Child abuse within a family

Nadezda Ljubojev

Child abuse within a family

2012

Nadezda Ljubojev

F aculty of Legal and Business Study Technical F aculty “M ihajlo P up in ”

Child abuse within a family

In tr o d u c tio n

It is th e discouraging fact th a t children are victim s of abuse and neglect w ithin th e family, however, m any boys and girls on all continents, in all countries of th e world, at every economical level and in all ethnic groups, have survived these types of fam ily pathology. Even today, lives of m any children are filled w ith one of th e th re e types of th e abuse: physical, em otio­ nal or sexual, and as well w ith neglect. U nfortunately, children experience th e abuse a t home, som etim es even since th e ir birth.

M any people suffer because of th e suffered abuse and neglect in th eir childhood an d if th a t tra u m atic experience is not identified an d cured, emo­ tional and behavioral consequences can be perm an en t. It is tra u m a tic to grown-ups w hen they are exposed to abuse and m istreatm en t, it can only be im agined how it is to a child who is living in such a situ a tio n an d who is suffering, before th e em otional developm ent, every day’s abuse an d neglect. This is pointed out because th e subject of our in te re st and protection is far more vulnerable an d helpless com pared to the grown up victim s to all forms of th e abuse, and consequently to th a t, th e consequences of these actions are far-reaching an d difficult to correct, if possible.

The occurrence of child abuse an d neglect in th e fam ily therefore rep re ­ sents a clear exam ple of violation an d endangers his rights.

T he c o n c e p tio n o f th e c h ild a b u se

The child abuse w ithin th e fam ily (in all appearing forms: physical, sexual an d em otional), as well as th e neglecting, is th e h a rd e st form of the fam ily violation and violation a t all, tak in g into th e consideration the psy­ chophysical characteristics of victim s, em otional linkage, relation of tru s t and dependence and p a re n ta l obligation of growing up and upbringing the

children. The fam ily is, as A m erican p sy ch iatrist and psychoanalyst N a th a n W. A ckerm an points out “th e basis of th e age and experience, fulfillm ent or failu re”. It is “th e base of sickness and h e a lth ”1. However, by th e psychologist Erich From m the family itself is determ ined by the society structure, so it is often ju s t the carrier of th e social and cu ltu ral requirem ents to the child2.

The child cannot protect h im self in th e family, because it is very vulnera­

ble, considering th e dep endant position in th e fam ily an d th a t th e paren ts

have th e power over th e child. The child needs th e p a re n t’s love w hat is the basic h u m an need.

The younger th e child, th e more dependent from p a re n ts he is, because ju s t after th e b irth and in th e first years of his life, th e child cannot survive w ithout th e tenderness and care. The child will be endangered w ithout the home an d p a re n ts who are tak in g care and providing the basic needs. T hat is why p a re n ts have special responsibility to protect th e child. In other words, the younger th e child, th e g re a te r th e p a re n t’s duty is to protect him. The g re a te r the need for th e protection is, th e g re a te r is th e possibility to be abused3.

In Serbia, th e exact am ount of child abuse and neglect w ith in th e family is unknow n, due to a difficulty to determ ine it, because these forms of family pathology are difficult to discover, and those discovered should be proved. Such a situ a tio n is caused by th e circum stance th a t child abuse and neglect is done in th e closed fam ily environm ent, which hides different forms en d a n ­ gering an d wounding of physical and m ental child’s health. Not harm onized definitions of abuse and neglect influence th e different ju dgm en t of th e am ount of these occurrences, because of different definitions of th e authors. In addition, it is impossible to ta lk w ith, w ith high reliability, about the real am ount and q u a n tity of these occurrences, because, in Serbia, th e unique system of following and gath erin g th e d a ta is not formed. However, th ere is a lot of basis for th e hypothesis about a high am ount and q u an tity of these occurrences in all countries.

1 N.W . A c k erm a n , The P sy c h o d y n a m ic s o f the F a m ily L ife - D ia g n o stic a n d T re a tm e n t o f

F a m ily R e la tio n s h ip s , 1958, p. 37.

2 E. F ro m m , A u to r ite t i po ro d ica , 1986, p. 15; id em , A u to r ita t u n d F a m ilie . S o zia lp sy c h o ­

logischer Teil in S tu d ie n U ber A u to r ita t u n d F a m ilie , F o rs c h u n g s b e ric h te a u s d e m I n s t i tu t fu r

S o zialfo rsch u n g . L ib ra rie F e lix A can, P a r is 1936.

