제 14 호 Everything about Child Abuse
KICKER: SOCIETY (CHILD ABUSE)
Everything about Child Abuse
by Yeong-Jin Choi, Editor
When we turn on the television, we see the keyword, child abuse, a lot. What images come to mind when you first hear the term, child abuse? Child Abuse not only includes the concept of physical violence, but also mental violence. However, it is easy to overlook the fact that mean words from parents, teachers, or acquaintances to children can also be abuse. Therefore, in this article, I would like to illustrate what exactly is child abuse, some tragic child abuse precedents, how we should react when child abuse happens near us, and to deeply encounter the topic of child abuse both socially and physiologically. To add, I would briefly seek out, compare, and contrast of the related laws of child abuse in Korea and foreign countries.
Notorious* Child Abuse Cases in Korea
Are you familiar with the name “Jung-in”? In October 2020, a 16-month-old girl named Jung-in died of severe internal bleeding due to her own adoptive mother, who had taken her home as a healthy and cheerful baby. However, the autopsy* results showed that Jung-in suffered with multiple bond fractures* and bruises. Autopsy also told that she had a malnourished body. Almost every time we turn on the television, we face child abuse cases a lot. That does not mean that the lawmakers, bureaucrats*, and ordinary citizens are neglecting* how serious issue child abuse is, but it seems that their efforts have not yet reached the surface to be recognized.
The Photo of Jung-in, https://www.wikitree.co.kr/articles/610877
There are other notorious cases of child abuse in Korea like “suitcase stepmom” who put her eight-year-old stepson into a suitcase for the fault of lying, which later led him to die from cardiac arrest* caused by the prolonged confinement*. Min-young, who was a two-year-old orphan died after falling into a months-long coma because her adoptive dad hit her repeatedly in the head. Ha-im, nine, was killed after being left in the care of her aunt, who fed her faeces* and tortured her by tying her up and submerging her in a bathtub, claiming that her niece was possessed. Seo-yeon, a 20-month-old, was beaten and raped by her stepdad, who then killed her and hid her body in an icebox in his bathroom until authorities discovered her three weeks later.
*Notorious: Famous for something bad
*Autopsy: The cutting open and examination of a dead body in order to discover the cause of death
*Bureaucrat: Someone working in a bureaucracy
*Neglect: To not give enough care or attention to people or things that are your responsibility
*Cardiac Arrest: A condition in which the heart stops beating
*Confinement: The situation in which a person or animal is kept somewhere, usually by force
*Faeces: The solid waste passed out of the body of a human or animal through the bowels
Definition of Child Abuse and Neglect
Authorities define child abuse and neglect as any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caregiver that results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation, or an act or failure to act that presents an imminent* risk of serious harm. America is one of the countries which takes a lot of care to prevent child abuse. They consider that neglect is one kind of a child abuse, which is an action that is defined as the failure of a parent or other person with responsibility for the child to provide needed food, clothing, shelter, medical care, or supervision to the degree that the child’s health, safety, and well-being are threatened with harm. Surprisingly, Korea’s definition on child abuse range does not differ a lot. So, if the rules and statutes* are well established, why do the cases of child abuse not decrease any less but only increase by manifold*?
*Imminent: Coming or likely to happen very soon
*Statute: A law that has been formally approved and written down
*Manifold: Many and of several different types
Reasons Why Child Abuse Happens
Experts say that the reason why child abuse continues to happen is because of an individuals’ mental issues, their experience of past abuse, drug addiction, unrealistic expectations on their children, impulse, and lack of knowledge of being a parent. For an issue of family, the cause of child abuse might be because of poverty and lack of a profession, lack of social support, uneven marriage relationship, domestic violence, as well as lack of attachment between parent-child relationship. For a social problem, experts point out that parents considering that their children are their own possession, accepting corporal* punishment as a part of discipline, and lack of legal protection to the abused children are the main reasons.
*Corporal: Of or relating to the body
Child Abuse Symptoms and How to React When We Encounter One
What can we do if child abuse happens near us? Neglecting child abuse case can also be a sin, and we should definitely know how to react if we encounter one. There are typical symptoms that we can doubt whether it is child abuse. If crying, screaming, or moaning continues, it can be a child abuse case. If a protector continues to describe a child’s wounds, if a child keeps wearing clothes that are unsanitary or that do not fit to the weather, if a child is late or misses class without obvious reasons, or if a child shows sexual actions that do not match with the age, we could keep an eye on the child and be ready to call the police at any time.
We should state our name and the phone number with the name of the child, the sex of the child, his/her age, and the kid’s address within the information of the child abuse suspect’s name, sex, age, and address. Also, we should be as precise as we can as to the reason why we think that the child is in danger or is suffering from serious abuse.
Hardships Abused Children Face
Researchers say that children who suffer abuse or neglect suffer from many hardships such as emotional scars, physical scars, impact on future wellbeing, and impact on families. Children feel most of the pain on the inside. Many children suffer low self-esteem and feelings of guilt even though none of it is their fault, often blaming themselves for the abuse. Children also find it difficult to have trust issues and experience loneliness and bullying. They often have felt hopelessness, hate, despair, misery, and rage, sometimes talking about feeling suicidal or wanting to do self-harm. Children who suffered with child abuse are more likely to have lower educational attainment* and suffer from drug and alcohol dependency. They can also get easily depressed from long-term physical and mental health. Not only children who suffer abuse, but also their family members. Their family can also be affected with family members anxious and unsure about how to support a child who has been abused. Research show that family members of a child who experienced child abuse find it difficult to deal with the attitudes of children, and they struggle to know how to cope*.
*Attainment: The act of achieving something
*Cope: To deal successfully with a difficult situation
Yes, it is the most important thing to nurture children with love. Yet sometimes, a simple misdeed of a parent or a guardian can lead to serious child abuse. Neglect, for example, is one kind of child abuse that guardians easily miss. However, no matter what, it is one hundred percent the guardians’ fault when it comes to child abuse, and we should understand vividly that abusing children who are undeveloped both physically and mentally is a huge crime. Of course, it is mandatory for us to clearly know how to react when child abuse happens, but I also hope that the punishment of child abuse to be reinforced to prevent further tragic child abuse before it even happens in the first place.
Sources:
https://koreaexpose.com/2021-child-abuse-korea-epidemic-jung-in/
https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/define.pdf
https://www.easylaw.go.kr/CSP/CnpClsMain.laf?csmSeq=1125&ccfNo=1&cciNo=1&cnpClsNo=1
https://www.ncrc.or.kr/ncrc/cm/cntnts/cntntsView.do?mi=1030&cntntsId=1030
http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_90253.html
