Sticks and Stones

Sticks and Stones

a brief guide to identifying the types of child abuse for OSHC workers

By R S Faulkner M.A., M.Sc., B.Sc. (Hons)

Part 1

Identifying child abuse

After a decade of working with kids in both London and Sydney, I’ve seen more than my fair share of abused children. From a raging ten-year old girl with the imprint of a steam iron on inside thigh to a softly spoken and well-mannered little boy diagnosed as incurably psychotic at age seven thanks to a pan of boiling cooking oil poured into his lap - by his mother. Louse riddled, bruised, and abused, many children endure a life that is devoid of love, friendship and hope. They distrust adults and blame themselves. Theirs is not a life; it is a living nightmare.

This article is not an academic treatise examining the psycho-social impact of abuse on children. No, it is a brief guide to help educators in Before, and After School care identify the types of abuse, they are likely to encounter during their career. Its aim is to support whatever training their organisation has provided.

Why? Because I remember all too well being a fresh-faced educator, keen to fit in earning money in between tutorials and lectures. I also remember the first time a child disclosed to me in the most graphic of language – I froze, horrified that a father could do that to his child. By sheer luck, I handled it well despite the lack of training. But it could have ended dreadfully.

Child abuse seems never to be out of the news. If it’s not an ageing celebrity, it’s a member of the cloth or a completely average looking person. The picture of a man in a dirty overcoat, with greasy hair and a predatory glint, is a myth; a child abuser can be anyone, including another child. However, child abuse is always a crime.

Being in the child care industry provides educators with the ability to make a significant difference by helping prevent abuse. And the best way to do that is to identify it and then alert the authorities.

While child sexual abuse is obviously high profile, but there are other forms of abuse just as devastating on the lives of children and young adults. It is important that all adults who come into contact with kids can identify the type of abuse they believe is being inflicted.

But names will never hurt me. Firstly, let me state that I am not ranking the following types of abuse. I certainly do not believe that any one form of child abuse is less painful or devastating than another. I have simply listed them in alphabetical order.

Emotional Abuse. This form of ill-treatment is typified by an unrelenting stream of verbal attacks and threats by an adult towards a single child or group. Rejection and isolation usually accompany it. The constant barrage of name-calling and belittling in front of others gradually erodes the child’s self-esteem and confidence. The child becomes social incompetent, nervous and self-effacing. They develop a low opinion of themselves, are negative and have low expectations of how adults should treat them.

Exposure to domestic violence often accompanies emotional abuse. The chaos and violence inherent in such a violent familial environment are an indicator that a child endures some other form of ill-treatment too

It’s important to note that domestic violence doesn’t always include black eyes and broken arms. It can be threats, rape, social isolation or the promise of revenge if reported. All are painful, and all impact in a major way on the child that endures its onslaught on a daily basis.

Neglect is a form of abuse. Not every child that rocks up to school in a dirty shirt is suffering neglect, and of course, all kids get head lice at some point. Neglect is ongoing and far more insidious. It is the continued failure to provide for a child’s basic needs. These include a need for food, shelter, supervision and physical and emotional care. This type of abuse has a severe negative impact on a child’s overall development and needs immediate addressing.

The child who is hanging around outside your centre for two hours every afternoon, regardless of the weather, should certainly get your ‘Spidey senses’ tingling. Certainly, a child with torn, dirty clothes, too that are small or are smelly is of concern, and it should be documented and raised with the school. Also, are they hungry? Are they provided with enough to eat? Raise any concerns immediately with your manager and the school.

One case I remember was that of a 6-year old girl who came to a vacation care program run at a school in Notting Hill, London. A staff member came to me with concerns that focused on what the little girl was eating for lunch. I took a look at what I first thought was a tin of tuna but discovered it was a de-labelled tin of cat food. She’d had a tin every day for a week before that vigilant member of staff had spotted it. The family were struggling, but that was no excuse for intentionally feeding pet food to their daughter.

Physical abuse. This form of ill-treatment is characterised by either the intentional or careless causing bodily harm to a child. Physical abuse can be through, beating, biting, burning, kicking, punching, slapping or any other form of physical violence or harm directed at a child.

As anyone who was ever a child, and that’s all of us, knows, scrapes, scratches and bruises are synonymous with childhood; making it hard to identify physical abuse immediately. What should ring alarm bells are those physical injuries that cannot be explained away by play, such as bite marks, cigarette burns or bruising on unexpected areas of the body and will often be continual. Physically abused children will either invent a story or be reluctant to talk about the injury. If you have concerns, alert your line manager and follow the child protection guidelines outlined by your organisation and local government authority.

Sexual abuse. Child sexual abuse is when someone, usually but not exclusively an adult, uses their power or authority to force/coerce a child to become involved in some form of sexual activity. Child sexual abuse may include one or more of the following:

•    Suggestive sexual comments – verbal, online or texts

•    Exhibitionism

•    Fondling of a child’s genitals or masturbation on or performed by the child

•    Oral sex or penetrative sex of any kind

•    Exposure to pornography or taking sexual photographs of a child

•    Online viewing of child pornography or the downloading and distribution of

       child pornography.

The impact of this form of child abuse is always severe. It affects a child’s ability to develop, to learn, to feel safe and to thrive. Denied their right to develop to their future full potential, it impairs their social and emotional development, ultimately affecting their ability to experience loving, trusting relationships.

Sexually abused children experience a multitude of long term effects and carry guilt, shame and self-loathing into adulthood. Their heightened levels of fear and anxiety can, in themselves, become debilitating.

Well, that concludes our look at the types of child abuse you’re most likely to encounter during your childcare career. In part two, we’ll look at what signs and behaviours a child may exhibit that can indicate sexual abuse.