3 E .g. C h ild re n , a t th e age o f fo u r o r younger, a r e m o st v u ln e ra b le b e ca u se th e y a re u n a b le to d efen d th e m se lv e s o r a s k for h e lp . T h e d a ta g a in e d in th e 32 U .S.A . s ta te s , in d ic a te d t h a t 81% of th e c h ild re n , w ho d ied o f in ju ry from a b u s e a n d n eg lect, w e re les s t h a n fo u r y e ars old, 11.5% w e re from fo u r to sev e n y e a rs old, 4.1% w ere e ig h t to e le v en y e a rs old a n d 3.4% w e re tw elv e to se v e n te e n y e a rs old. C h ild a b u se , [in:] E n cyclo p ed ia o f E d u c a tio n a l Psychology, 2007, a v a ila b le a t: < h ttp : //w w w .sag e-ere feren ce.co m /ed u catio n alp sy ch o lo g y /A rticle _ n 3 8 .h tm l> ( la s t v isite d Dec. 2008).

The N ational Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS) was m an d ated by th e U.S. Congress to docum ent and rep o rt on th e incidence of child abuse and neglect. The rep o rts, done NIS-3 by A ndrea Sedlack and D iane B ro a d h u rst, covered a seven-year period an d rep o rted a n in crease in child abuse from previous y ears. It is considered th a t 1.5 m illion U.S. ch ildren w ere abused or neglected durin g th is period. U nfortunately, th ese d a ta show t h a t th e physical abuse is alm ost doubled and sexual abuse more th a n doubled. The recent statistics available from th e N ational Child Abuse and Neglect D ata System (NCANDS) estim ated 872 000 victim s of child abuse in th e y ear 2004; 1490 of these were child fatalities (death of a child caused by th e injury from abuse or neglect); approxim ately 60% w ere vic­ tim s of neglect, 19% suffered physical abuse, an d 10% suffered sexual ab u se4.

There are different approaches and un d erstan d in g s to th e concept of child abuse due to th e different definitions of this phenom enon. The m ost num erous definitions of abuse5 in th e lite ra tu re , are th e Anglo-American, w here th is problem is completely worked out.

In psychological lite ra tu re , M avis Klein, th e rep resen tativ e of th e T ran s­ actional A nalysis (TA), points out: “The child abuse is th e evil used by powerful people tow ards th e powerless, because of th e need to defend th eir disordered”6.

In S erbian social theory, th ere are some n arrow er and b roader defini­ tions of abuse. In th e theory, th ere is a broader definition w hich u n d e r the term “child abuse” m eans the child “whose norm al grow th and developm ent is impossible an d en dangered”7.

The crim inal law theory underlin es th a t th e abuse is w hen significant degree of physical and psychological h a rm is caused to th e others, regardless of w h eth er th e ab user was perform ing th e insensitive, m erciless, in h u m a n or b ru ta l h a rm an d w h eth er th e behavior of th e ab u ser was in th e lim its of the allowed rig h t for a p u n ish m en t and it was m otivated for the educational

4 Ibidem .

5 T h e c h ild a b u se is a ty p ic a l case o f violence in th e fam ily, a n d re p re s e n ts th e p sy ch o p h y ­ sical violence over th e child. L exical d e te rm in a tio n of th e te r m a b u s e is c o n n ecte d to th e synonym s: m is tr e a t, ty ran n y , evil, b a d in h u m a n a c t to w a rd s som eone, t r e a t badly, in: “R ecnik s rp s k o h rv a ts k o g k n jiz e v n o g i n a ro d n o g je z ik a ”, S rp s k a a k a d e m ija n a u k e i u m e tm o s ti (SA NU) 1971, no. 8.

6 M. K lein, O ka y P a re n tin : P sychological H a n d b o o k fo r P a ren ts, 1991.

7 B y som e a u th o rs , th e te rm s a b u s e a n d n eg le c t a r e s im ila r te rm s w h ic h m e a n “h a rm fu l a n d n o n -a d e q u a te ” re la tio n to th e c h ild ren , th e y a r e tr e a te d a s objects, n o t a s su b je cts o f th e re la tio n “, w h e re th e a b u s e m e a n s “b a d a n d in h u m a n activ e r e la tio n o f th e in d iv id u a l, g ro u p or in s titu tio n a n d global societies to w a rd s th e c h ild re n ...”. M. M ilosavljevic, N a s ilje n a d decom , 1998, p. 37.

purpose. The abuse is, in principle, “th e objective expression of certain psy­ chological relatio n and a ttitu d e to th e child”8.

