The Consequences of Child Maltreatment
The Long-Term Effects of Child Abuse are Painful and Damaging
May 22, 2009
Child maltreatment is a significant threat to the healthy development of children, affecting over 60,000 children a year across Canada. Abused and neglected children are adversely affected in many ways. They may suffer from cognitive, emotional and social impairment in addition to physical disabilities. (Centre of Excellence for Child Welfare, Canada).
Child maltreatment incidence statistics are tracked in Canada through the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS). The first Canada-wide cycle of the CIS found that an estimated 135,600 child maltreatment investigations were conducted in Canada in 1998, and that child maltreatment had been substantiated for 61,200 of these children, a rate of 9.7 victims per 1000 children. One-third of these children, 20,500, were under six years of age. The incidence of victimization varies by age and sex, with younger boys - two and three years old - being victimized more often than girls, whereas by age five girls were being victimized more often than boys.
Nearly 100,000 Child Protection Investigations are Conducted in Canada Each Year
Most cases of maltreatment reported to child welfare services involve situations where children have already suffered from some sort of emotional harm, or are at significant risk of being injured or suffering some type of emotional harm. Severe abuse leading to injuries is of particular concern in situations involving young children because of the elevated risk of permanent harm or death during the first three years of life.
The 1998 CIS found that physical injuries were noted in 15% of the 20,500 cases of substantiated maltreatment involving newborns to five-year-olds. Severe injuries requiring medical attention were noted in 5% of cases involving children one to five years old, and in 17% of cases involving infants under one. Shaken baby syndrome, a difficult-to-detect form of abuse involving subdural hematoma, was noted in an estimated 300 of the 20,500 cases of substantiated maltreatment involving newborns to five-year-olds.
Child maltreatment often occurs alongside other types of violence. Maltreated children are themselves at increased risk in later life of either perpetrating or becoming the victims of multiple types of violence– including suicide, sexual violence, youth violence, intimate partner violence and child maltreatment. The same set of factors – such as harmful levels of alcohol use, family isolation and social exclusion, high unemployment, and economic inequalities – have been shown to underlie different types of violence.
The Consequences of Child Maltreatment
Exposure to maltreatment and other forms of violence during childhood is associated with risk-taking behaviours later in life. These include violent victimization and the perpetration of violence, depression, smoking, obesity, high-risk sexual behaviours, unintended pregnancy, and alcohol and drug use. Such risk factors and behaviours can lead to some of the principal causes of death, disease and disability – such as heart disease, sexually transmitted diseases, cancer and suicide.
The long-term effects of child abuse are painful and damaging. Abuse often results in countless tragedies involving the physical, cognitive or emotional impairment of a child that may extend into adulthood. As a result of greater public awareness, reports of suspected child abuse and neglect are increasing across Canada.
 |
