Font Size

Child Abuse (cont.)

Forms of Child Abuse

Child sexual abuse includes any activity that uses a child to create sexual gratification either in you or in others. Although the touching of children as a sign of affection and for hygiene is considered normal and necessary, there is a way to distinguish normal touching from child sexual abuse. The key is the intention by the perpetrator to be sexually aroused by the activity or the intention to create sexual arousal in others. The intent to use children in any way to create sexual arousal is illegal. This is criminal behavior that is aggressively prosecuted and severely punished by our legal system.

Child sexual abuse can include a wide variety of activities. Some are obvious acts of sexual abuse and others must be evaluated to determine if they are designed to create sexual gratification.

Activities can include any conventional adult sexual activity with a child. Also included are acts such as touching the child's genitals or fondling with the intention of arousing sexual feelings.

Child sexual abuse includes prolonged kissing, cuddling, French kissing, and excessive touching. Looking at children either with or without clothes with the intent to be sexually aroused can also be included.

Photographing, videotaping, or filming of children with the intent to create sexual stimulation is a form of child abuse as well.

Other forms of child sexual abuse include exposure of a child to erotic material in the form of either live behavior (excessive nudity), photographs, film, or video. The collection of any photographs or images of children taken by others in suggestive poses is illegal. The collection of any excessive number of photographs of naked children in any pose may draw the attention of law enforcement.

Any efforts to seduce a minor into a sexual relationship, whether the act is accomplished or not, will likewise be considered a form of child sexual abuse and will result in severe legal consequences. Inappropriate intimacy with children will also be regarded as child sexual abuse.

Most child sexual abuse will ultimately be discovered. Once discovered, the perpetrator will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Broad and flexible laws have been crafted and are aimed at preventing child sexual abuse. These laws give law enforcement personnel and prosecutors great latitude to classify and prosecute as child sexual abuse behavior that they believe is intended to produce sexual gratification.

Take care around children at all times to prevent activities that might be construed as sexual abuse. If reasonable care is taken, displays of affection or inadvertent incidents that result in exposure of a child to a sexual act or sexual material (for example, a child walking into a closed bedroom while the parents are having sex or finding an adult magazine) are not considered criminal.

To identify the physical signs of child sexual abuse, parents should know the normal appearance of the genitalia of their child so that they can identify if any changes occur. If a child complains about problems with his or her genitals, take the child to the family doctor for examination. Children in day care, children cared for by others, or children who spend time alone with other people are at risk of sexual abuse.

Changes in behavior, including discipline problems, fecal soiling, bed wetting, insomnia, nightmares, depression, or other changes in the way a child normally acts can be signs of sexual abuse. Parents should discuss the possible reasons for such changes in behaviors with professionals who are in a position to do proper evaluations of the behavioral changes and explore the possibility of child sexual abuse.

Pedophilia, a form of child sexual abuse, is an abnormal interest in children that is based on the intention by the perpetrator to be sexually aroused by children.

Someone with an erotic interest in children may collect material that showcases a child in sexual poses. The person may seek interaction with children with the intention of satisfying an erotic or sexual desire or actively seek a sexual relationship with a child. These nonsexual forms of interaction, even if well intentioned, can be construed as sexual. Adults who seek actual physical sexual relations with children are the most extreme and deviant of the pedophiles.

Using children to create erotic materials or for erotic acts with other adults is another form of child sexual abuse. In this form, the intention is not to arouse the abuser, but to arouse others. The law does not distinguish one from the other. Both are severely prosecuted.

Pedophilia, although a mental disorder, if not resisted, repressed, and treated will result in the most severe legal consequences. The law will not tolerate pedophilia. It is imperative that any person who feels sexually attracted to children immediately seek help from a qualified therapist. People who use children to create sexual arousal for others are already involved in serious criminal activity. Report any suspicions to police immediately.

Physical abuse of children is defined as excessive intentional physical injury to a child or excessive corporal punishment of a child. Torture, beatings, and assault of children are obvious forms of physical abuse.

Corporal punishment by parents is subject to evaluation and interpretation. In general, spanking with a hand and other forms of mild physical punishment that do not leave any marks are considered within the realm of parental discretion.

Punishment that leads to marks that last for more than a few minutes can be interpreted as abuse, regardless of intention. The use of any objects to strike a child (other than with your open hand) is wrong. That includes belts, paddles, sticks, or any other object. A family tradition of beatings or the fact that the parent was subjected to physical abuse is not an acceptable excuse for severe injury to a child.

Excessive physical discipline is harmful and dangerous to children. Small children can be killed by relatively minor acts of physical violence (for example, shaking, dropping, or throwing the child against hard surfaces). Any severe beating with an object, forceful shaking, submersion in hot water, intentional burning, and other forms of intentional infliction of pain are inappropriate and criminal behaviors.

Any person who has been reared in an environment of violence may be more likely to inflict violence on others. People who recognize their tendencies to get angry, out of control, or violent should seek help. They can learn anger management and child rearing techniques, and try to suppress their violent tendencies through conscious and diligent effort at all times.

Seeing others inflict physical abuse on children should prompt immediate action by the observer. People who are physically violent generally demonstrate violence again—at escalating levels. Early intervention is the best strategy to avoid lifelong consequences.

