As the title of the topic suggests, these are our little Septembers and Leylas that we lost recently. They haven't grown up yet, but they have seen the dark side of the world. I believe that those who murdered them will only be able to shed light on the situation regarding what kind of abuse they faced. In cases of abuse, it deeply hurts the society and causes socio-cultural deformation. A sentence I read recently expressed this situation clearly. We had cute things like loving children and being cute when we saw them, because you took these away from us with these events. We wouldn't be wrong if we said how difficult it is to remain innocent in this world.
If we were to define the abuse in question, we could describe it as an attack on the body and the soul that owns that body.
We can categorize child abuse into three groups:
1- Sexual Abuse: Sexual abuse is one of the most common abuses and can generally remain under the influence for years and is kept secret. Although the statistical data is not exact, it is around 10%-15%.
Individuals who have been sexually abused may experience abnormal interest in sexual intercourse or, conversely, lack of interest, sleep problems (having nightmares, waking up with a start), depression or depressive disorder. Symptoms such as showing symptoms, moving away from family members, relatives or close friends, not wanting to enter school, uncontrolled anger control (aggressive, extremely angry, etc.), presence of sexual images in the sentences he writes or the pictures he draws are observed.
2- Physical Abuse: In children up to the age of 18, behaviors that prevent the child's development, such as hitting with hands, objects, pushing, pulling, etc., by the mother, father, relative or dependents are called physical abuse.
According to research, it is possible to encounter many psychiatric patients in children who have been exposed to physical violence. It may be accompanied by diseases such as problems in interpersonal relationships and substance abuse.
Impairments in functionality are observed in children exposed to physical abuse. They experience deterioration in their social relationships, difficulty in establishing relationships, conflicts, and emotional distress. People with low mental intensity may exhibit anger and abusive behavior. It is also observed that cognitive abilities decrease and school success decreases. The child is also accompanied by problems such as not wanting to go to school, decreasing grades, and not being able to spend time with friends. It is also known that an abused child has a high rate of suicidal ideation or tendency.
3-Emotional Abuse: It is very difficult to understand and legally prove that emotionally abused individuals have been abused. Emotional attempts by the individuals around him that damage his personality integrity strengthen our thoughts that the child is being abused.
Children exposed to emotional abuse are generally seen in children between the ages of six and eight and continue until adolescence. Behavioral symptoms such as lack of self-confidence and difficulty in expressing oneself are observed.
It is both our social and conscientious responsibility to protect our children, who are our future, and to take care of their mental health. As individuals, we should be approached sensitively, reported to the judicial authorities, and receive support from mental health experts.
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