CAUSES OF CHILD ABUSE

Some people think that children are only abused by strangers, but sometimes the person who has abused you is a friend of your parents or even a family member, like an uncle or auntie, or even a parent.

If you are abused, you will probably feel hurt, sad, angry, scared and sick inside. You may even feel like it is your fault. But it is NOT YOUR FAULT and you do not deserve to be abused. Remember that you CAN get help by talking to someone who cares, like an adult you trust or Childline.

There are 3 different kinds/causes of abuse:

• Parental causes

• Ecological causes

• Child problems

Parental causes

• Background of emotional deprivation

• Unwanted pregnancy

• Colic baby

• Isolation and lack of support

• Patriarchal family structure

• Cycle of violence (parents who were abused children themselves often end up abusing their own children)

• Discipline versus Abuse (where parents can't tell the difference)

• Blurred boundaries (where there is no clear boundary set by the parents between child and parent)

Ecological causes

• Poverty

• Overcrowding

• Problems in the marriage

• Abuse of substances (drugs, alcohol etc.)

Child problems

• ADHD/Handicapped child

• Unrealistic expectations

• Latch key children (children who have to come home to an empty house)

• Weak bond between mother and child