Physical & Emotional Abuse Support Group

I found the following information online a while ago. It was what convinced me that my father was emotionally abusive, emotionally neglecting, and slightly physically abusive as well. I tried to find it again recently, but could not. I did, however, find enough credible sites where the information was similar enough that I trust the information to be correct. So I am posting it here so that maybe others might see that unpleasant things that happened in their childhood should not have happened and they have been abused. I know that it's a relief for me to know that what I went through was not the norm. I want to give that relief to others.

-----------------------------------------------

What is physical child abuse?

Physical child abuse is an injury resulting from physical aggression. Even if the injury was not intended, the act is considered physical abuse.

The injury from physical child abuse may be the result of:
• Beating, slapping, or hitting.
• Pushing, shaking, kicking, or throwing.
• Pinching, biting, choking, or hair-pulling.
• Burning with cigarettes, scalding water, or other hot objects.
• Severe physical punishment.

Some other specific types of physical child abuse are:
• Shaken Baby Syndrome – Shaking a baby or toddler can cause serious head injuries.
• Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome - Inducing medical illness in a child or wrongly convincing others that a child is sick is both dangerous and abusive.
• Drug use during pregnancy – Drug and alcohol use during pregnancy or lactation can be harmful to your child, leading to problems such as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Hundreds of thousands of children are physically abused each year by someone close to them, and thousands of children die from the injuries. For those who survive, the emotional scars are deeper than the physical scars.

What is sexual child abuse?

Sexual abuse of a child is any sexual act between an adult and a child, including penetration, intercourse, incest, rape, oral sex, and sodomy.

Other examples include:
• Fondling – Touching or kissing a child's genitals, making a child fondle an adult's genitals.
• Violations of bodily privacy – Forcing a child to undress, spying on a child in the bathroom or bedroom.
• Exposing children to adult sexuality – Performing sexual acts in front of a child, exposing genitals, telling "dirty" stories, showing pornography to a child.
• Commercial exploitation – Sexual exploitation through child prostitution or child pornography.

Regardless of the child's behavior or reactions, it is the responsibility of the adult not to engage in sexual acts with children. Sexual abuse is never the child's fault.

Sexual child abusers can be:
• Fathers, mothers, siblings, or other relatives.
• Childcare professionals or babysitters.
• Clergy, teachers, or athletic coaches.
• Foster parents or host families of foreign-exchange students.
• Neighbors or friends.
• Strangers

What is emotional child abuse?

Emotional child abuse is any attitude, behavior, or failure to act that interferes with a child's mental health or social development. It can range from a simple verbal insult to an extreme form of punishment. Emotional abuse is almost always present when another form of abuse is found. Surprisingly, emotional abuse can have more long-lasting negative psychiatric effects than either physical abuse or sexual abuse.

Other names for emotional abuse are:
• Verbal abuse
• Mental abuse
• Psychological maltreatment or psychological abuse

Examples of Emotional Child Abuse:
• Intimidation: Yelling, screaming, threatening, frightening, or bullying.
• Belitting or shaming: Humiliating the child, name-calling, making negative comparisons to others. Telling the child he or she is “no good," "worthless," "bad," or "a mistake."
• Lack of affection and warmth: Showing little to no physical affection (such as hugs) or words of affection (praise, saying “I love you.”)
• Habitual blaming: Telling the child that everything is his or her fault.
• Ignoring or rejecting: Withdrawing attention, giving “the cold shoulder,” disregarding.
• Extreme punishment: Confinement to a closet or dark room, tying to a chair for long periods of time, or terrorizing a child.
• Exposure to violence: Witnessing violent behavior, including the physical abuse of others.
• Child exploitation: Taking advantage of a child, including child labor.
• Child abduction: The trauma of being kidnapped, including kidnapping by a parent, amounts to abuse.

Emotional child abuse can come from adults or from other children:
• Parents or caregivers
• Teachers or athletic coaches
• Siblings
• Bullies at school or elsewhere
• Middle- and high-school girls in social cliques

What is neglect?

Neglect is a very common type of child abuse. According to Child Welfare Information Gateway, more children suffer from neglect than from physical and sexual abuse combined. Yet victims are not often identified, primarily because neglect is a type of child abuse that is an act of omission — of not doing something.

Some overlap exists between the definitions of emotional abuse and emotional neglect. However, neglect is a pattern of failing to provide for a child's basic needs. A single act of neglect might not be considered child abuse, but repeated neglect is definitely child abuse. There are three basic types of neglect; physical neglect, educational neglect, and emotional neglect.

Types of Neglect:
• Physical Neglect: Failure to provide food, clothing appropriate for the weather, supervision, a home that is hygienic and safe, and/or medical care, as needed.
• Educational Neglect: Failure to enroll a school-age child in school or to provide necessary special education. This includes allowing excessive absences from school.
• Emotional Neglect: Failure to provide emotional support, love, and affection. This includes neglect of the child’s emotional needs and failure to provide psychological care, as needed.
Posted on 01/02/08, 04:01 pm