5 Things You Can Do To Prevent Child Abuse
Child abuse is when a child is deliberately harmed or mistreated by an adult or another child. When people think of child abuse, they only see the physical aspect of it. However, child abuse is beyond physical maltreatment; it can be emotional in the form of verbal abuse, neglect, rejection, educational neglect. Each abuse in this category is as important as the next, and no child should be made to go through these.
If you have found yourself thinking about the dangers of child abuse and how to prevent these things, then this is for you. Child abuse is a menace to society and the growth of every child. Collectively, we can make an effort to prevent these things from happening.
Every child who has gone through any form of this abuse usually carries lasting wounds. As a concerned individual, here are a few ways to prevent these things from happening:
Be Thoughtful
Children are fragile creatures with emotions and feelings. As parents, teachers, or guardians, it is important we treat them as such. Whenever they have wronged you, discipline your children thoughtfully. Never punish your child when you’re upset because it could lead to overdoing it. Discipline is meant to regain control as a guardian and teach your child the right thing, not traumatize them for life.
It is important to know that discipline is a defining element in parenting or raising a child as teachers or guardians. However, understanding the right method is also fundamental in raising such a child to become a happy and honest adult.
No matter how harmless it might seem to swat or spank a child when upset, this behavior is harmful and just shows children it is okay to be bullied by an older person. It makes them more vulnerable and prone to bullying outside the family setting. Learn the major difference between punishment and discipline, then act accordingly. You can not inspire good behavior in a kid by hitting them at the slightest chance.
Educate Yourself And Others
Although the entire concept of abuse might seem like a wide topic and extremely obvious in meaning, you would be surprised at how only a few people understand the entirety of it. For so many years, people have centered their attention on the physical aspect of abuse. While this is great, it is still a big shortcoming because the other important aspects are prevalent and almost overlooked in every community.
Emotional abuse on children is just as important as physical because it affects children in the same traumatic way. You must educate yourself on this to teach others about the dangers it subjects the young generation to. As parents or teachers, you can organize adult conferences to teach other adults how to prevent child abuse.
You can sponsor talk shows, and read out technical essays on child abuse that addresses these main points, and explain that children suffer emotional trauma as hardly as physical traumas. No kid deserves to be condemned, neglected, or deprived.
Be A Nurturing Parent
Your attitude to your children would determine how reliable they see you and how easy it would be for them to tell you secrets. Sometimes, your kid gets abused in school. These days, abuse comes with many threats as a means of silencing and putting fear into that child. When the kid gets home, they are too scared and exhausted to report the case to you.
This leads to the beginning of the end of the relationships between parents and child. The child starts to bottle up this abuse and bullying because they feel their parents would not understand or care.
Firstly, as guardians, you want to make sure you create a safe and secure environment where your children can thrive and be confident without outside influences. Care deeply for your child by being actively involved in their general lives, asking questions about each day at school, and by never hitting them.
When you create this safe space filled with love, you encourage good relationships between you and your children. This would help your child regain confidence and feel safe knowing they can tell you anything. This is one of the most functional prevention strategies.
Report Abuse
Today’s community is plagued with so many issues that it might be a little difficult to keep track of. These problems are everywhere, in our faces every day. We listen to songs revealing social issues; we see the news talking about it and even read controversial articles spelling this out. As a concerned individual, anywhere you realize a horrible situation happening, be quick to report it, especially if it’s abuse on little children.
Some people overlook emotional or sexual abuse or try to water it down with so many excuses so it would not appear entirely harmful. Why? They do this because the person in question is a family member, a friend, or an important person in the community.
Some people are scared to report important personnel or call them out on this because they fear for their safety, but thankfully there are now several ways of reporting without jeopardizing your identity or safety. You can also walk into your local police station and make a report while opting to remain fully anonymous. You will be maintaining your safety while also taking measures to prevent child manipulation.
Support Prevention Programs
Prevention strategies are important to put a stop to this prevalent issue. There are so many intervention programs already available, but prevention strategies are a lot better. Intervention occurs when the act has taken place, but abuse prevention is set up to make sure it does not happen in the first place. These includes:
- Parent education classes
- Family support programs
- Home visiting/ mentoring programs
- Respite care for families with disabled children
Conclusion
Little drops of water can make a mighty ocean. Your effort might seem small compared to the bigger scheme of things, but if everyone makes this small effort, it will result in a tangible, forward process that would better our kids’ lives. Abuse is a prevalent issue that inflicts deep pain and happens almost every day. Fortunately, with the help of each other, we can put an end to it.