Every sta te in th e U.S. h as a legal definition for child abuse an d neglect b ased on th e federal definitions cited in th e F ederal Child Abuse Prevention an d T reatm en t Act of 1973 (CAPTA, 42 U.S.C.A.) and as am ended by the Keeping C hildren and Fam ilies Safe Act of 2003. Child abuse is defined as any act on th e p a rt of a p aren t, caregiver, or o ther individual th a t resu lts in physical and/or psychological injury, or th a t can p resen t a risk of serious h a rm to a child u n d e r th e age of 18. Such acts include sexual abuse and sexual exploitation, and failure to act to protect the child if th e abuse is w itnessed9. In th e expert A m erican practice, by th e sta n d a rd s of th e adm ini­ stra tiv e agencies and professional organizations which are enrolled in the protection of abused children, the h igher level of the definitions’ concretiza- tion is achieved. The h igher level of th e definitions’ concretization is done w ith th e form ation of th e exact c riteria for th e ir recognition of th ese occur­ rences and tak in g protective m easu res10.

Alm ost all m entioned definitions of abuse, narro w er and broader, social an d fam ily law ones, have th e ir scientific value and necessity. The acceptan­ ce of critics surely would not bring to universally accepted one, a unique definition. T h at is why th e decision was m ade, based on existing knowledge, to determ ine the ju ristic concept of th e abuse tak in g into the consideration, in our opinion, essen tial elem ents for th e definition.

The occurrence of child abuse w ithin th e fam ily is th e m ost distinct exam ple of violation and endangering th e child’s rights. The a u th o r would like to point out th a t th e abuse exists w hen th e p aren t, using th e physical s tre n g th or superior position, m alevolent tre a t th e child, and w ith th a t en ­ dangers his life, health , physical and em otional development.

In th e definition, it is pointed out, th e subjective relatio n of the abuser tow ards th e action of th e abuse, so th a t th e abuse is defined as th e intention to cause th e suffer, not tak in g into account th e motive. It is considered th a t it is necessary to point out th a t in th e case of m istre a t it is m ean t th a t there is the intention of causing th e suffer to th e child.

In general, th a t m eans th a t p a re n t’s m alevolent acts are repeated. Ho­ wever, it can be m ean t th a t child abuse is ju s t one act of th e p aren t, which is so dangerous for the child and it cannot be allowed to be rep eated (the in ten tio n of m urder, raping, h a rd body injury).

8 F. H irja n , M. Singer, M a lo ljetn ici u k riv ic n o m p r a v u , 1978, p. 270. 9 C h ild abuse, [in]: E n cyclo p ed ia o f E d u c a tio n a l P sychology...

10 See D. B rie la n d ,J . L em m o n , S o c ia l W ork a n d the L a w , S t. P a u l, M in n .; See also D .J. B esharov, T o w a rd s B e tte r R esearch on C h ild A b u se a n d N eglect. M a k in g D eficio n a l Issu es

A b ou t th e a b u se

The discouraging fact is th e realization th a t today in all countries in the world th ere are p a re n ts who are in different ways abusing th e children and who are som etim es even causing th e child’s d e a th 11.

Abused are children of all races, from all economic levels and all ethnic groups. In th e fam ily only one child can be th e victim of th e p a re n t’s abuse, although som etim es all th e children w ith in th e m u ltitu d in o u s fam ily can be abused. The p a re n t th a t abuses th e child do not re p re se n t th e hom ogenous group. They differ in th e way of ed ucation and level of intelligence, and are found in all races, economic levels an d eth n ic groups. C hild abuse w ith in fam ilies is ubiquitous, an d was found in every social class, eth n ic and c u ltu ra l group pointed by H en ry C. Kem pe followed by F in k elh o r and Denny.

