Abuse Sucks

Child abuse happens. There’s no way around it. Ever since the beginning of human life it’s been that way. Somewhere a child is being put down, beaten, left to fend for themselves, or raped and it could be anyone. The little kid you passed at Walmart. The child in a wheelchair that you held the door for. The teenager who bagged your groceries at the store checkout. They could all be struggling with maltreatment without you having the slightest clue. In fact a 2014 state study showed that 4–5 children die daily due to abuse or neglect. However this number could be much larger. Many other studies indicate that state agencies often undercount the cases of maltreatment by up to 50%. Either way, over 80% of these deaths were in children under the age of 5.

For those who survive neglect or abuse, a difficult life is ahead of them. A child’s brain develops according to its surroundings, so when someone is mistreated at a young age, it can often put them into a mindset that they will likely never break completely free. In fact, a 1996 study showed that 80% of 21 year olds who reported past abuse had one or more psychological disorders. Because of this, many survivors of abuse often get addicted to drugs or go to prison during their lifetime. In 1999, a survey was given to inmates in state and federal prisons and around half of the women and a tenth of the men answered that they had been abused in their past. Abuse victims often already suffer from PTSD and other disorders, but the sad truth is that a lot of abuse happens within prisons as well, which can lead to even more psychological torment for these victims. It seems that it would be hard for any child who has been abused to go on to live a happy and healthy lifestyle.

However not all forms of abuse affect people the same way and even within one form, different people are still affected differently. This is shown in the 20% of 21 year olds that reported abuse, yet did not suffer from a psychological disorder. For these people their past most likely comes out in smaller ways, like who they chose as a romantic partner or how they parent their own children. Women who have suffered from physical or emotional abuse often times chose to stay with an abusive partner. But why? Why chose to be in an abusive situation? Often times the women feel that it is their own fault. They don’t believe there to be anything wrong with the abuse because they believe it to be deserved. They may also think that all relationships are this way and that healthy relationships are more of a fairy tale than a reality. If they do believe non abusive relationships to be common, they most likely think that they could never find one and that no respectful man would love them.

Male victims of physical abuse often times go on to abuse their own spouse or children. This is typically due to a lack of ability to process anger and other emotions in a healthy fashion. Children of abuse are deprived of a healthy surrounding and are very rarely encouraged to express their emotions. They aren’t properly taught how to handle conflict. Of course, some are able to figure out healthy methods, through other adults in their life or merely intuition, but it is almost always significantly harder than if they had been raised in a loving, supportive household.

Victims of sexual abuse often times struggle with consensual sex as an adult. For these people sexual acts are often linked to their traumatic memories and it can be difficult to overcome that and feel safe in even the healthiest of relationships.

Victims of all types of abuse, whether they struggle from a psychological disorder or not, will typically experience an abundance of difficult, confusing, and even contradicting emotions. Emotions like; guilt, anger, shame, embarrassment, self blame, self pity, low-self esteem, and much more.

Well this honestly sucks. Humans are screwing up their children’s lives and there’s really no way to eliminate it. But if you can identify a victim while they’re in the bad situate then actions can be taken to help them. Children need and deserve protection. They deserve a safe place to sleep at night, a meal on their table, a loving hug when it’s needed, and never a striking hit. As a society, the rights of children are considered so important that child protection laws go far beyond the United States. The United Nations recognizes that children should be protected from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. The American government has tried to step in various ways. One way is through mandated reporters. Employees such as physical health care, mental health care, teachers, even photograph processors, and many more are all required by law to file a report if they have any suspicion of possible abuse. If you know a child who might be in an abusive children, of course, tell the authorities. Do the same if you know a women or man who might be in an abusive romantic relationship.

• Signs of physical abuse; bruises, black eyes, welts, rope marks, cuts, and a caregivers refusal to allow visitors alone with victim.
• Signs of sexual abuse; bruises around the breast or genital area, extreme withdrawal or non communication, and torn or stained underclothing.
• Signs of emotional abuse; agitation, withdrawl or non communication, unusual behavior usually attributed to dementia.
• Signs of neglect; dehydration, malnutrition, poor hygiene, and hazardous living condition.
• Signs of self-neglect; dehydration, malnutrition, poor hygiene, hazardous living condition, inadequate housing or homeless, and not taking prescribed medication.