By the end of this post, the reader should be able to:
· Describe the sources of child abuse and neglect.
· Identify the signs and symptoms of child abuse and neglect.
· Describe the effects of child abuse and neglect.
· Identify the agencies that give support to victims of child abuse and neglect.
· Explain child labor and activities that constitute child labor.
· Identify child rights and responsibilities.
· Describe the effects of child labor on the child, the family and the nation.
· Explain the concept of generation gap and the reasons for it.
· Examine the consequences of generational gap.
Child Abuse and Neglect
Child
Abuse: Involves adults intentionally treating
children in a cruel and violent way. Child abuse is the practice whereby adults
subject children to all forms of domestic violence, mental, physical
punishment, and denial of basic human rights, maltreatment and defilement.
These inhuman treatments have forced many children to become street children,
truants or simply rebellions (rebellious).
Neglect:
When parents do not give enough care and attention to their children. Or when
parents completely abandoned their children. Total neglect is the result of
broken homes and single parenting. The child is left to totally or partly fend
for himself or herself and this leads to the development of criminal behvior in
children.
Cruelty,
violence and neglect constitute abuse.
Types Of Child Abuse
Physical Abuse
This
refers to any act of violence that causes injury or damage to any part of a
child's body e.g. cuts, broken bones, burns, bruises, etc. Physical abuse
include:
(i)
Severe beating of the child
(ii)
Denial of basic needs e.g., food, clothing, etc.
(iii)
Performing activities that are beyond the capabilities of the child
(iv)
Being sold into slavery to perform slave labor.
(v)
Not adequately clothed and therefore exposed to harsh weather conditions.
Mental / Emotional Abuse
This
refers to any act that affects the mental state of mind of the child and puts
him in an imbalanced mental situation.
Mental
abuse include:
(i)
Maltreatment by adults e.g., Adults using abusive or negative remarks on
children
(ii)
Not being sent to school. This has mental and emotional effect on the children
as they see their friends and colleagues being sent to school whiles they are
made to stay at home.
(iii)
Conditions in the home that cause stress to the child e.g., working for long
time without rest especially in the night.
(iv)
Withholding affection or disregarding the child
(v)
Extreme punishment. e.g., tying a child or locking a child in a dark room.
(vi)
Forcing or compelling the child to witness or take part in inappropriate
behavior. e.g. drug or alcohol abuse or armed robbery.
Sexual Abuse
This
occurs when children are forced by an adult to engage in sexual activity in
whatever form. OR It is any sexual act or misuse of a child by care-takers or
family relation or adults. It includes oral sex, incest, general contact,
molestation, fondling, vaginal penetration, exposing genitals, showing
pornographic movies, etc.
Signs and Symptoms of Child Abuse and Neglect
(i)
Physical injuries
(ii)
Retardation of mental growth and development.
(iii)
Physical and emotional instability including feelings of rejection.
Causes of child Abuse and Neglect
(i)
Due to poverty, parents are not able to provide children's basic needs and this
leads to neglect.
(ii)
Ignorance of parents with regards to proper child care and development as well
as children rights does sometimes lead to child abuse and neglect.
(iii)
Marital stress, financial crises or parents with low self-esteem vent their
frustration on the children.
(iv) Parents raised by violent and abusive
parents tend to vent their emotions through physical and other types of
violence.
Effects of Child Abuse and Neglect
(i)
The child may drop out of school.
(ii)
The child's mental and physical growth stunted.
(iii) May result in permanent disability both
physically and mentally if abuse is severe.
(iv) May bring about waywardness, etc.
(v) Children who engage in mining activities may
suffer from tuberculosis or Asthma and serious occupational accident.
(vi) Children may be exploited sexually or raped, this
may not only cause emotional and physical damage but they may be infected with
STDs like HIV/AIDS.
(vii) Children leave home and join other street
children whose activities may include armed robbery, gambling, drug usage and
pushing, etc.
Agencies That Give Support
(i) Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit of the
Ghana Police Service.
(ii) Department of Social Welfare.
(iii) Non-governmental Organizations. E.g. UNICEF
(iv) Commission Of Human Rights and Administrative
Justice (CHRAJ)
(v) The Legal Aid Board.