By our research done in Novi Sad (The Republic of Serbia) a t th e Social w elfare centre, all cases of abuse an d neglect th a t happened from 1998 un til 2003 , were analyzed in th e form of interview s w ith experts an d by revie­ wing docum entation. In th e evidence a t the C entre for social w elfare of th e city Novi Sad th ere were 74 abused an d neglected children. In the m entio­ ned period, th e 43 were girls or 50% an d 31 boys or 41.9% from all abused and neglected children. The investigation showed th a t recorded cases were only w ithin the fam ily and th a t th e m oth er is m ostly th e ab u ser 50%, th e n th e cases w here th e fath e r was th e ab u ser 30%. M other, ste p fa th e r an d elder b ro th er have abused one child in one recorded case 10%, while th e uncle has abused, as well, one child, th e girl 10%. T h at m eans th a t abusers in lower num ber of cases are elder brother, uncle, ste p fa th e r and oth er m em bers of th e family. As well, in lower num ber of abuse cases several persons were involved in th e child ab u se12.

The experts in Serbia are w arning th a t the p a re n ts who are abusing th e ir children stre ss out th e im portance of fam ily values in public13. The fact is th a t the abuse is more often appearing in the fam ilies th a t are know n by crim inal activities, prostitution, alcoholism or o ther forms, th e exterior noti­ ceable forms of the fam ily deviation. However, the abuse exists in the, by the appearance, “happy” fam ilies and th a t m akes it difficult to discover th e abuse. Because of th a t, it would be wrong to consider th e child abuse charac­

11 E . g . “I n th e U n ite d S ta te s , b e tw e e n 800.000 a n d 1 m illio n c h ild re n a r e id e n tifie d as a b u se d o r n eg lect e a c h y e a r a s a re s u lt o f re p o rts to ch ild p ro te c tio n a g en cie s. B e tw e e n th re e a n d five c h ild re n die fro m fa ta l m a ltr e a tm e n t e a c h day, a n d h o m icid e b y p a r e n ts is a lea d in g c au se o f tr a u m a - r e la te d d e a th for c h ild re n u n d e r 4 y e a rs o f a g e ”. C h ild a b u se, [in:] E n cy clo p e ­

d ia o f E d u c a tio n a l P sychology...

12 N. Ljubojev, Z a s tita d e te ta od z lo sta v lja n ja i za n e m a r iv a n ja , 2008, pp. 225, 244. 13 N. K ap o r-S tan u lo v ic, P sih o lo g ija ro d iteljstva , 1985, p. 42.

teristic only for the alcoholic population and other edge groups, although th e ir p rim ary noticeable deviation is tra n sp a re n t, so th e notice of th is d istu r­ bance is easier: child ab u se14.

Child abuse is a heterogeneous phenom enon which produces complex an d negative consequences an d is influenced by various conditional factors.

W ith th e abuse, th e psychophysical child developm ent is harm ed, the body injuries are caused or th e em otional and behavior consequences (de­ pression, anxiety). Such dam age to th e child’s h e a lth caused is m ost probably lifelong15.

W ith th a t, w ith the actions of abuse not only th a t th e physical, b u t the m en tal h e a lth of th e child is h arm ed an d endangered. The consequences of abuse are: w eak self-respect, confidence in oneself and others, lowered capa­ bility for m aking contacts and th e problem s w ith learning, low threshold of tolerance, expressed aggressiveness, over expressed use of prim itive defense m echanism (such as rejecting, projection), neurotic disorders etc.16 Often expression of open forms of self-destructive behavior such as attem p ts to suicide, th re a ts and various forms of self-harm ing, b u t also the aggressive an d destructive behavioral expression a t home and in th e school.

M ost of th e abused children express huge problem s in ad a p ta tio n in the school. T heir lim ited atten tion , often hyperactivity and cognitive im pairm ent resu lts in bad learn in g resu lts. These children som etim es do not atte n d reg u lar classes. T heir aggressiveness, and in the older age, delicts m ake problem s in the contact w ith th e children of th e sam e age17. In fact, abused children form basic identification w ith th e ir aggressive parents.

Psychologists w arn th a t m any people th a t were abused in th e ir childho­ od continue th e negative tra d itio n an d abuse th e ir own children18. In this w ay the tra n sg e n era tio n conductivity of abuse is expressed.

14 See g e n e ra lly L .H . P e lto n (ed.), T h e S o c ia l C o n text o f C h ild A b u se a n d N eglect, 1981. 15 N. W. A c k erm a n , T rea tin g the T roubled F a m ily , 1966, p. 306.

