My Focus, Thesis, and Plan of Development

Focus:
- I'm going to be researching different cultures and their standards for what is considered abuse
- Different examples of what they do/did and their reasons

Thesis:
The USA and China have a different understanding of what constitutes physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect in children.

Plan Of Development:
Introduction: 
Almost 62% of abuse victims in China are females.
The USA and China have a different understanding of what constitutes physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect in children.
Point 1: 
Neglect is the most common form of child maltreatment in the United States as well as China.
Point 2:
Females in China are often sold as prostitutes in their teen years.
Point 3:
Chinese mothers often stick pins in their daughters heads as infants, it is the most common way these mothers kill them or injure them when they are 1-3 months old.
Conclusion:
Different cultures have different rules about what is considered acceptable parenting practices.

What my research told me!

China:
- In the Chinese culture families favor having sons instead of daughters because they believe the son will be stronger, smarter, and benefit the household more
- Due to the 1 child per family law in China, daughters born in China face a life full of discrimination, poverty, starvation, and desperation
- Mothers are so desperate to have sons that when they do have a daughter they usually kill them right after birth or when they are a couple days old
- The most common method of killing/injuring the children are sticking pins/needles in their heads or parts of their body when they are first born because it causes the bone in their skull to grow around the pin; it also creates problems for them when they get older
- Physical abuse is very common with children in China.
- Almost 62% of abuse victims in China are female.
- These victims face:
       * abandonment
       * neglect
       * prostitution
- Due to the obvious favor with boys in China females are often not wanted in the household, so they are often sold for slave labor/prostitution
- Different cultures have different rules about what is considered acceptable parenting practices
- Government abuse; the government in China controls everything its citizens partake in

USA:
- Although children in the US (especially females) have a lot more rights and freedoms than children in China they are still subject to abuse
- Physical abuse usually occurs around parents who do not have enough money, addicted to alcohol/drugs
- When faced with different types of abuse victims have different outcomes/personalities than they would have if they were not abused:
        * trust issues
        * behavioral issues
        * psychological issues
- Neglect is the most common form of child maltreatment in the US
- According to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) of the approximately 899,000 children in the US who were victims of abuse, 62.8% of them suffered from neglect alone (including medical neglect)

What I still need to know...

-what citizens/children in China consider child abuse
-what citizens/children in USA consider child abuse
-differences in the laws against this abuse for both countries
-examples of what its done to some households/families in both countries
-what organizations are created for this abuse and hwo do they help (and if they actually do) in both countries

Essay 2-What I know already

-average types of abuse in the US; neglect, physical, emotional, favoritism, sexual...
-the main three are sexual, emotional, and physical
-life for children in china is a lot tougher than children in America
-children in America have more rights and freedoms
-the government runs EVERYTHING in China

Essay 1- Revised Draft

Olivia Stinson

Professor Kerr

EN101-23

September 13, 2011

CHILD ABUSE

A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds. Almost five children die every day from child abuse, and approximately eighty percent are under the age of four. In the year of 2006, more than 1.25 million children were abused in the United States. More then half of the kids were victims of neglect (when their guardians fail to properly provide for them). Another fourty-four percent were victims to the three main types of abuse, sexual (135,000), emotional (148,500), and physical (325,000). Child abuse cannot only leave children with horrible bruises and broken bones, but can emotionally scar a child for life. Child abuse has many different forms, however sexual, physical, and emotional abuse are the three that effect victims the most.

Sexual abuse is the most damaging abuse to children. Sexual abuse includes sexual intercourse/offenses that involve sexually touching a child, fondling, etc. as well as non-touching offenses and sexual exploitation such as exposing children to pornographic material, deliberately exposing a child to the act of sexual intercourse, etc. Most of the time there are no external signs of physical abuse. Sexual abuse causes victims to have many problems later on in life, not only do they develop social, psychological, and behavioral issues but they also grow apart from family and friends, they have unusual aggressiveness toward things they would have been fine with before becoming a victim, and they also develop delinquency/conduct problems.

Emotional abuse brain washes their victims into thinking that they have no self-worth or importance to the world around them. Emotional abuse is when the perpetrator subjugates another human being through the use of fear, humiliation, guilt, manipulation, intimidation, the list could go on and on. It also includes anything from verbal abuse and constant criticism to more subtle tactics such as repeated disapproval or the refusal to ever be pleased with anything the child does. Emotional abuse creates scars that last a lot longer than physical ones. The scars the perpetrators leave from this abuse cannot be fixed with medicine, or band aids. These victims number one fear is being left alone. What usually happens is these victims become so convinced that they’re worthless and no one would want them that they stay with their abuser willingly because they believe no one else wants, and they have nowhere else to go.

