment,

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in areas such as mental health services, foster care, juvenile delinquency, and family violence.

Economic issues must also be considered in evaluating long-term treatment costs and loss of
earnings associated with the consequences of child victimization. One analysis cited by the
General Accounting Office that used prevalence and treatment rates generated from multiple
studies (Daro, 1988) calculated potential fiscal costs resulting from child abuse estimates as
follows: (1) Assuming a 20 percent delinquency rate among adolescent abuse victims,
requiring an average of 2 years in a correctional institution, the public cost of their
incarceration would be more than $14.8 million. (2) If 1 percent of severely abused children
suffer permanent disabilities, the annual cost of community services (estimated at $13 per day)
for treating developmentally disabled children would increase by $1.1 million. (3) The future
lost productivity of severely abused children is $658-1300 million annually, if their
impairments limit their potential earnings by only 5-10 percent.

4. Research on child maltreatment can provide empirical evidence to improve the quality of
many legal and organizational decisions that have broad-based social
implications. Government officials, judges, legislators, social service personnel, child welfare
advocates, and others make hundreds of crucial decisions each day about the lives and futures
of child victims and their offenders. These decisions include the selection of cases of suspected
child abuse and neglect for investigation and determinations about which children should
remain with families in which abuse has occurred. Individuals making such decisions will
benefit from informed guidance on the effectiveness and consequences of various social
interventions that address child maltreatment. Such guidance can evolve from research on the
 outcomes of alternative responses to reports of child abuse and neglect, results of therapeutic
and social service interventions, and cost-effectiveness studies. For example, research that
describes the conditions under which family counseling and family preservation efforts are
effective has tremendous implications for the importance of attachment relationships for
children and the disruption of these relationships brought on by foster care.

5. Research on the etiology of child maltreatment can provide a scientific basis for primary
prevention of child abuse—that is, through programs that will counteract etiological
factors before they have a chance to produce child abuse in the next generation.

Child sexual abuse is neither a rare phenomenon nor a recent one. It is prevalent worldwide, and its
occurrence is understood to be much higher than the reported rates, which vary between 10 to 30
per cent. Both girls and boys are victimized, the former at least twice as often as the latter. The most
vulnerable children are those aged seven to 13, although victims are often even younger.
adolescents are particularly vulnerable to abuse by peers. Following the scandals in Kasur – first in
2015 and then the recent, horrific murder of seven year old Zainab – there has been growing media
focus on the sexual exploitation of children, especially associated with pornography and general
criminal behaviour. This kind of abuse tends to happen away from home or school, spaces usually
considered safe for children. Except, sadly, they often aren't. Abuse in domestic settings is even
more common. It is also worse, given that it often continues over extended periods and shatters
trusted relationships. From clinical experience, the perpetrators are usually close male family
embers – father figures (eg uncles) or brother figures (eg cousins). Girls especially are more likely to
be abused by a family member. A particularly disturbing case is that of a lady, now married with
three children, who was abused by three of her four brothers, all much older than herself. The
chances of disclosing this form of molestation are further minimized because of the complexity of
family dynamics. An educated gentleman suffered in silence for decades – he was obliged to socially
interact with his uncle's son, who abused him for seven years in his childhood. Ironically, the victim
was condemned by his family when he refused to marry the same uncle's daughter. Abusers may
also emerge from among unrelated, but trusted, caretakers, such as domestic staff, drivers,
teachers, qari sahibs and neighbors. Sometimes, older adolescent boys victimize younger children,
or even peers. This is not uncommon in boarding schools or madressahs. Many such perpetrators
have been victims of sexual abuse themselves. Even though perpetrators are usually male, in rare
cases they may be women or adolescent girls. Offenders usually have a particular emotional and/or
sexual need that is fulfilled through exploiting children. This need outweighs their moral inhibitions
and drives them to gain access to vulnerable children and entice or trick them into a 'secret game' of
intimacy. Child sexual abuse, by definition, “is the involvement of a child in sexual activity that he or
she does not fully comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to, or for which the child is not
developmentally prepared and cannot give consent, or that violates the laws or social taboos of
society”. It is important to recognise that however benign the act might appear eg, casual (but
sexual) touching, it can cause serious harm to a child. Many children endure years of guilt, tragically
feeling responsible for acts they were powerless to prevent. The terms 'informed consent' and 'fully
comprehend' essentially mean that only as an adult (18 years according to Pakistani law) is one able
to truly understand and agree to sexual advances. The wounds of childhood sexual abuse run deep.
Most children do not talk about it – either because they are afraid of being blamed, or because they
believe it is normal, or because their abuser has threatened them. The process of disclosing and
recovering from such trauma can take years. Details of little Zainab's ordeal recently triggered the
memories of a lady in her 60s. She had been under psychiatric care for a decade before she
disclosed her own abuse to her therapist. She had been married at 14 and for years, believed her
father-in-law's caressing was 'normal'. Survivors of childhood sexual abuse struggle with strong
emotional reactions like anger, betrayal, helplessness,
depression, fear, confusion, shame, and guilt. Many describe feeling 'unworthy' and 'dirty' and suffer
from poor self- esteem. Many continue to endure their grief with remarkable resilience. But some
face interpersonal challenges; difficulties forming healthy sexual relationships; social dysfunction;
and are at a much higher risk of mental disorders including depressive illness, self-harm and
substance abuse. For a parent or guardian, there are warning signs. These include an unusual
change in a child's behavior, for example, becoming aggressive or withdrawn, having trouble
sleeping or concentrating on schoolwork, bedwetting etc. Sometimes, children may demonstrate
inappropriate sexual behavior or use sexually explicit language. Uncommonly, they might give
indirect hints or start avoiding the perpetrator. Also, if a child develops physical health problems such
as soreness or infection in their private areas, these should be carefully investigated. The current
media attention has helped to centre the spotlight on child sexual abuse, an issue that has been
gnored for too long. But it has also highlighted the need to train the media in sensitive and rational
reporting. There is a great need to generate public awareness: children must be protected against all
forms of abuse, and sexual abuse in particular. Educating parents is paramount as the major risk
factor for child sexual abuse is a breach in the quality and quantity of their supervision. That a
domestic help can be trusted to look after a home does not mean that he can be trusted with a child,
and the ability to recite Arabic is certainly not a guarantee of moral virtue. Children are already
exposed to all kinds of uncensored information – there is no reason not to incorporate sexual health
in the curricula. All professionals who work directly with children eg teachers, sports coaches, and
security staff in schools should be trained with clear guidelines for child protection. Awareness must
also be raised among professionals such as doctors. Currently, almost no attention is paid to child
protection issues in medical training. Needless to say, the role of mental health specialists must be
redefined much beyond the biomedical model of practice, if they are to work with victims who have
suffered years of emotional trauma. Child protection laws are essential, of course, but helpful only
when fully integrated within a functional social and judicial system.