16 S ee g e n e r a lly B .J. C lin g (ed.), S e x u a liz e d V iolence a g a in s t W om en a n d C h ild ren :

A P sychology a n d L a w P erspective, 1994.

17 T he in v e s tig a tio n Typology of th e fa m ily a n d p e rso n s of th e u n d e ra g e d e lin q u e n ts , by G o ra n K nezevic g av e a n im p o r ta n t in fo rm a tio n a b o u t th e m a jo rity fa m ilie s of th e u n d e ra g e s in n e rs w h e re th e y w e re re c ru ite d . M ost o f th e m a r e from th e fa m ily ty p e - cold a n d a b a n d o ­ n e d w ho w e re c h a ra c te riz e d w ith th e a b se n ce o f in tim acy , u n d e rs ta n d in g , th e p re sen c e of th e conflicts, in co n siste n c e a n d a m b iv a le n ce . A d o le scen t w ho h a v e b e e n p h y sic ally a b u se d a re m ore lik e ly to b e inv o lv ed in sm oking, d rin k in g , d elinquency, a n d su icid e a tte m p ts . See E. D e y k in et al., A P ilo t S tu d y o f the E xp o su re to C h ild A b u se or N eg lect on A d o le sc en t S u ic id a l B ehavior, “A m e ric an J o u r n a l of P s y c h ia tr is t” 1985, no. 142 pp. 1 2 9 9 -1 3 0 3 .

18 Psychological s tu d ie s co n firm t h a t th e tr a n s g e n e r a tio n tra n s m is s io n o f th e a b u s e e x ists in th e fam ily. I n o th e r w o rd s, th e tra n s m is s io n in th e fa m ily ex is ts , th ro u g h th e g e n e ra tio n s, th e fo rm o f th e a b u se d p a re n t. B u t, t h a t does n o t m e a n t h a t a p rio ri “th e violence gives b i r th to th e v iolence”“, b e ca u se t h a t w ould b e too sim p le b u t t h a t “th e violence c a n b o rn th e v iolence” a n d t h a t “th e a b u se d c h ild re n c a n becom e p a r e n ts a b u s e rs ”. A. L akic, Z lo sta v lja n je dece trans-

g e n e r a c ijs k a tr a n s m is ija n a s ilja u p o ro d ic i, [in:] P r im a r n e fu n k c ije p o ro d ic e i p o re m e ca ji u p o n a s a n ju m la d ih , 1996, p. 235.

P h e n o m e n o n fo rm s o f a b u se

The abuse is m anifested th ro u g h th e phenom enon forms of physical, sexual and em otional abuse. In the theory, it is generally accepted th a t these are occurring forms of abuse.

It is considered th a t th e sexual and physical abuse is alw ays connected w ith em otional abuse, while th e em otional child abuse can be expressed as a sep arate e n tity 19.

Child abuse w as brought to public and professional a tte n tio n w hen it was identified in th e m edical an d social work lite ra tu re in th e U. S. and Europe du ring th e 1960s an d 1970s. The lan d m ark publication by pediatric C. H enry Kempe and his colleagues defined th e term “b a tte re d child syndro­ m e“ an d is frequently viewed an in itia tin g th e field20. The In te rn atio n a l Society for P revention and Child Abuse and Neglect since it was founded in th e late 1970s, draw s th e worldwide a tte n tio n to th e problem.

In th is work, th e m ain point will be on child abuse in th e fam ily w ith defining the phenom enon forms.

1. Physical child abuse is considered the discovery of m odern medici­ ne w hich was enabled th a n k s to th e developm ent of m odern radiological technology, as well as other diagnostic m ethods. This phenom enon becomes th e subject of in te rests of physician experts, especially pediatricians, radiolo­ gists an d psychiatrist, who have first described th e consequences of physical child abuse to th e h e a lth and development.

Physical abuse, com pared to th e oth er forms of abuse, a t th e beginning, has draw n the a tte n tio n of expert an d social public. In the m odern physician lite ra tu re th e a tte n tio n of physician experts is focused on physical abuse since 196221, w hen th e research by th e H enry C. Kempe and his colleagues led to th e discovery of „battered child syndrom e”, giving th e detailed eviden­ ce of repeated m ultiple bone fractures of children suspected of being abused.