Physical abuse is the most visible form of child maltreatment. Physical child abuse is commonly labeled as non-accidental physical injury caused by punching, kicking, etc. or otherwise harming a child. Children who are physically abused usually have problems communicating with other children or adults, has a low frustration level, becomes upset easily, or is too tolerant of certain situations, and doesn’t show emotion when hurt in normal circumstances. The age at which the abuse takes place influences the impact of the damage as

well. For example, infants who are physically abused are more likely to experience long term physical effects and neurological alterations such as lethargy, tremors, vomiting, etc. It can also be a little bit tricky determining if a child has signs of physical abuse or just hurt them selves while enjoying a day at the playground. However, some ways you can tell is if the explanation on how they got the injury does not fit the actual injury or if it repeatedly happens for a long period of time.

People need to become more aware of how badly child abuse can affect its victims. This paper explains very little about only three types of child abuse. There are so much more we don’t know about victim’s situations and how serious a problem it is. There are so many types of abuse, and only a small part actually deals with children. For example, Domestic Violence, which is defined as a behavior in any relationship that is used to gain or maintain power/control over an intimate partner. As well as Cyber Bullying, which involves the use, information, and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group that is intended to harm others. Overall, more citizens should get involved with organizations that prevent child abuse and help victims recover, especially those who have gone thorough physical, emotional, and sexual torment. 

Works Cited:
Domestic Violence
http://www.thehotline.org/get-educated/what-is-domestic-violence/

Physical Abuse

http://www.americanhumane.org/children/stop-child-abuse/fact-sheets/child-physical-abuse.html

-          Emotional Abuse

http://emotionalchildabuse.net/

Sexual Abuse

http://www.americanhumane.org/children/stop-child-abuse/fact-sheets/child-sexual-abuse.html

Sexual Abuse; American Academy Of Child And Adolescent Psychiatry

http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/child_sexual_abuse

Statistics

http://www.childhelp.org/pages/statistics

Essay 1-First Draft

Olivia Stinson

Professor Kerr

EN101-23

September 10, 2011

CHILD ABUSE

            In the year of 2006, more than 1.25 million children were abused in the United States. 

Child abuse cannot only leave children with horrible bruises and broken bones, but can 

emotionally scar a child for life. Child abuse has many different forms, however sexual, physical, 

and emotional abuse are the three that effect victims the most.

           Sexual abuse is the most damaging abuse to children. Sexual abuse includes sexual 

intercourse/offenses that involve sexually touching a child, fondling, etc. as well as non-

touching offenses and sexual exploitation such as exposing children to pornographic material, 

deliberately exposing a child to the act of sexual intercourse, etc. Most of the time there are no 

external signs of physical abuse. Sexual abuse causes victims to have many problems later on 

in life, not only do they develop social, psychological, and behavioral issues but they also grow 

apart from family and friends, they have unusual aggressiveness toward things they would have 

been fine with before becoming a victim, and they also develop delinquency/conduct problems.

           Emotional abuse brain washes their victims into thinking that they have no self-worth or 

importance to the world around them. Emotional abuse is when the perpetrator subjugates 

another human being through the use of fear, humiliation, guilt, manipulation, intimidation, the 

list could go on and on. It also includes anything from verbal abuse and constant criticism to 

more subtle tactics such as repeated disapproval or the refusal to ever be pleased with anything 

the child does. Emotional abuse creates scars that last a lot longer than physical ones. The 

scars the perpetrators leave from this abuse cannot be fixed with medicine, or band-aids. These 

victims number one fear is being left alone. What usually happens is these victims become so 

convinced that they’re worthless and no one would want them that they stay with their abuser 

willingly because they believe no one else wants, and they have nowhere else to go.

            Physical abuse is the most visible form of child maltreatment. Physical child abuse is 

commonly labeled as non-accidental physical injury caused by punching, kicking, etc. or 

otherwise harming a child. Children who are physically abused usually have problems 

communicating with other children or adults, has a low frustration level, becomes upset easily, 

or is too tolerant of certain situations, and doesn’t show emotion when hurt in normal 

circumstances. The age at which the abuse takes place influences the impact of the damage as 

well. For example, infants who are physically abused are more likely to experience long term 

physical effects and neurological alterations such as lethargy, tremors, vomiting, etc.

            People need to become more aware of how badly child abuse can affect its victims. I 

have explained very little about only three types of child abuse. There is so much more we don’t 

know about victim’s situations and how serious a problem it is. There are so many types of 

abuse, and only a small part actually deals with children. For example, Domestic Violence, 

which is defined as a behavior in any relationship that is used to gain or maintain power/control 

over an intimate partner. As well as Favoritism, which is when a parent (or both) show special 

favor to one child but not the other. Overall, more citizens should get involved with organizations 

that prevent child abuse and help victims recover.

