Date: 2016-02-19
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) was adopted in New York City in 1989 in the presence of representatives of 140 nations, with 20 articles regarding children’s rights ratified. UNCRC is regarded as the human rights treaty by which the civic, economic, political, social, health, educational, and cultural rights of children have been set out. According to the UNCRC, a child is regarded as any human being under the age of 18.
Children are suffering from various difficulties at present. Children are not safe. They are unsafe at home, unsafe in school, unsafe in the community, and ultimately, they are unsafe in the whole nation. Children are normally treated as greenhorns at home, in school, and in the community. Children are not safe in his/her mother’s wombs. Many children are being aborted day by day before they see the beautiful world. Child abuse has negative consequences; such harmful activity of human beings affects the family, society, whole nations, and the whole world. That’s why children are vulnerable. Children have been abused, exploited, trafficked, and sold within a community, within and outside the country. Children are being abused knowingly and unknowingly. The effects of abuse are too unfavorable. A report on child abuse shows that child abuse happens every 10 seconds in the world. Child abuse disturbs their pattern of holistic development.
There are various types of child abuse, and some of them can be discussed in the following ways:
- Physical Abuse
Physical abuse is deliberately hurting a child, which can be understood as a non-accidental trauma caused by beating, punching, kicking, slapping, biting, burning, poisoning, etc. Physical abuse is the most visible form of child maltreatment. Physical abuse happens knowingly by elders, teachers, seniors, parents, etc. Sometimes, physical abuse may occur because of inappropriate or excessive physical discipline.
- Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse is one of the most dangerous forms of abuse. Children suffer greatly from this form of abuse. Seeing a child with sexual intent, touching any emotional part, forcing a child to have sexual intercourse, sexual blackmailing, letting him/her see pornography or sex-related photos or videos, letting him/her read sex-related stories, etc., are forms of sexual abuse. Sexual abuse can happen in school, at home, in church, or anywhere. If a child has suffered from this abuse, that child does not want to have further relationships with that abuser. It causes emotional trauma. He/she doesn’t want to go to school, fails in exams or is behind in studies, is isolated from a friend group, lacks interpersonal skills, or has less communication, etc.
- Emotional Abuse
Children should be nourished in a child-friendly environment or space. If there is violence, quarreling, or severe violence between parents or adults, the child is directly maltreated or emotionally traumatized. Children are accused using extremely negative language or diction, like idiot, nonsense, donkey, etc., which causes emotional harm to a child. Emotional abuse can happen because of parents, brothers and sisters, teachers, senior friends, etc. It may cause weight loss or poor weight gain, low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, depression, anxiety, backwardness in studies, aggressiveness, cowardice, vague physical complaints, rebellion, suicide attempt, shyness, laziness, confusion, defiant behavior, etc.
- Child Neglect
Not taking care of the child in proper ways, not feeding in time, not dressing properly, not providing access to medical treatment, not providing proper care, leaving the child for a long time, not listening to them, not talking to them, not sharing, etc., are forms of this abuse which may cause emotional abuse.
- Spiritual Abuse
Spiritual abuse is another form of child abuse. Children should not be forced to do something in part of discipline or in the name of discipline. Some children are forced to attend Hindu temples, Christian churches, Buddhist temples, and mosques, which is not good and is a form of spiritual abuse. A child should be left as a free human being. If he/she does not want to participate in spiritual activities, it’s okay. No forcing him/her; otherwise, it will be child abuse. As a result, a negative outcome exists instead of a positive one.