CHILD ABUSE, FORMS OF MANIFESTATION, EFFECTS AND THE SOCIAL ACTORS

INVOLVED

What are the types of child abuse?

The global report on health and violence defines four different forms of child abuse:
emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect (World Report on Violence and
Health. Geneva, WHO, 2002). Forms of abuse can include each other, so that sexual abuse
includes physical/emotional abuse, while physical abuse includes emotional abuse or neglect.

THEORETICAL APPROACH OF THE PROBLEM

Defining child abuse is an essential element for understanding and studying its
phenomenology. There are many definitions developed over time and tested by researchers
specialized in the field.

Child abuse is a complex phenomenon, which permanently affects the development of the
individual: in the long term, abuse makes the adolescent and then the adult vulnerable,
generating dysfunctional feelings, behaviors, ways of thinking or interpersonal relationships
in everyday life. Placed in the area of what Anthony Giddens called in his sociology treatise
(2000, p. 175) "the invisible face of the family", child abuse causes existential changes that
are all the more severe when it occurs at a younger age and maintains for a longer period. It is
worse when young adults with such a history start a family and things begin again, in the
same ways, with their children. We do not discuss the maturing role of some conflicts
between parents and children, especially in the case of teenagers, a fact that signifies the
recognition of the barriers between generations and the limits that children have in
understanding the complexity of everyday life (Marcelli, Braconnier, 2006, p. 514). The main
concepts underlying this research will be defined, very briefly, as follows (Bonea, 2015):
economic abuse; psychological abuse; sexual abuse; physical abuse; social abuse; neglect;
exploitation; attachment disorder.

Definitions of types of abuse:

Economic abuse: means that the minor does not have access to the main resources he needs
to survive: clothes, food, travel money to school (where applicable), etc. (Bonea, 2011: 138).

Psychological abuse: represents continuous terrorizing, blackmailing with various things,

nicknames, degrading the minor. Any type of abuse, neglect or attachment disorder is
immediately reflected in the child's psychocognitive and social plan (Howe, 2005: 107–109).

Sexual abuse: having sexual relations of various types, unwanted, misunderstood and devoid
of any meaning for the child. He cannot defend himself or express his agreement. Pedophilia
is quite often discussed (Vigorello, 2001) by researchers precisely in order to be able to stop
or, at least, treat the problem and the psychosocial and relational consequences that the minor
remains with in the short and long term (Finkel, 2009: 269).

Physical abuse : involves hitting with hands, feet or any other objects considered to be
dangerous and hurt the child, in the interest of causing pain and various injuries (Ionescu,
2001: 28–31).

Social abuse: the child is not allowed to have relations with other children of his age; is
confined to the house; is isolated; and precisely the isolation allows, very well, all the other
types of abuse defined above (Tolan, 2017: 11).

Neglecting: means not paying attention to the child. Total or even partial indifference to it.
Lack of attention is neglect. The child is not properly cared for, defenseless, unfed, unwashed,
etc. All these quickly lead to the physical and mental degradation of the child, a fact that is
immediately noticeable (Fontes, 2006: 42–43).

Exploitation: is the trafficking or sale of the child, forcing him to work to obtain various
objects or money for the abusive adults. Using the child, forcing him to do certain things or
work or to assist an adult in performing various jobs (Bonea, 2012: 125–126).

Attachment disorder : the deficient attachment between parent and child and vice versa,
leads to behavioral, psychological, social, cognitive, relational deviance of the child in the
short term and in the long term (in adult life). The child lies that he has no trusted adult, that
he is not protected, loved and cared for. From birth, the parent-child attachment must be a
very important component of its growth and development from all perspectives (Almgren,
2005: 219), (Bonea, G. V., "Deviance. Viziuni contemporanea", 2015).

Emotional abuse - mental action on the child, single or repeated, negligent or hostile attitude,
other behaviors of the parents or caregivers that cause the child distortions of self-esteem, loss
of self-confidence and that complicate the process of development and socialization of the
child. The following forms of emotional abuse are more frequently encountered: rejection,
isolation, terrorizing, corrupting, ignoring.