 In the modern era of technology and the globalizing on the one side, the comfort, ease and
access to information has increased, but at the same me the challenges have also increased
manifold. In the age of smartphones, high speed internet communication and with the
availability of online resources; the vulnerability to fell prey to the criminals, offenders of law
and the vested interest groups has also increased. The most vulnerable among all the segment
of society are the children. The indulgence of kids in the smartphones/ tablets and subjectivity
of these gadgets to the internet connectivity has opened the whole world of raw and mixed
communication to the innocent brains of the children. It is natural that suspense aracts the
adventures and for a kid, smaller suspense result into much risky adventure. This adventure may
result into the physical, psychological and sexual abuse of a child. The technology is never bad,
but the use of it brings good or bad results. When it comes to the children exposed to the
technology, we need special orientaon and special aenon towards them. Be in the role of
parent, teacher, mentor or close relave, this is our responsibility to learn about the gadget which
we are handing over to our child and the pros and cons of it. We need to understand the basic
features of a gadget to be used by our kids. We need to take the basic precauonary measures to
ensure that our kids are using their tablets and smartphones in the most appropriate manner
and that they are not indulging into any confusion. Few of the basic steps can include: ü
Ensuring that children use their tablets, computers and smartphones in the main living area of
the house ü Enabling the parental lock on the tablets. ü Enabling age filter on the YouTube if
they are using it ü Parents must know the passwords and paerns to unlock the tablets and
 smartphones so as the computers ü The computers must be placed at the central place in the
house so that the monitor can be seen by anyone ü Educang the children about the safe
behaviors to protect them against violence and abuse ü Installing and educang the kids about
free available apps on child protecon ü Last but not the least, fixing a metable for the use of
tablets, computers and smartphones I am a strong believer that children should be educated
about the technology and should be facilitated to adapt to the changing trends in educaon,
entertainment and informaon technology, but at the same me, the safeguard locks should be
put on so that the children don't get de-tracked. We must assist the children to help them
safeguard themselves against the possible risk of being abused. This is a societal issue and we
must accept the reality. Curbing the children from the use of smartphones, tablets or computers
will result into more suspense and they may use it negavely and through the people who will
finally use them for their purposes. Technology Alert! For the Children Muhammad Rizwan
Abbasi (Regional Coordinator Sahil, Abboabad) SAHIL, Mag