The physical child abuse in th e fam ily concerns physical acts of the p a re n t or guard ian, done w ith th e intention, w ith th e use of physical force,

19 T he p h y sical force is a lw ay s n e e d e d to do th e em o tio n al a b u s e o f th e child. A s m e n tio ­ n e d before, d u rin g ev ery form of th e a b u s e th e c h ild ’s n a tu r a l s ta te o f d ep en d e n c e a n d w e a k ­ n e ss a g a in s t h im is u sed . T he c h ild is, d u e to th e u n b a la n c e d pow er c o m p a red to th e g ro w n u p s, em o tio n ally tie d a n d d e p e n d a n t fro m th e m , in a v u ln e ra b le condition. F o r ex am p le, v e rb a l a b u se does n o t h a v e to b e follow ed by th e p h y sic al force. Som e a u th o r s h a v e r ig h t to m ak e a conclu sio n t h a t “clin ical ev id en ce o f th e fra c tu re d r a d iu s do n o t exclude th e p o ss ib ility t h a t th e ch ild w a s n e g le cte d o r em o tio n a lly a b u s e d ”. C.M . M cN eese a n d H ebeler, T h e A b u s e d C h ild , CIBA, 1997, no. 5 p. 29. O nce a g ain , to p o in t o u t, it is c o n sid ere d t h a t it is im p o ssib le t h a t th e ch ild is se x u a lly a n d p h y sic a lly a b u se d , w ith o u t th e e m o tio n al ab u se.

20 L a n d m a r k a rtic le T h e B a tte r e d C h ild S y n d r o m e b y C .H . K em p e, F.N. S ilv erm a n , B.F. S teele, W. D ro e g em u e lle r a n d H .K . S ile r f irs t d e sc rib e d th is p h en o m en o n , “J o u r n a l o f th e A m e ric an M edical A sso ciatio n ” 1962, no. 181, pp. 1 7 -2 4 .

w ith or w ithout use of o th er tools, w hich cause or have th e possibility to cause th e physical injuries or som etim es even th e d e a th of th e child.

It is im p o rtan t to point out th a t th e physical child abuse considers conscious an d willing behavior of th e p a re n t or o ther persons who are tak ing care of th e child, an d in principle, m eans th a t the h a rm and m alicious acts are repeated. However, it can be m entioned th a t th e physical child abuse in th e cases of only one act of the p a re n t or the gu ard ian, is so dangerous to th e child th a t th e rep eatin g of such an act cannot be allowed (e.g. th e a tte m p t to kill a child, causing serious physical injury). V isual consequences of the physical abuse can ap p ear im m ediately after such a m alicious behavior of th e parent.

The m ost frequent forms of physical child abuse are: clapping w ith the h an d s and legs, pulling th e hair, h ittin g w ith th e belt, stick, cord an d sim ilar objects, kicking, biting, throw ing, tw istin g p a rts of the body and face, h a r­ m ing w ith sh arp an d dull objects, strangling, b u rn in g (w ith the cigarette, a m atch), bu rnin gs done w ith hot w ater, etc.22 However, the physical abuse also considers th e physical acts such as: binding, closing or closing in the d a rk room, closing in th e cupboard, complete lim ited m ovem ent, etc. All these physical acts provoke or can provoke physical injuries or in m ost extrem e case th e d eath of th e child23.

A lthough th e physical child in teg rity is integrally protected, a set of rig h ts which especially protect some elem ents of his physical integrity: the rig h t to live, th e rig h t on h e a lth in constricted sense etc. Closing th e child in th e house is th e h a rm of his rig h ts for free m ovem ent and can exceptionally be lim ited only for safety reasons.

2. Sexual abuse in general, especially children, is one of the hardest aspect of sexual deviations, which can cause serious consequences on physi­ cal, psychological, m oral an d social developm ent of the victim. In th e theory, evidence exists to show th a t a t least 20% of A m erican women an d 5% to 10% of A m erican m an experienced sam e form of sexual abuse as children24.

22 M u n c h a u s e n ’s S y n d ro m e b y Proxy, a n illn e ss fa b ric a te d b y a p a r e n t t h a t c a n cause h a r m to a child, is also g e n e ra lly in clu d e d in th e s p e c tru m o f ch ild m a ltr e a tm e n t. F a ta l m a ltr e a tm e n t in w h ic h a ch ild d ies from a re p e titiv e p a tt e r n of a b u s e or n eg lect, is o ften s e p a ra te categ o ry in th e lite r a tu r e . J . E. K orb in , C h ild A b u se , [in:] E n cyclo p ed ia o f A n th r o p o lo ­

g y , 2005, a v a ila b le a t: <http ://w w w .sag e-erefen c e.co m /an th ro p o lo g y /A rticle_ n 1 6 4 .H tm l> ( la s t v i­

site d Dec. 2008).

