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Child Abuse

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Child Abuse
Different kinds of child abuse.
2.1. Physical abuse
Physical abuse is the most recognised type of abuse, because the consequences, like broken bones, burns, bites, bruises and brain damages are often visible.
But many injuries look like the result of everyday accidents and abusers use this fact to avoid suspicion.
To decide if an injury is the result of physical abuse or not, you have to think of some factors:
- Is this the first time the child has suffered from this injury?
- Is the explanation of the parents how the injury happened possible or not?
- Was the child brought straight to hospital or was there a delay?
In general a small amount of physical punishment is considered as normal. Many parents smack their children, when they are naughty. This shows their helplessness. They don 't know how to treat their children. Instead of talking or explaining parents often lose their temper and become aggressive. But isn 't this sort of punishment a kind of abuse either? Where should we draw the line between punishment and abuse?
Besides physical punishment doesn 't produce better-behaved children. Parents have to set limits to change their behaviour. With smacking they only tell their children what they have done wrong but not what thy should make better.

2.2. Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse is now considered to be the most harmful type of abuse.

There are three main types:
- Incest: abuse in the family, for example between children and their biological or step-parents, or between brothers and sisters. Most of the cases of sexual abuse is incest.
- Abuse between stranger and a child (including paedophile abuse)
- Sexual exploitation (pornographic films or books, child prostitution)
Sexual abuse is heavily discovered, because the child is mostly frightened by the abuser and sometimes he or she thinks it 's his/her own fault or they feel ashamed. Children normally trust their parents, they admire and love them. First kids believe that everything what Mum



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