The signs of Physical abuse on a child is when you see buckle and belt marks on the child’s body, if you do see then you must ask the child how they had it because it is not passes as a accident, sometimes maybe a sibling may have done it but they must report it to their parents straight away you must never let anything like this slip through your hands. Sometimes children will tell a member of staff a different story to another member of staff as the child cannot explain how something has happened. Another serious sign of physical abuse is when a child has a scald or burn on their body as if someone has thrown a cup of tea/coffee over the child, some abusers will even turn to cigarette and burn the child with it you will then see a small round mark on the child. When a child has bruises on the ‘soft’ areas of the body such as inner arms, thighs and buttocks this could be a possible indication that the child is being abused also if there is thumb or finger tip bruising on each side of the arm this is a sign the abuser has grabbed the child forcefully and digging their nails into the child. Alarm bells should be ringing when you see that a child comes in often with repeated bruises or injuries as it is a sign of abuse. When this happens an appropriate adult should ask the child why they have got all them bruises and injuries and then take correct action. If a child is being abused then it often affects the child’s behavior for example the child could get very aggressive around children or adults if they come towards them, they may also act more inappropriate than usual and will miss behave in class. A common sign In abuse is if the child refuses to get undressed or changed in front of an adult or others around them. There may me marks on the child’s body what an abuser may have left and the child may be scared that someone will see them and they don’t want to be asked questions because sometime the abuser will threaten the child saying do not tell anyone or they will hurt them again.
There are many different types of behavioral signs in a child due to abuse they will vary on the abuse the child is going through either physically sexually emotionally or neglect.
An indicator of sexual abuse would be the child could be feeling down and depressed, wanting to attempt suicide, run away, may be a little bit clingy, feeling unsecure, the child may have pains in their genital parts or may have itching or possibly a disease, the child could also act inappropriately towards other children.
An indicator of emotional abuse would be over active to things that the child may not be able to do, it may cause low self-esteem, they have no confidence in themselves and just thing negative all the time and the child may be losing a lot of weight.
An indicator that a child is being physically abused would be if a child may refuse to remove any clothing in front of anyone as they may have burns, scalds or bruises on their body also their behavior towards others may change aggressively.
An indicator of neglect would be where the child lacks very much in hygiene and their clothes will look dirty and scruffy they may also smell of urine. The child’s clothes may not fit them and their hair may be all dirty and unwashed, untreated medical problems, not having any social activities to do with outside school hours, the child will also be constantly tired.
There are many different signs you should look out for if a child is being abused weather it may not be anything major but it cause a problem for the child in the future, you must ensure that you keep an eye out on children at all times and if there is any signs or indicators that a child is being abused then you must always talk to a suitable adult preferably a member of staff.
There are many consequences of abuse such as the child maybe unscarred by the abuse that they have suffered, but some are able to deal with some of the things they have suffered and experienced and will move on to a more positive lifestyle. For the ones that have suffered really badly by the effect that it has caused their future will be different as they may be diagnosed with depression and may isolate themselves from others. The consequences of child abuse can both be long term and short term, it all depends on the child’s choice and their level of achievement they reach. Every child as an individual are different and some may have been more affected than others, therefore some children may take a while to forget about their past, some children will gain confidence and self esteem after telling someone about the abuse but some may be too scared to go near someone in case something bad happens to them again.
by
daniellejade94 (student)