23 “C h ild p h y sic al a b u se d a m a g e s c h ild re n physically, em otionally, a n d socially. P h y sical a b u s e m a y le a d to b ru is e s , c u ts , b u rn s , fra c tu re s , in te r n a l in ju rie s or, in th e m o st e x tre m e c a s es d e a th ”. B. D. P e r r y e t a l., C h ild P h ys ic a l A b u se , [in:] E n cyclo p e d ia o f C rim e a n d P u n is h ­

m e n t, 2002, a v a ila b le a t: <http://w w w .sag eerefen ce.co m /crim e p u n ish m e n t/A rtic le _ n 5 6 .h tm l>

( la s t v isite d Dec. 2008).

24 D. F in k e lh o r, C u rr en t In fo r m a tio n on the Scope a n d N a tu r e o f C h ild S e x u a l A buse.

D uring centuries, th e sexual abuse w ithin th e fam ily is presen t, espe­ cially girls, and is spread over all countries. Today, approxim ately 150.000 confirmed cases of child sexual abuse were reported to child w elfare a u th o ri­ ties in th e U. S. during 1993. This nu m ber rep resen ts about 15% of the more th a n one m illion confirmed cases of all child abuse and neglect25.

Sexual child abuse concerns a tte m p ts to or perform ed sex, as well as other m eans of activities w ith th e child w hich are done for th e sexual purpo­ ses, using th e force or w ithout it by th e p a re n t or by guardian.

Sexual child abuse is a tra u m a tic event so th a t only one incident is enough to the victim , who has survived it, and leaves h a rd and long-lasting psychological and social consequences. However, sexual abuse is rarely h a p ­ pening only once, it is rep eated several m onths or even some y ears2 6.

Sexual child abuse w ithin th e fam ily is th e problem to w hich full a tte n ­ tion should be dedicated, those who have survived have long-lasting conse­ quences in th e way of d isru p ted memory, guilty conscience, self-blam ing and a need for a several y ears of a th era p y2 7.

3. Emotional abuse is m ost difficult to determ ine, and often needs the expertise of experts from th e field of m en tal h e a lth about th e intensity, chronicity and consequences of p a re n t’s behavior2 8. It is necessary to u n d e r­ line th a t it is m ostly rep eated form of behavior, so it is im p o rtan t to notice th e cum ulative consequences of th e p a re n t’s doing and not doing to th e child. The consequences m ost often are not visible imm ediately, th ey are ra th e r expressed after system atical child abuse, after long period.

As th ere is not a general accepted definition or m eaning of th e term of physical and sexual child abuse, th ere is not a uniquely accepted and determ i­ ned m eaning of the emotional child abuse. In the litera tu re is specially noted th e obstacle considering the definition of the emotional abuse. Child abuse litera tu re often gives the im pression th a t the authors regard the term s emo­ tional abuse and psychological abuse as synonymous, or th a t th e latter, psy­ chological abuse, subsum es th e form er and m any o ther types of abuse29.

25 See g e n e ra lly D. F in k e lh o r, C h ild S e x u a l A b u se: N e w T heory a n d R esea rch , 1984. 26 D. F in k e lh o r, T h e In te r n a tio n a l E p id e m io lo g y o f C h ild S e x u a l A b u se , “C h ild A buse & N eg lect” 1994, no. 18, pp. 4 0 9 -4 1 7 .

27 See N. Ljubojev, S e ks u a ln o zlo sta vlja n je d eteta u porodici, “P ra v n i zivot” 2008, no. 10(57), pp. 4 0 5 -4 1 7 .

