Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse can be equal to or even more damaging than physical abuse. The effects of emotional abuse are not seen like a black eye or a bruise. The physical damage will soon heal, but emotional scars may take a life time to heal. Those who have been emotionally abused may require professional help and medication just to function day to day. The scars of emotional abuse have devastated and crippled many people. It is hard to believe that words can hurt someone worse than a baseball bat but it is a reality. The best help for someone that has been emotionally abused will be found in the professional circle of Psychologist, Psychiatrists, Therapists, and trained counselors. It can take years of counseling and therapy to get to the root of emotional abuse. Some people have buried the abuse so deep internally that they will require specialized help to extract and deal with it.

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is difficult to hide, creating embarrassment and humiliation for the one being abused. Physical abuse is too common in today’s society. There is no reason for a person to inflict physical pain or torture on another person. There is legal recourse for someone that has been physically abused by someone else. Some people are embarrassed to report their abuser. This is sad because the abuser left unchecked will continue to inflict pain on other people. Because physical abuse is hard to hide it would seem that more physical abuse cases are reported than other types of abuse. The best help for physical abuse can only come after the victim decides they have had enough. Once they reach this conclusion, they will need to report the abuse. Counseling may also be required to help with the healing process associated with physical abuse.

Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse like emotional abuse is not visible. It is deplorable to think that someone responsible for the care of another person would take sexual liberties with them. There are cases in the news regularly where a live in lover will sexually exploit children while the biological parent is absent. Threats made by the sexual perpetrator will keep the youth silenced sometimes for years. It is hard, maybe impossible to imagine the pain that the abused child experiences. While it may be difficult for the victim to report the incident, they usually take comfort in knowing that the abuser will be prosecuted for his actions. It is hard to fathom that a parent will look the other way while their children are being abused, but this is a reality in the world today. Sometimes it is someone outside of the family that comes to the rescue of the sexually traumatized child. One of the most difficult steps for the victim is to find someone they can confide in. Sexual abuse is a terrible topic to bring up, this coupled with feelings of guilt, make it a huge task to speak about. It is sad that some people go through their lives carrying guilt and shame for something they had no control over.

Abuse and Neglect

Neglect is the nonviolent version of abuse. A parent or guardian may be charged with neglect for failing to properly look out for a child in their care. Neglect usually happens when the parent leaves children to tend for themselves. This can create some very dangerous situations. If young children are left to themselves to fix meals using sharp knives, hot ovens, or stovetops accidents can happen. Some parents have been charged with neglect for leaving their child unattended in a hot car in the summer time. Neglect usually happens when a parent becomes selfish and decides to do what they want, rather than what is best for the entire family. Cases of neglect are usually reported from someone outside of the family. It is sad when a single parent is trying to provide for their family and they are forced to leave children unattended to go to work. The children are still unsafe and in danger, but the parent does not know of any other options. If a single parent takes a child or children to daycare, a big share of the money they make usually goes to pay for the day care. While this can seem hopeless, leaving children unattended for long period of time should not be an option. Most people feel a moral responsibility to report someone that is leaving their children unattended. The most important factor to consider is the safety of the children. People may need to put personal feelings aside and take appropriate action when they are aware of child neglect. Bottom line is that children should not be left alone without adult supervision. If parents are not wise enough to come to this conclusion, they may need some outside input. If you are aware of children being left unattended, it would be good to speak to the parents of the children. If they are unresponsive, it may require reporting the parents to Child Protective Services.