Every single year over 3.1 million children are abused or neglected nationally ("Child Abuse: What..." n.pag). In fact, 2,000 children die annually just from child abuse and neglect (n.pag). It really is sad to think that every single day in the United States three or more children die as a result of child abuse or neglect (Kim 101). Child abuse is not only physically harmful to the child, but it also affects a child emotionally. In fact, there are four types of child abuse, emotional, physical, sexual, and neglect. According to Bruce Perry, chief of psychiatry a

As one can see child abuse is very harmful and it needs to be prevented. Parents or caretakers who abuse drugs or alcohol should be offered a comprehensive rehabilitation program that centers on substance abuse treatment, parenting skills, job training, and physical and mental health care (Grape 61). In addition, society must help relieve stress on parents by helping parents with depression so they won't take it out on their kids (Ahmann n.pag). They also need to be more aware of the different types of abuse such as shaken baby syndrome and Munchausen's by proxy syndrome. Even more, schools should require more programs that teach children how to recognize abusive behavior when it occurs and encourage them to report abusive behavior to trusted adults (n.pag). For example, there need to be programs on sexual abuse and good touch/bad

"deserve" a beating when they act "bad." They think it's normal behavior. After all, many men and women often witnessed their own parents or guardians physically attack each other or them when they were younger causing them to believe that it's ok to hit a person and that violence is the only way to deal with stress, problems, and feeling of anger. However, violence is the never the answer.

Child abuse, whatever type it may be, is damaging the world's children. However, it is not the number of victims that society needs to be more aware of, but it is the causes of child abuse because that is what needs to be stopped. In fact, one major cause of child abuse is that stable marriages are being replaced by unstable "families." According to Colin Tudge, a science writer and research fellow in the Centre for

t Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, neglect is the most common form of child abuse, accounting for 52 percent of all victims; while physical abuse accounts for 24 percent and sexual abuse only 6 percent (Grapes 39). The remaining percent is a combination of medical abuse, emotional abuse, and unidentified factors.

Another cause of abuse is poverty. Parents that live in poverty often experience high levels of stress, anxiety, frustration, and sometimes even depression because they feel that they are unable to provide for their own family. In addition, poor families tend to live in dangerous areas causing some parents to resort in physical violence or emotional abuse to control their children's behavior in an effort to keep them away from neighborhood hazards. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, "although child abuse occurs in all racial, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic groups, physical abuse and neglect are more likely among people in poverty" (27). Because of the material hardships associated with poverty, parents are just unable to provide children with the basic necessities. Even more, there are just too many teenage parents who live in poverty or are often unprepared for parenting and too immature to deal with their child's needs (27).

In addition, 80% of all prostitutes and 50% of all female drug users were sexually abused as children (n.pag). Most importantly, 33% of convicted murderers have a history of child abuse (n.pag). Child abuse needs to be stopped because it is causing children to runaway, abuse drugs and alcohol, and even fail or do poorly in school. Eventually children grow up having great difficulties holding jobs, maintaining relationships with their peers, and have a higher risk of developing mental health disorders. Neglected children, especially, struggle because more children suffer from neglect than any other abuse. On the other hand, some children appear to be "model children" because of their extreme desire to achieve perfection. However, in reality, they are full of guilt for loving their parents and they tend to take responsibility for the abuse only wanting to please their parents.

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Approximate Word count = 3608
Approximate Pages = 14 (250 words per page double spaced)