<div>In this world of politics, drugs, and crime, this particular crime has reached epidemic proportions. The victims range from two weeks to eighteen years of age. The perpetrators are most often a parent, caregiver, teacher, relative or even a clergyman. The perpetrators are from all lifestyles and various stages of the social classes. There is no way to identify this person just by looks alone. The crime… CHILD ABUSE. <br />
The United States government defines child abuse as "physical injury that is non-accidental or neglect that is an imminent risk to a child. Child being defined as a person under the age of eighteen." <br />
Public awareness of child abuse has actually grown since the 1960’s, however, it is still not fully aware of exactly what is child abuse… of course neither is the government. <br />
In the 1960’s, most of the actual cases reported were neglect cases, more than actual physical abuse. <br />
There are various types of child abuse and few that many people are not aware of that exist. <br />
The "battered child" , where physical abuse is the issue is where beatings occur, whether it would be from hands, feet or a household item, has been on the upswing of reports. The various agencies have stated that the beatings have been multiplying over the past twenty-five years. <br />
Physical neglect, which also falls into the category of physical abuse, involves the actual care and health of the child and of their home environment. Whether or not there is food in the refrigerator or clean clothes, or even how their pets are taken care of. In the early 1960’s, the reports that people were turning into the carious children’s services were more along the neglect category than any other. It may have been due to the Dawning of the Sexual revolution, where children were having children and not ready for the responsibility of caring for them. <br />
One Such case, involved a three year old toddler, that was found in a closet covered with feces and had a sever case of rickets. A childhood disease, where the bones are softened due to lack of vitamin D. The child was taken from the mother and the mother was charged with neglect of this toddler. <br />
Educational neglect is third on the popularity charts of abuse. It speaks for itself. The Child’s parents don’t show any interest in the child’s education and do not enforce the fact that the child must be in school until that child is in twelfth grade or eighteen. <br />
Emotional abuse preys on the child’s feelings on how he or she feels about not only himself or herself but also about life itself and their parents or any near person to them. Always seeing their parents fight or arguing in front of the child, or putting the child down are forms of abuse Never praising the child is also a form of abuse.</div>
<div>The public must be made aware of this growing problem of child abuse and what it actually is. The statistics surrounding child abuse and what can or can’t be done about it must also be made readily available to the public. The first project is making the public aware of this crime. These children, in most cases are too young to testify against the perpetrators in most cases or they do not want to betray the person they trusted, even though they themselves were betrayed. Child abuse is ranked among one of the leading causes of children’s deaths. In 1960’s statistics show that reported cases reached 60,000 and in 1970, it showed a rise of over 500%, not including the unknown cases due to people not wanting to get involved or start a family feud. <br />
PREVENTION MUST START AT HOME.</div>