(vi) Federation Of International Women Lawyers (FIDA -
Ghana)
Child Labor
Child labor may be defined as engaging children less than
15 years in income generating activities that affect their physical, mental and
social development. OR It refers to the engagement of a child below fifteen
years in an income generating activity that will deprive the child of his
health, education or development.
Activities That Constitute Child Labor
These include:
(i) Trading and hawking on the streets.
(ii) Engaged as laborers on farms and fishing
activities.
(iii) Porters at markets.
(iv) Performing tasks that are beyond the physical
capabilities of the child at home.
(v) Engaged as shepherd boys or in begging on the
streets.
(vi) Cross border and migration across regions to
engage in jobs.
(vii) Employed in mining and other paid jobs.
(viii) Engaged or employed in bars, restaurants,
hotels and places of entertainment.
(ix) Being used as shepherd boys/girls.
Child Rights and Responsibilities
Rights are privileges conferred by law and nature on
an individual because of his/her membership of a state. Or Rights can also be
called freedoms and benefits that are guaranteed to people by law. The
Children's Act 1998 (Act570), defines a child as a person below the age of
eighteen years and states the following as the basic rights of children:
i. Right to education: Every child is entitled
to receive compulsory basic education and equal opportunity for higher
education.
ii. Right to health: Every child is entitled to
good health, protection from illness and proper medical attention for survival,
personal growth and development.
iii. Right to recreation: The child is entitled
to adequate recreation (leisure and play) according to his/her age and culture.
iv. Right to basic needs: Every child has
the right to be provided with basic
needs by the family such as food, shelter, clothing, health care, etc.
v. Right to security: Every child is entitled
to protection from any act that interferes with his or her privacy, honor and
reputation.
vi.. Non-discrimination: Nobody or person
should discriminate against the child on grounds of race, age, religion,
health, status, ethnic origin, etc.
vii. Right to social activity: The child has
the right to participate in sports and other cultural, artistic and leisure
activities.
viii. Right to opinion: The child has the right
to form and express an opinion to be listened to and to participate in
decisions which affect his well-being.
ix. Right to name nationality: Every child has
the right to a name right from birth. The child also has a right to acquire
nationality.
Causes of Child Labor
(i) Poverty: Harsh economic situations have
compelled many children to drop out of school and are being used by parents and
others in society to generate Income
(ii) Broken homes: Children from broken homes
who find themselves in an unfavorable situation of fending for themselves are
forced to engage in child labor.
(iii) Civil wars and conflicts: This has led to
children losing their parents and have to fend for themselves.
(iv) Rural-urban immigration: Some children run
from their parents from the rural to the urban centers with nobody to cater for
them. They are forced to engage in menial jobs to survive.
(v) Peer pressure: Some children are lured into
economic activities by their peers.
Responsibilities of a Child
(i) The child has the responsibility to go to school
and study.
(ii) The child has the responsibility to report when
sick.
(iii) The child has the responsibility to conform to
societal norms.
(iv) The child has the responsibility to respect their
parents and other elders.
(v) The child also has the responsibility to perform
household chores e.g. sweep, fetch water and wash dishes.
Effects of Child Labor
(i) Drop out of school limiting the child's mental and
social development. Children engaged in child labor will not be able to combine
education with work and will therefore not be able to acquire knowledge or
skill in a particular area.
(ii) Lack of skills limits the child's future
opportunities for jobs. Lack of adequate training and education limits the
child from being employed in the future.
(iii) Some jobs may be risky and the child may end up
with physical and mental injuries. The child's life may be put into serious
danger, since an accident may lead to their death.
(iv) Loss of human resources to the family and the
country. Children who would otherwise have become lawyers, doctors, engineers,
teachers, etc. are engaged in child labor because they are not in school.
(v) Children become wayward in the latter part of
their lives.
Generation Gap
The general mistrust between adolescents and adults
due to factors of education and societal changes. OR It is the general mistrust
between young adults and adults in many societies across the world due to
factors including education and social change.
