According to the National Child Abuse Hotline, a child abuse case is reported every ten seconds in the country, creating more than 3.3 million cases every year (National Child Abuse Hotline). Child abuse causes psychological scars in the children and sometimes affects the entire development process. While it is possible to counteract the effects of child abuse, it is best to prevent the abuse from happening in the first place.
Parents and guardians sometimes abuse their own children. Some cases are intentional while some cases are violations of the children’s rights. To prevent the unintentional incidences of child abuse, the parent should refrain from administrating punishment when they are too angry and make sure the child is never left unattended to, such as leaving the child in a car (National Child Abuse Hotline). To prevent abuse, especially sexual abuse, from an outside party, the parent should understand behavioral changes in their children. It is very important for the parents to know their children in an intimate level to be able to detect changes in behavior or instances where a person is too close to their children (National Child Abuse Hotline). At the same time, the parent should make sure that the child is never released to a stranger from school and that he or she knows the correct name of all body parts.
The intentional cases of child abuse are the greater concern than unintentional abuse by parents. While the parents may do their best to prevent the abuse by taking care of their children, it is inevitable that children find themselves in compromising situations (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services). For this reason, the law should take measures to prevent the incidence of child abuse, such as strict punishments for offenders and protection of children’s rights. Even where the law has the proper guidelines, application of effort by the community as a collective entity is necessary to ensure the good welfare of children.
Child abuse is a very serious problem in the US society, especially the sexual form. Its prevalence in the country, every ten seconds, shows a deep need for preventing the deep trauma that sometimes results from child abuse. Therefore, the government and the parents need to take the necessary measures to ensure the mental health of children from an early age.
- National Child Abuse Hotline. “Child Abuse Prevention.” Childhelp. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. “Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect.” – Child Welfare Information Gateway. Web. 1 Nov. 2015.