Emotional abuse is a chronic action by parents or other caregivers, which damages or prevents
the development of a positive self-image of the child. It is an intentional behavior of an adult,
who offends, mocks, ironizes, devalues or humiliates the child in significant moments,
affecting his self-image and psychological balance. This form of abuse represents one of the
most harmful attacks by the adult on the development of self-awareness and the subsequent
social evolution of the child. Emotional abuse does not refer to singular situations, in which
the child is rejected by a preoccupied and tense parent, during a short period of time, but aims
at a stable behavior, which defines the relationship between the two, which does not leave
physical traces, but it is all the more dangerous. This makes emotional abuse difficult to
prove. The emotionally abused child feels that he is not wanted and loved, experiences
isolation, terror, refusal, aggression. The child is rejected as a being, his positive or negative
experiences are ignored, strict rules are imposed on him, the necessity of which he does not
understand, he is isolated from others. He faces serious emotional problems and survives by
internalizing the image provided by the abusive parent. The repertoire of emotional abuse
includes various ways, easy to identify in the child: mistrust, hostility, aggressive
manifestations, social inhibition, adaptation difficulties, inability to play or express oneself
through play. All this is caused by subjecting the child to humiliation, refusing his gestures of
affection, showing preference for other siblings, refusing to reward or congratulate the child
for his success, banning playing with other children, banning school and free time activities,
cultivating mistrust towards those outside the family, forcing the child to participate in
activities he fears, threats, destructive actions towards his property, etc. Here are other signs
of emotional abuse: shyness, mistrust, anxiety, hetero- and autoaggressive tendencies, social
inhibition, communication difficulties. We also add the fact that the threats of various
punishments, of abandonment or expulsion from home of one of the children are also
transmitted to the other siblings. Another form is that resulting from the child's exposure to
violence, hostility and hatred between adults. Long before his mental development allows
him, this child assumes the burdensome responsibility of taking care not only of himself, but
also of his parents, giving up on living his childhood. As an adult, he will face problems
related to identity - awareness of personal value and sexual identity (Killen, ibidem, p. 34). If
the parents divorce, the child may continue to be abused by being forced to take one side or
the other, without being able to ask for and obtain information that would help him overcome
the confusion he is experiencing , or he will develop feelings of guilt, because he was on the
side of one of them, or, even more dramatically, he will be the object of a kidnapping. There
are not rare cases when the abuse of substances (alcohol, drugs), by parents unable to manage
their lives, is transmitted to the child who lives next to them. He will end up considering
himself guilty for the decay of his parents and will have a distorted perception of himself and
the world around him. Along with the emotional consequences, which lead to difficulties in
adapting to a new environment (lack of initiative and creativity, anxiety, the tendency to
separate even in adulthood), there are also social effects, which can push the child towards a
criminal career: running away from home, thefts, acts of vandalism, etc.

Neglect – chronic inability of the parent/caregiver to meet the child's basic needs, such as the
need for food, clothing, shelter, medical care, educational opportunities, protection and
supervision. The most serious forms of neglect are:

• Failure to ensure adequate nutrition for the child's developmental needs.

• Failure to provide appropriate clothing.

• Disinterest in the child's health.

• Housing with inadequate space and hygiene.

• Insufficient supervision.

• Lack of concern for the child's education.

• Depriving the child of affection.

• Child abandonment.

Abandonment or aggression through rejection (Păunescu, 1994, p. 95) can manifest itself
in various degrees and forms, starting from concealed abandonment, in which the parents
behave as if the child does not exist, neglect him, do not give him any kind of attention, the
child is rejected, and his development needs are ignored, to physical abandonment, when one
of the parents leaves the child or, in case of divorce, considers him an obstacle to the
formation of his new family; we also find this situation in the case of minor girls who become
pregnant, who are abandoned by both partners and parents, having great difficulties in raising
and educating the future child. Disguised abandonment includes a diverse range of more or
less visible behaviors, from inadequate feeding of the child, lack of concern for his hygiene,
to the inability to engage emotionally in the child's upbringing and to build positive
relationships with him. The media abounds in images of children raised in unsuitable living
conditions, dirty, uncared for, unfed, with tattered and unwashed clothes, whose bodies are
invaded by lice and diseases, left unattended for hours, which complete a grotesque picture of
carelessness, of the parents' lack of education, concern for tomorrow. In families with several
children, the eldest takes on the role of an adult early on, trying to cope with the tasks related
to raising and educating the younger siblings, thus avoiding childhood, a stage absolutely
necessary for a harmonious subsequent development. Neglected children have characteristics
that are easy to observe: they are considered very good, they are shy, they withdraw from the
aggression of others, they never try to assert themselves, they usually play alone, they prefer
to stay in large groups of children, but they do not make friends. On the other hand, rejected
children are very active, talkative and argumentative, (Gheorghe Florian, Mihaela Puşcaş)
always try to get close to others, they don't cooperate when they play, they don't share the
things they own, they often attract attention by behaving inappropriately for the situation
(Schaffer, 2005, p. 118).