Reasons for the Generational Gap
(i) Differences in the value system between adults and
adolescents bring about mistrust. What parents see as good and desirable for
the adolescents may conflict with what they have in mind. E.g., Attitude
towards life in general and the use of time and other resources
(ii) Differences in the level of education and
experiences e.g., adolescents having acquired knowledge through formal
education and gained exposure to a broader outlook of life through reading
materials, the internet, movies, excursions, etc. look at things differently
from adults.
(iii) Differences in maturity e.g., mental, physical
and emotional maturity. Science and technology has made it possible for
children of today to mature intellectually and physically than that of previous
generations.
(iv) Differences in expectations and sometimes
contradictions e.g., adolescents may consider themselves as adults but may be
perceived as younger and incapable of taking certain actions.
(v) Adolescents tend to over react to situations due
to inexperience e.g., intentional disobedience to parents.
(vi) Double standards of adults: Adults fail to set
good examples for the younger generation to copy or emulate e.g. They tell the
younger generation to desist from smoking, drinking and having too many friends
and do the exact opposite.
(vii) Changing societal values e.g., Disrespect for
older people, and younger ones putting up behaviors of older people (or
adults).
Consequences of Generational Gap
(i) Misunderstanding leading to conflicts among family
members e.g. parents/adults and teenagers.
(ii) Emotional and mental stress leading to
adolescents leaving home and sometimes taking drastic actions e.g. suicide.
(iii) Adolescents in mistrust of parents resulting in
leaning on peers and peer groups.
(v) Adolescents are not able to share feelings and
problems with adults.
SSCE, WASSCE Past Questions and Answers on Child Abuse and Neglect
l. a. What do you understand by the term child-labor (
1994)
Solution
Engaging a child or children less than 15 years in
income generating activities that affect their physical, mental and social
development. Child labour hinders the growth and development of the child.
b. Identify six activities that can be classified as
child labor
Solution
(i) Trading
(ii) Hawking
(iii) Engaged as laborers on the farms and fishing
activities. (iv) Porters at markets
(v) Employed in mining
(vi) Quarrying
(vii) Sex work (prostitution)
(viii) Cart pushers or kayayo, etc.
c. Give and explain five reasons why child labor is a
danger to the individual or to society
Solution
(i) School drop-out rate will increase leading to
increase in illiteracy.
(ii) Child labor encourages teenage pregnancy.
(iii) Lack of skills limits the child's future
opportunities for jobs.
(iv) Some jobs may be risky and the child may end up with
physical and mental injuries.
(v) Children may attract disease which may make them
liabilities to society e.g. prostitution leads to AIDS, etc.
(vi) May lead to high delinquency which may lead to
crime e.g. armed robbery
2.a. What is
child labour? (1995)
Solution
It involves engaging children under the age of 15
years in income generating activities or gains to their detriment e.g. house
help, hawking, cart pushing, etc.
b. State two reasons why child labor laws are
difficult to enforce
Solution
(i) Parents of the children usually engage them in
these activities of hawking, trading, cart pushing, etc.
(ii) Children must work to contribute to household
income, for their own up keep, etc. because of the economic situation of the
family.
(iii) Some of these children are engaged in fishing,
farming, mining, etc which take place in the hinterland and thus very difficult
to trace and find out. Some of them work to raise money to pay their school
fees.
(iv) There is no clear definition of what is
considered excessive and exploitative.
c. Describe or explain four ways in which a child's
development can be hindered
Solution
(i) Child's education is hindered leading to inability
to develop intellectually.
(ii) Child may not develop the required and appropriate
skills for life.
(iii) Excessive abuse and exploitation may affect the
child emotionally.
(iv) The physical growth of the child may be stunted
because of poor nutrition.
(v) The child may not be prepared psychologically for
adulthood. Once they earn money, they think they are adults and tend to live as
such (as adults).
(vi) The child is also exposed to a lot of health and
other hazards.
(vii) Child may also be exposed to prostitution or
sexual abuse which may lead them to contracting various diseases e.g. STDs.
3.a. Discuss, given ways that differences in value
system between adults and adolescents bring about conflicts in the family (
1999)
Solution
(i) Differences in the level of education brings about
conflict between adults and adolescents in the family.
(ii) Adults sometimes tend to underrate or under
estimate the knowledge or intelligence of the young adults and this can cause
conflict in the family.
