Child abuse: See it, Hear it, Report It |13 June 2015

Child abuse and neglect is not just a problem for the abused/ neglected child; it is a problem that affects all of us. No situation of abuse can be addressed until a report is made.
The National Council for Children (NCC) believes that everyone in the community has a critical role to play in addressing the problem.

In training a pool of over 60 trainers over the past few weeks the council is hoping that these trainers will reach out to the different groups in the community to pass on the knowledge of how to recognise the different signs and indicators of child abuse and neglect so that reports  are made to the proper authorities.

Children are also being reached in schools and crèches with the NCC’s ‘Protective Behaviour programme’.  
“We don't know all the causes of child abuse and neglect,” a spokesperson for the council said. “But we do know that parenting is a big responsibility that at times, when combined with other life stresses, can contribute towards abuses.”

He added that common life stresses, such as a major illness or financial problems, may also provide impetus for abusive situations. When combined with a lack of knowledge of parenting, child development or child behaviour management  and  substance abuse problem, then these factors  could further impair the ability of someone to be “a good parent”.
Parenting can become overwhelming when parents have little support from family or friends, when parents are very young and are not prepared for the responsibility, or when they do not know what to do when their child misbehaves.

Often the experiences we had as children and the techniques used to raise us are the tools we use when parenting our own children. Some abusive adults were themselves mistreated as children.

But what is abuse and how can we recognise signs of abuse. Abuse occurs when a child is hurt intentionally or when a parent or caregiver does not provide the protection a child needs. Physical and sexual abuse are often the most recognisable, but neglect and emotional abuse can be just as damaging. Neglect occurs when a child’s basic needs are not met. These basic needs include the need for food, shelter, sleep, clothing, medical attention, education and protection from harm. Signs of neglect may include obvious malnourishment, poor personal hygiene and a need for dental and other medical attention. The child may also  be wandering  the streets at very odd hours .

If a parent or care-giver attacks a child’s self-worth by constantly withholding love, criticising, rejecting, teasing, bullying or ignoring, the child may be suffering emotional abuse. A child suffering emotional abuse may exhibit severe anxiety, depression, withdrawal, aggressive behaviour, self-destructive behaviour or delayed development. It must be noted that the presence of one of the above indicators  does not prove abuse, but it is important to be aware of the signs of emotional abuse. We all have an obligation to report suspected child abuse and neglect. If you see, hear, know or suspect that a child is or may be in need of protection, you can always contact social services division, the police family squad or the NCC.

Physical abuse
Physical abuse is when a child is injured or harmed by his or her caregiver, or when the caregiver fails to do something to protect the child. Injuries include bruises, cuts, welts, fractures, burns or internal injuries. Physical abuse can be one or two isolated incidents or can occur over a prolonged period of time.

Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse is any sexual exploitation of a child by a caregiver, or anyone else, and includes sexual touching, engaging in sexual activity with a child, exposing genitals to a child and incest. In addition to providing protection from sexual abuse, a child is also in need of protection when a caregiver is aware of the possibility of abuse and fails to protect the child.

A child is in need of protection in the following circumstances:

• a child has suffered or is at risk of suffering physical harm, inflicted by a caregiver or caused by the caregiver's failure to adequately care for the child;
• there is a pattern of neglect in supervising a child;
• a child has been sexually molested by a caregiver or by another person where the caregiver knows or should know of the possibility of sexual molestation and fails to protect the child;
• a child requires medical treatment and the caregiver does not provide the treatment;
• a child has suffered emotional harm resulting from the actions of the caregiver;
• a child suffers from a mental, emotional or developmental condition and the caregiver does not provide or is unable to consent to treatment;
• a child has been abandoned;
• a child's parent has died or is unable to care for the child and has not made adequate provision for the child's care;
• a child is in a residential placement and the parent refuses or is unable or unwilling to resume the child's care and custody;
• a child, who is less than twelve years old, seriously injures another person or causes serious damage to another person's property, and treatment is necessary and the caregiver does not provide or is unable to consent to treatment.

We all have an obligation to report suspected child abuse and neglect. If you know or suspect that a child is or may be in need of protection, contact the nearest Children's Aid Society without delay.

Contributed