WORKS CITED

-       Domestic Violence

http://www.thehotline.org/get-educated/what-is-domestic-violence/

-       Physical Abuse

http://www.americanhumane.org/children/stop-child-abuse/fact-sheets/child-physical-abuse.html

-       Emotional Abuse

http://emotionalchildabuse.net/

-       Sexual Abuse

http://www.americanhumane.org/children/stop-child-abuse/fact-sheets/child-sexual-abuse.html

Sexual Abuse; American Academy Of Child And Adolescent Psychiatry

http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/child_sexual_abuse

-       Statistics

http://www.childhelp.org/pages/statistics

My Topic, Thesis, and Plan of Development :D

Well durrr I'm going to be writing about child abuse but I'll just be organizing my information here for you guys :)

Thesis: Child abuse has so many different forms however sexual, physical, and emotional abuse are the ones that effect people the most.


Introduction: In the year of 2006, more than 1.25 million children were abused in the United States.
Paragraph 1: Sexual abuse is the most damaging abuse to children.
Paragraph 2: Emotional abuse brain washes victims into thinking they have no self-worth or importance.
Paragraph 3: Physical abuse is the most visible form of child maltreatment.
Conclusion: People need to become more aware of how badly child abuse can effect its victims.

What my research told me!

Child abuse--> is broadly defined as any type of cruelty inflicted upon a child, including mental abuse, physical harm, neglect, and sexual abuse/exploitation. 

The three main parts of my paper will be about the 3 main types of abuse: sexual, emotional, and physical. They will be identified, explained, and have examples. 

SEXUAL ABUSE:

-the most harmful/damaging abuse to children

-includes sexual intercourse/offenses that involve sexually touching a child, fondling, etc. as well as non-touching offenses and sexual exploitation such as exposing children to pornographic material, deliberatly exposing a child to the act of sexual intercourse, etc. 

-more than 90% of juvenile sexual abuse victims KNOW their perpetrator in some way

-sexually abused children may also develop delinquency/conduct problems, unusual aggressiveness,  suicidal behavior, depression/withdraw from family, and friends, etc. 

-most of the time there are no external signs of sexual abuse

-adopt many social/behavioral/psychological issues

EMOTIONAL ABUSE:

-brain washes their victims so that the victim has no self-confidence, sense of self-worth, or trust in themselves

-creates scars that last a lot longer than physical ones

-subjugates another human being through the use of fear, humiliation, guilt, intimidation, manipulation, etc. 

-includes anything from verbal abuse and constant criticism to more subtle tactics such as repeated disapproval or the refusal to ever be pleased

-number one fear is being left alone; these victims can become so convinced that they're worthless and no one would want them that they will stay with their abuser because they believe they have nowhere else to go

PHYSICAL ABUSE:

-non-accidental physical injury caused by punching, beating, kicking, etc. or otherwise harming a child

-most visible from of child maltreatment

-child will usually have problems communicating/connecting with other children

-signs: *afraid to go home

          *seems frightened of parents/other adults

          *unusually wary of physical contact with adults, or is overly friendly (not aware of social              

               boundaries)

          *has low frustration level, becomes upset easily or is far too tolerant/patient

          *does not show emotion when hurt

-the age at which the abuse takes place influences the impact of the damage, for example, infants who are physically abused are more likely to experience long-term physical effects and neurological alterations such as lethargy, tremors, vomiting, etc. 

What I still need to know...

-statistics on how many children live in abusive homes, how many children have run away in the past year due to not being able to stand their way of life, etc.
-what it does to a child's self esteem, confidence, personality (changes), emotional state, fears, behavioral issues, social skills, etc.
-speak with a person who suffered from abuse (learn new information)

What I already know :)

Child Abuse:

-it has many different forms (sexual, neglect, emotional, favoritism, etc.)

-it can still effect the child many years after its ended or stopped

-it can cause people to have unnatural thoughts or become suicidal

-parent to child relationships are permanently damaged by abuse

-kids can have many psychological consequences from abusive homes/other environments 

Sources!

- http://helpguide.org/mental/child_abuse_physical_emotional_sexual_neglect.htm
This is a reliable source because not only does it have a number of people helping/working with cases it gives information on the founders of the website (Robert Segal; M.A, Executive Director and Co-Publisher and Jeanna Segal; Ph.D, Editorial Director and Co-Publisher). Jeanna Segal is a sociologist, psycologist, and author. She has explored the relationship between emotional intelligence and physical and mental health. Robert Segal holds a master's degree in educational psycology and is an active long time member of the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Monica.

- http://www.medicinenet.com/child_abuse/article.htm
This is not a reliable source because when looking up the author's information (Dr. John Mersch) he recieved his Bachelor for the Arts and he specializes in sports medicine. As well as the fact that the website is mainly full of his opinions on medicine people should take for abuse and not actual facts and information ON the abuse itself.