School counselors increasingly draw attention to a form of emotional abandonment, specific

to societies centered on consumption and rapid material accumulation, which mainly
conjugates the verb "to have" to the detriment of "to be": parents' excessive preoccupation
with accumulating goods as expensive (prestigious) as possible and with providing their
children higher-level material means is achieved at the expense of the care and warmth that
children need during the period of growth and internalization of social norms and values.
"Children need support from adults, to whom they show a strong attachment..."(Mitrofan,
2008, p. 282).

Physical abuse - the deliberate assault of the child by the adult in whose care he is, or by any
other person, causing injuries or poisoning the child.
Most often, physical abuse involves:

• Beatings with the hand or with an object (hose, cable, rod) applied to any part of the body

• Shaking the child

• Putting the child on his knees

• Tying the child, shaking him or hitting him with objects

• Hair and ear pulling

• Causing burns or poisoning

• Exposure to hard work that exceeds the child's physical capabilities.

Sexual abuse - training the child in an activity carried out with the intention of producing
pleasure or satisfying the needs of an adult or another child, who, by age and development, is
in a relationship of responsibility, trust or power.

Child sexual abuse can take several forms:

Sexual abuse with contact:

• with penetration – with the penis, finger or with various objects of the vagina,
mouth, anus

• molestation (without penetration) – caressing intimate areas, kissing, forcing the

child to touch the intimate parts of the abuser.

Non-contact sexual abuse:

• Voyeurism – forcing the child to expose himself naked, looking at the genitals or
other parts of the child's body (including when he takes a shower or is undressed).

• Exhibitionism – the exposure of the genitals in front of a child, including the

intentional exposure of children to the sexual acts of other people (including the acts of
parents or other persons entrusted with the care of children).
• Involvement of the child in the production of pornography – employing, using,
inducing, attracting or coercing a child to engage or assist another person in explicit or
simulated sexual behavior, for the purpose of producing a visual image of such
behavior.

• Incitement to prostitution – engaging a child in a sexual relationship, or in other

sexual activities, in exchange for a sum of money or other services (food, clothes,
medicine, affection, etc.).

• Sexual harassment – unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other
verbal conduct of a sexual nature.

CONCLUSIONS

1. The harmonious development of the child can be irreversibly disturbed by the

abuses exercised by the parents or the persons who take care of him. Abusive practices
can generate pathological learning, which permanently changes the structure of the
personality and, consequently, alters the quality of human relationships and the
conception of people and life.

2. The persistence, for a long time, of the child in a relationship with an abusive adult
can cause him to play roles inappropriate for his age and, as a result, disrupt his
progressive socialization process, appropriate to his physical and mental level.

3. If the higher needs of the young child (for knowledge, for friends, for exploration,
for beauty, for progress, etc.) are rarely or not at all satisfied by the parents, they will
disappear and will never become reasons for the actions of the adolescent and the
adult in life. Instead, the basic needs (for food, protection, health, sex), which were
satisfied accidentally or conditionally, will become dominant reasons in the life of the
child and the future adult. Finally, the needs satisfied abnormally or in unusual ways
will, under certain conditions, become unconscious motivations, which will regulate
the entire life of the person in question and those who depend on him (Klein, 2001, p.
346).
 4. Although they have rights, minors rarely appear in statistics, only when their
presence is needed to give meaning to the events in which adults are involved.

5. The problem of abuse committed by adults against children must be considered at

the same time a problem of victimology, of public health and social suffering, with
everything this entails: studies and research, coherent statistics, training of specialists,
early education programs for parents, sufficient funds, appropriate legislation, etc.

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