 Myth: Often precocious children provoke sexual abuse by their seductive behavior.
 Fact: children can never initiate sexual abuse, as it is an act of violence. Terming a child's
behavior “seductive” is an adult justification, projection and misinterpretation.
 Myth: people who sexually abuse are mentally ill or sick.
 Fact: According to our statistics from January1997 to 1998 out of 1588 reported abusers, no one
was mentally ill.
 Myth: Strangers sexually abuse children most often.
 Fact: According to our statistics from January1997 to 1998 out of 1588 abusers, 1220 (77%)
were known to and had access to their victims. These 1220 abusers were acquaintances,
relatives, teachers, policemen or molvis.
 Myth: Sexual abuse generally occurs outside the home.
 Fact: Most children are sexually abused inside their own homes. In a predominant number of
cases, abusers have the trust of children and their families and access to their homes.
 Myth: usually there is terrible physical violence accompanying child sexual abuse.
 Facts: in most reported cases the abuser is not physically violent but use emotional
manipulation and blackmail to coerce the victim.
 Myth:Child sexual abuse occurs mostly in poor, illiterate families.
 Fact: Child sexual abuse occurs in all classes of society. According to a survey by sahil with 44
 middle and upper classes, educated, urban men and women, 34 percent had been subjected to
sexual abuse in their childhood, 84 percent of them knew someone who was sexually abused as
a child.
 Myth:Children lie about sexual abuse.
 Fact: children do not lie about being sexually abused. The pressure to remain silent to uphold
 distorted concepts of izzat (honor) is immense. Also children in our society are kept ignorant of
sex and the possibility of abuse.
 Myth: only girls are the victims of child sexual abuse.
 Fact: Both girls and boys are victims. According to our statistics from January1997 to 1998 out of
909 victims of child sexual abuse, 253 were male children.
 Myth: usually the mother is aware of the fact that her child is being sexually abused.
 Fact: A mother is not generally aware of the fact that her child is being sexually abused. Often,
the child's fear of not being believed prevents him/her from disclosing the abuse anyone.
  Myth:Reporting of child sexual abuse can cause more harm than good.
 Fact: If child sexual abuse is not reported then the same abuser may harm other children or may
target the same child again. The media has reported cases were known abuser was not brought
to justice and later targeted another child.

COMMUNICATING WITH CHILDREN

ABOUT CHILD SEXUALABUSE

Parents cannot personally protect their child all the time. Children need to be taught how to protect
themselves. To achieve this, parents need to show their love to their children openly, communicate with
them frankly, help them develop their self-esteem and take an interest their personal issues. Once these
basic requirements are in place, parents can include ways and meets to combat sexual abuse in their
overall parenting. Information on preventing sexual abuse can be given in to children without
frightening them.
Preventive Measures
These preventive measures will help in instilling the kind of confidence in a child that can prevent
him/her from being lured into a potentially dangerous situation:
Body Parts
It is important to teach children the names of all their body parts, including private body parts. This will
help the child to tell the parent if someone touches them there or encourages him/her to touch the
perpetrator's private body parts. The terms used depend on the comfort level of the parent, but they
must restrain from using derogatory nicknames since that may give children the idea that their private
body parts are dirty or unmentionable.
No Secrets
Tell children that no one has the right to tell them to keep a touch, a kiss or a hug secret. This is a bad
secret and they should immediately inform a grownup they trust. Many abusers threaten children so
that they will keep the abuse secret. Children must be encouraged not to be afraid of relating these
incidents to their parents or some other trusted elder. Children should know that if anyone gives those
sweets or money they do not have to keep it a secret nor do they owe any favors in return.
Self-Esteem
Children need to be given a sense of importance, which will increase their confidence. Children feel
cherished if their opinions are heard with interest and attention. Children with low-self esteem are more
vulnerable to being lured into a "secret" relationship with an adult — for the simple reason that children
respond to attention. For a child even bad attention is better than no attention at all.he child to say NO
at once can prevent the situation from escalating or continuing. Instilling these qualities in a child may
increase the chances of a child getting out safely from a
potentially dangerous situation:
Teach children that their bodies belong to them and that if anyone touches their body in a way

COMMUNICATING WITH CHILDREN

ABOUT CHILD SEXUALABUSE

Crisis Management
Say NO

Published: (April-June 1998)

SAHIL, Magazine January-March 2017

7
that confuses or frightens them they should assert themselves by saying NO and immediately tell
a grownup they trust. Many abusers gradually induce a child into sexual abuse beginning with
touches of different kinds, for example, tickling, kissing or hugging so training the child to say
NO at once can prevent the situation from escalating or continuing.
The most frightening thing even for an "experienced" child sex abuser is the fear that the child might
reveal the act to their parents or a trusted adult. Therefore, children must be trained to immediately
say, "I'll tell"; if encountered with a situation that they feel uncomfortable with and then follow up by
informing his/her parents of the incident.
Children must also be taught that if they are trapped in a situation where they feel frightened they
must scream for help. This action will invoke fear in the abuser by attracting the attention of others.
Older children must be taught how to defend themselves in a potentially dangerous situation.
Tactics like biting, kicking the shins or scratching the eyes will help in loosening the grip
of the abuser and enable the child to escape.
It is important to point out that all these techniques will only help if the child has the advantage of a
trusting relationship with his/her parents who have instilled a level of confidence and self-esteem in
the child.
Most importantly, parents need to understand that it is not the fault of the child if he or she has been
sexually abused. They must acknowledge the child as a victim and never as an instigator of the
abuse.