Citizenship Coursework-Child Abuse Essay

   There are many organisations that try to prevent child abuse such as child line and social services. They have numbers and services available to victims so it can be stopped and dealt with. If child abuse has happened before in certain households they will be tracked by child protective service agencies which will look out for abuse and neglect in the home. Child line is the main organisation available to children and they have recently teamed up with the NSPCC organisation. Child line has counselled more then 1.5 million children and young people and the main problems were bullying, family issues and physical abuse. Most of the people that call child line are during there teens. Child line will make sure you are protected from further abuse. They will help you to report the abuse to an agency that will make sure you are safe. Reporting abuse is quite simple you don’t have to give your name so no one would know. Also if you only have a suspicion then it is unlikely that the child will be removed from their home straight away they will just be checked on by authorities.  Child line also does a lot of work supporting children by working through schools. They do a lot of fundraising such as long distance running and walking and also organising events like concerts and balls. Child abuse is very difficult to deal with if there is no evidence of it taking place. Results and signs of child abuse include

Low self-esteem, lies, resents fears and retaliates. Some children are afraid to report abuse because they fear punishment, loss of love, or family dishonour for telling a secret. Child line run check ups on parents and families to check that there is a good family relationship and that their health is good. More children die from abuse then any other single leading cause of death such as choking on food, drowning or residential fires. One of the main reasons child abuse takes place is alcohol. It is estimated that one in every four children are living in a household with an alcoholic adult. Alcoholics don’t usually have control about what they are doing and they sometimes take their stress and anger out on children. This is more common amongst younger adults e.g. teenagers.

   There are ways in which anyone can get involved to support child abuse. You can do fundraising by doing walks, runs and holding sales and open days. Local communities could set up more mother and child areas from a younger age which gives them a chance to bond with each other. Parents should be aware of the consequences of child abuse and the harms and affects on children throughout their whole lives.  Some of the harmful long term affects include depression and also suicide attempts. They will also re-experience flash backs and nightmares. Adults that have been abused at a young age may feel that this is a normal way of bringing up children. Therefore if they grow up to have children they may abuse their own children.  The only way to stop a cycle like this is to work with parents or other caregivers who seek help or who are referred for help.