Effects of Physical Child Abuse
Physical child abuse affects millions of children all over the world. Abusers can either be the parents, relatives, or people in the community. This type of abuse is just one of several. It includes verbal abuse and emotional abuse. Children who are victims of any type of abuse tend to grow up with the experience still etched in their minds.
Low Grades. A child who is suffering gets low grades because he is unable to concentrate on his studies and he fails to get good scores in exams because his mind is preoccupied with the things that are happening to him.
Withdrawal. If he is usually friendly with others kids and he suddenly withdraws himself from his circle of friends and is usually found alone in school, he is most probably suffering from abuse.
Depression. If the child is a jolly and happy kid and he suddenly becomes sad, depressed and is always crying, it is a sign that the trauma that he is experiencing from child abuse is taking its toll on him.
Physical Trauma. Bruises, cuts and wounds are very visible signs of abuse. If he is asked what caused the wounds and bruises, he may tell lies or not answer for fear that he will be beaten up again if he tells the truth.
Low Self Esteem. If the child walks with his head down, does not mingle with other kids or gets insecure with others, he may feel that he is not worthy because he us being beaten up and abused by someone around him.
If you know of a child who is a victim of such, do not hesitate to help the child or call the proper authorities to save the child from further abuse. Your intervention may just be the one that will save the child from the hands of the abuser.
Telltale Signs of Physical Child Abuse
This is a very serious matter and must not be taken lightly. Children who are abused suffer from the beatings and the body is not the only one affected by the abuse. The whole being of the child is changed by the trauma and pain that his abuser is causing him. There are many telltale signs to look out for in a child who is a victim of such abuse. Here are some.
Bruises, wounds and cuts. These are the most visible signs. When the child goes out of the house with bruises on his arms, face and body, he is most probably a victim of physical child abuse.
Fear of physical contact. Since a victim of child abuse gets physical contact with his abuser, whenever an adult touches him, he is fearful that he will be abused by the person as well. He fears any contact with any person who strongly resembles his abuser.
Difficulties in school activities. A drastic change in grades indicates that a child is suffering from abuse. This is especially true when the child’s grades are usually high. He is also not participative in class and other school activities. He prefers to be alone than to be with his friends and classmates.
Change in behavior. Sudden changes in behavior and attitude may mean that the child is building a tough wall around himself so that no one will suspect that he is a victim of physical child abuse.He may go from friendly to aloof, nice to rude, etc.
If the abuse is very severe and is going on for a long time, there is a chance that the child will grow up to be an abuser as well. He may think that abusing children physically, emotionally and verbally is a normal thing. Early intervention can help the child recover from his ordeal. If the child is close to you, do not hesitate to seek the help of the proper authorities so he can be saved from his abuser.
