Child Abuse

It is very important to understand the dynamics of a social problem in order to raise awareness and possibly make a change in a society. Among many crucial social problems in the American society, child abuse is one of the most devastating issues that result in people, and more specifically children, with a traumatized past, shattered dreams, and more often than not, fatal consequences. National statistics on child abuse reports just about five deaths a day among neglected and abused children. According to a 2009 statistics, there were 1,770 deaths reported as a consequence of child abuse and neglect. The issue of child abuse and neglect is a crucial one, as it puts not only lives of children in jeopardy but also the future of that society. It is no secret that the negative impacts of this social problem alone can contribute the breeding of other important issues in our society such as: violence, gangs and crime, psychopathology, maladaptive behaviors, dysfunctional families, physiological and medical conditions and many others. The reported data alone is alarming enough; however, it is also important to realize that the statistics are based merely on the cases that have actually been reported. There are thousands of cases of child abuse that go unnoticed and unreported each and every year. To imagine what victims of these cases undergo on their own is even more frightening. They must endure fighting a battle each and every day in which they will never have control over.
In order to understand the nature of the issue, we must first look at how it is defined. By Federal and State Law the crime of child abuse is defined as, "Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm" (42 u.s.c.a. § 5106g(2) (2003)). Although this definition is adapted by the Federal and State