There are four main categories of child abuse: physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. Find out more about each below, as well as the warning signs that a child may be being abused.
Physical abuse – this form of abuse shows the most outward signs. Physical abuse is also known as domestic abuse or domestic violence when it occurs within intimate relationships.
And that frequent misuse has not escaped linguists; according to the editors at Dictionary.com, “We submit that ironic might be the most abused word in the English language.” That's a tough claim to prove, but it's clear that confusion over the definition of irony is persistent, and decades old.
Physical, sexual, and emotional abuse are some of the most known types of abuse: Physical abuse is when someone hurts another person's body. It includes hitting, shaking, burning, pinching, biting, choking, throwing, beating, and other actions that cause physical injury, leave marks, or cause pain.
Six distinct stages make up the cycle of violence: the set-up, the abuse, the abuser's feelings of “guilt” and his fear of reprisal, his rationalization, his shift to non-abusive and charming behavior, and his fantasies and plans for the next time he will abuse.
Emotional abuse often coexists with other forms of abuse, and it is the most difficult to identify. Many of its potential consequences, such as learning and speech problems and delays in physical development, can also occur in children who are not being emotionally abused.
The 5 P's of child protection are: Prevention, Paramountcy, Partnership, Protection and Parental Responsibility. Make your child aware of these P's for an awkward situation they don't understand.
The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) should be notified when it's been alleged that someone who works with children has: behaved in a way which has harmed or might harm a child. possibly committed a criminal offence against a child.
Changes in behavior — such as aggression, anger, hostility or hyperactivity — or changes in school performance. Depression, anxiety or unusual fears, or a sudden loss of self-confidence. Sleep problems and nightmares. An apparent lack of supervision.
The five cycles codified—enmeshment, extreme overprotection and overindulgence, complete neglect, rage, and rejection/abandon- ment—were first published in Annals, the journal of the American Psychotherapy Association, in the Fall of 2002.
The cycle begins with some stress (ex: job, money or bills). The stress causes the abuser to feel powerless. The abuser chooses to act out toward a spouse or partner through name-calling, insults and accusations.
