Child abuse is considered as any action that harms children under the age of 18 physically and psychologically, and undermines their physical, emotional, mental and social development, by their parents, caregivers or strangers.
In 1985, the World Health Organization defined child abuse; It is defined as intentional or unintentional behavior towards a child by an adult, society or country that negatively affects the child's health, physical and psycho-social development.
Abuse is divided into physical, emotional and sexual. Physical abuse; It is the physical harm of a child or adolescent by a parent or other adult. The resulting physical injury, the duration of the damage and the age of the child who suffers it determine the damages caused by physical abuse.
Children exposed to physical and sexual abuse experience sleep disorders, nightmares, separation anxiety, phobic behavior, physical complaints, depression, lying. Symptoms such as expressionism, introversion, and incompatibility are observed.
In sexual abuse; Children and adolescents are used as sexual objects. It is the type of abuse that leaves the most permanent and negative effects on the individual, especially if it occurs within the family.
Emotional abuse; It is caused by adults who exhibit behaviors such as rejecting the child and adolescent, threatening, denying, humiliating, leaving them alone, intimidating them, directing them to crime, and not meeting their emotional needs. Children and adolescents exposed to this may experience school failure, learning disorders, truancy, aggression, lying, suicide, etc. is observed. When it extends into adulthood, its effects causing panic attacks, sleep problems, and obsessions emerge.
Research shows that abuse is extremely common; starved, beaten, sexually abused, smoked, etc. The number of children burned is quite high.
When the following conditions come together, the probability of child abuse increases;
-Stress in the family environment,
-Low income,
-Excessive number of children in the family,
-Having been exposed to bad behavior in the past of the mother and father, domestic violence,
-Learning difficulties in the child,
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-Physical disability in the child.
The trauma caused by sexual abuse experienced in childhood spreads over a very long period and constitutes the source of emotional, behavioral and social problems. People who are abused often do not share their sexual abuse stories with anyone. Especially children dissociate when they encounter repeated and unbearable pain. They mentally distance themselves from the event they are experiencing and may act as if it did not exist. Thus, sexual abuse experiences that are suppressed and wanted to be forgotten negatively affect the physical, psychological, social development and life of the person. For this reason, when the situation is learned, it is extremely important to get professional support instead of questioning the person or remaining indifferent to the situation.
During the treatment process related to abuse, interventions are made with appropriate treatment techniques to be used by the therapist. The client is supported through the therapist's experience, cooperation and an established environment of trust. The targeted solution is reached.
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