Child neglect in any form, when it concerns a child’s welfare, is generally considered to be criminal behavior. Child neglect is considered as a possible diagnosis for children who are poorly cared for, not fed properly, improperly clothed, denied basic necessities, denied proper medical care, or treated with indifference to a degree that appears to cause damage or suffering.

Parents, caregivers, and guardians of children must seek help from medical and social services in situations in which children have less-than-adequate care. Children can develop long-term medical and developmental problems from such neglect.

Failure to continue to get help for a child who is not doing well or who is improperly cared for may be interpreted as another form of neglect. This can result in criminal action or action by child protective services that may result in children being removed from the home and placed in foster care.

This effort to seek help often falls on agencies that are fundamentally incapable of providing help due to lack of money and resources. Many social service agencies have been progressively more handicapped by government policies that reflect less empathy for struggling parents. This can be frustrating and exasperating. These feelings can lead to giving up efforts to get help. This sense of futility must be overcome and continued efforts expended either through repeated requests or by seeking out other people who may be able to help (family and friends). Trying to get help is looked on in a positive way by authorities even if the agencies and people you ask are unable to help you.

Emotional neglect is a condition in which children do not get adequate attention from their parents or guardians.

With mild forms of emotional neglect, children can develop rebellious behaviors or become alienated from their parents.

In more severe cases of emotional neglect, especially with babies or very young children, neglect can result in very abnormal behaviors, such as these:
- Listlessness
- Profound detachment from the parents
- Poor bonding with other people
- Poor interactive skills with other children or at times inappropriate attachment to anyone who will pay attention to them
These abnormal behaviors in young children continue as they get older and can transform into other personality or mental disorders that can be difficult, if not impossible to treat.

Parents who feel their relationship to their children is causing problems, is stressful, or not working well should consider the following questions:
- Are you spending time with your children in recreational or learning activities in which they are the focus of your attention?
- Do you show your children love and affection?
- Do you feel out of control of your children or detached from them and their activities?
- Do you have excessive behavioral problems with your children?
- Are you supervising their time during which you are caring for them or letting them be on their own and unsupervised?
- Is there excessive yelling, anger, or punishment?
- Do you yourself exhibit bad behaviors in front of your children that disregard the children such as drug use, profanity, physical violence, bigotry, or ignoring the child's feelings and concerns?

Parents who recognize any of these problems can avoid the consequences of emotional neglect through parental training courses, reading, and effort. Seeking a little help can achieve big results. Children are very responsive to any positive effort put forth by a parent to improve the parent-child relationship, especially when children are young. Children need to be shown that they are cared about and that you are aware of their need to be loved as they grow up.

Failure to thrive is a condition in which children fail physically to develop to their normal full genetic potential. It is caused, most commonly, by medical conditions that can result in children not growing as expected. At times, though, it can be caused by intentional or unintentional behavior on the part of the parent.

The diagnosis is made when a doctor compares the growth of a child on standard growth charts and looks for changes in the rate of growth of a child. These measurements are usually taken during well-child visits to the family doctor.

Any decrease in the rate of growth of a child with respect to weight, height, or head size will raise concern and force the doctor to consider the diagnosis of failure to thrive. The doctor begins to seek a reason for the decrease in the rate of growth and tries to make sure that there is no intentional behavior by the parents responsible for the child's slow growth.

Medical conditions that affect growth are generally tested. If no other explanation for the abnormal growth is present, parents will be suspected of intentional abuse. This could include these behaviors:
- Denying the child food
- Feeding the child the wrong foods
- Emotional neglect
- Allowing a child to remain ill (not seeking medical care)
Once failure to thrive is considered, parents must comply with their doctor’s recommendations regarding testing and any other investigation into the child’s failure to thrive. If not, the doctor's suspicion may increase that the parent is contributing to or causing the condition.

Although some children are destined to be small, they generally grow at a predictable rate. If a child is eating adequately and consuming an adequate number of calories and generally appears happy and healthy, regardless of size, there is little reason to worry.

Munchausen by proxy syndrome is a serious psychiatric disorder of parents or guardians of children. The parent or guardian referred to as the perpetrator manufactures, intentionally or unintentionally, signs and symptoms of disease in the child they are caring for. They do this, not for the good of the child, but generally to satisfy their own abnormal need. By literally making the child sick, the caregiver has excessive contact with doctors and hospitals. Children undergo unnecessary testing and treatment for diseases that they do not have.

This condition is difficult for doctors to identify. It is easier for other family members or friends to sense an excessive amount of medical activity surrounding an apparently healthy child being orchestrated by the offending parent or guardian. If you suspect this is happening in another family, you should inquire of the parent or guardian and listen to what they say and see if your concerns are resolved. If not, notify the authorities. If the behavior is in your own family, you can discuss this with the family member and the family physician. Once the concern is in the open, determining if the condition actually exists and determining its treatment are much easier.

Parents can ask themselves these questions with respect to seeking medical attention for their children:
- Are you overly concerned about the health of your children?
- Do you remain concerned about minor problems that you have been told not to worry about?
- Do you find yourself obsessing over possible medical problems that might affect your children?
- Have you ever done an intentional act to make a child appear ill?
- Do you have any motivation or will you derive any benefit if you make your child appear ill?
Parents who see this behavior in themselves should stop the medical attention-seeking behavior and seek psychiatric help as soon as possible.