(iii) Differences in value systems of adults and
adolescents results in mistrust and thus conflict.
(iv) Due to lack of experience and youthful
exuberance, adolescents over react to situations resulting in conflict.
(v) Failure of adults to serve as role models and set
good examples for the young adults to emulate or follow may result in conflict.
4. Explain any five problems teenagers face in life.
(2004)
Solution
Teenager's face a lot of problems among which include:
i) The teenager is always faced with the problem of
adjusting to his physical changes.
ii) He wants to be important and be recognized as a
person of worth. That is he tries to achieve adult status yet he is not an
adult.
iii) The teenager tries to gain independence from his
parents and to become a self-directing person. iv) The teenager has strong sex
drive with the opposite sex.
v) The teenager has a big problem trying to cope with
peer pressure.
5.(a) What is generation gap?
Solution
Generation gap is the general mistrust between
adolescents and adults due to factors of education and social changes. OR Disagreement
or mistrust between adults and adolescents or the younger generation. OR The
differences resulting or arising from conflicts in expectations between adults
and the adolescents.
(b) Select and explain five factors that contribute to
the development of generation gap between adolescents and their parents
Solution
(i) Differences in the value system between adults and
adolescents bring about mistrust. What parents see as good and desirable for
the adolescents may conflict with what they have in mind. E.g. attitude towards
life in general and the use of time and other resources.
(ii) Differences in the level of education and
experiences e.g. adolescents haven acquired knowledge through formal education
and gained exposure to a broader outlook of life through reading materials, the
internet, movies, excursions etc. look at things differently from the adults.
(iii) Differences in maturity e.g. mental, physical
and emotional maturity. Science and technology has made it possible for
children of today to mature intellectually and physically than that of previous
generations.
(iv) Differences in expectations and sometimes
contradictions e.g. adolescents may consider themselves as adults but may be
perceived as younger and incapable of taking certain actions.
(v) Adolescents tend to over react to situations due
to inexperience e.g. intentional disobedience to parents.
(vi) Double standards of adults: Adults fail to set
good examples for the younger generation to copy or emulate e.g. they tell the
younger generation to desist from smoking, drinking and having too many friends
and do the exact opposite.
(vii) Changing societal values e.g. disrespect for
older people, and younger ones putting up behaviors of older people ( or
adults).
6. (a)Explain the term street children
Solution
Street children are young boys and girls who do not
live-in homes with their families but live on their own (providing their needs)
with peers without parental guidance, control and supervision. They have
freedom to do as they wish or want and indulge in reckless and frivolous
activities
(b) State three reasons why children should not live
on the streets
Solution
(i) The children may be exposed or lured in to early
sex by their peers
(ii)They may also be exposed to Sexually Transmitted
Infections / Diseases
(iii) They may become armed robbers
(iv) They may be exposed to drug abuse and sexual
abuses
(v) They are likely to drop out of school
(vi) Some of them may end up as prostitutes or beggars
(vii) Some may also become addicted to both alcohol
and drugs
7. Name three rights of a child in a society
Solution
(i) Right to education-: Every child has the right to
go to school and study.
(ii) Right to health or good health care
(iii) Right to recreation
(iv) Right to shelter
(v) Right to be loved
(vi) Right to safety
(vii) Right to be clothed
(viii) Right to be fed and heard
8. Define the following terms
(a) Drug abuse
(b) Child labour
Solution
(a) Drug abuse: It is the deliberate use of drug for non-medical
purposes, that is, taking drugs which have not been approved by the medical
board or by a doctor or a pharmacist. OR It is the habit of taking drugs, which
no doctor has prescribed
(b) Child labour: It involves engaging children below
the age of 15 in income generating activities or gains to their detriment
e.g househelp, hawking, cart pushing
etc.
EXAMINATION QUESTIONS
1. Discuss factors that have contributed to any two of
the following problems that have been identified with the youth.
a. Drug abuse
b. Poor parent — child relationship
c. Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)
d. Teenage pregnancy (1998)
2.a. Explain the term child labor.
b. State five activities that are classified under
child labor.
c. State and explain five effects of child labor on a
society.
d. Write down three rights of a child in society
(2003).
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