I'm Standing Up Campign 2021
Why do we need to get involved with
child abuse prevention?
The consequences of child maltreatment for the affected child and for society as a whole are substantial, and education is one of the best ways to prevent this from happening. If a child is already already in an abusive situation, the My Body is My Body Program will give them the knowledge of what to do, and who to turn to, so that they can try and get some help. Our priority is to reach and educate children and their parents before abuse occurs.
These facts are from ISPCAN which is the International Society For The
Prevention Of Child Abuse And Neglect.
Evidence is mounting that child maltreatment is the precursor to many of the
major social problems today:
90% of child sex abuse victims know their abuser
95% of child abusers were themselves abused as children 80% of substance abusers were abused as children
80% of runaways cite abuse as a factor
95% of prostitutes were sexually abused
78% of prison population were abused as children
50% of suicide attempts reported having been sexually abused 100% of child abuse and neglect is PREVENTABLE
**Finkelhor, D. (2012). Characteristics of crimes against juveniles. Durham, NH: Crimes against Children Research Center.
Now that you have seen some statistics about child maltreatment
Lets Look at the effect that it has in our communities
There are many long term effects that can be caused by child maltreatment:
Low self esteem
Emotional Problems
Depression and or Anxiety
Eating disorders
Self Harm
PTSD (where children can re-experience the traumatic events of abuse)
Suicidal thoughts
Problems with physical injuries, burns, or fractures
Difficulty forming and maintaining relationships
Infected with life changing Sexually transmitted diseases.
All of these have negative life long effects on children, also creating a great burden on society as there are significant social and economic costs. These are just some of the reasons we have to take the subject of prevention so seriously.
Cost to Society
There are many ways that child maltreatment can impact the costs to our society.
These costs can include:
Medical Treatment for physical or sexual abuse
The costs of removing children from their homes (when they are unsafe to stay there) or finding Foster Carers or places to re home children.
Studies have proved that Abused children can have a lower academic achievement level which has a great effect on the community workforce.
I would like to add that not all abused children will be affected by the above, as some go on to have very productive and happy lives - but many do not.
Children can suffer from Lifelong health and mental problems
so many of our worldwide prison population have been abused as children
So as you can see Preventing Child Abuse is of the utmost importance as it can have far reaching effects on our communities. We need to all do better to make a Safer World .
Every child has the right to health and a life free from violence.