28 I n th e C e n tre for social w e lfare in N ovi S ad , R ep u b lic o f S e rb ia, d u rin g 1998 to 2003, th e re w a s re co rd e d o n ly one case o f th e em o tio n al a b u se , w h ic h is th e d a ta w h ic h p o in ts o u t m ore th e n o n - u n d e rs ta n d in g o f th is p h en o m en o n , w h ic h is n o t d efin ed w ith s tric tly developed e x p e rt s ta n d a rd s , b u t r a th e r o n its n o n -e x iste n ce a n d a d eq u a c y o f th e fam ily s u rro u n d in g to th e em o tio n al d ev e lo p m en t a n d c h ild ’s life. H ow ever, fro m th e d e sc rip tio n o f som e c ases in th e files it w a s po ssib le to re a d t h a t th e c h ild re n w e re closed, th ro w n o u t from th e h o u se s a n d t h a t in o th e r w ay s w e re e m o tio n ally a b u se d . N. Ljubojev, Z a s tita d e teta od z lo sta v lja n ja i za n e m a ri-

va n ja u p o ro d ic i, 2008, pp. 225, 236.

29 See K. O ’H o g an , E m o tio n a l a n d P sychological A b u se: P ro b lem o f D efin itio n , “C hild A buse & N eg lect” 1995, no. 19(14), pp. 449, 461.

W ithin th e first definitions th a t have tried to precisely define th e m e­ aning of the psychological child m altre a tm e n t, was surely th e definition of by Ja m e s G arrbarino: “Psychological m a ltre a tm e n t is a concerted a tta ck by an ad u lt on a child’s developm ent of self and social competence, a p a tte rn of psychically destructive behavior and it tak es five forms : rejecting, isolating, terrorizing, ignoring, corrupting”30.

In our opinion, em otional child abuse concerns th e action and non-action of th e p a re n t or th e guard ian s, such as throw ing away, insulting, isolation, terrorizing, verbal a tta ck and sim ilar ones, w hich can provoke serious and long-lasting breakdow ns in th e child’s em otional developm ent31.

M ost ab u n d a n t ways of th e em otional child abuse are: depriving of love an d care, abandoning th e child, closing (in d ark room, basem ent, cupboard), em otional coldness, absence of th e com m unication w ith th e child, p erm anen t in su ltin g (pejorative nam es and attrib u tes), p erm an en t lau g h at th e child (to th e appearance or other characteristics of child’s personality), the presence of child abuse in th e fam ily (mother, bro thers, sisters), bringing to th e social unexpected and destructive behavior, terrorizing, isolation, etc.32

C o n c lu sio n

In the fam ily th e child cannot protect him self, because he is vulnerable w ith in it in d ependant situ atio n th a t’s why he needs the p a re n t’s love which is th e basic h u m an need. Child’s n a tu ra l sta te of dependence, infirm ity and sensibility in abusing fam ily atm osphere is used ag ain st it. The fact is th a t th e child abuse conducted by p a re n ts has for a consequence th a t th e child is facing th e confusion of a loyalty, confidence and emotions. W hat is defeating for th e child is th e violation of th e tru s t relationship betw een the child and th e p aren t. V ulnerability of th e child requ ires special protection from dam a­ ging p a re n ts’ acts which are endangering his life, developm ent an d health.

30 See g e n e ra lly J . G a rrb a rin o e t al., T h e P sychologically B a tte re d C h ild , 1986. I n th e one o f t h e ir p ra c tic e g u id e lin e s , th e A m e ric a n P ro fe ss io n a l S o ciety on th e A b u se of C h ild re n (A PSA C) 1995, h a v e sy s te m o f six m a in c a teg o rie s o f p a r e n ta l b e h a v io r d e em ed e m o tio n ally a b u siv e: s p u rrin g te rro riz in g , iso latin g , ex p lo itin g , c o rru p tin g , d e n y in g e m o tio n al re sp o n siv e ­ n e ss, a n d m e n ta l h e a lth / m ed ic al/ leg a l n eg le ct. S e v e ral of th e o v erall fo rm s c o n s titu te a c tu a l b e h av io rs. T h e re a re lis t o f b e h av io rs w h ic h a r e in clu d e d w ith in e a c h o f th e six b e h a v io rs w h ic h a r e in clu d e d w ith in e a c h o f th e six fo rm s o f m a ltr e a tm e n t. M .R. B ra ssa rd ,L .K . D onovan,

D e fin in g P sych o lo g ica l M a ltr e a tm e n t, [in:] M .M . F re e ric k e t al., D efin itio n ,C la ssific a n ts, a n d a F ra m ew o rk fo r R esearch, “C h ild A buse & N e g lec t” 2006, pp. 1 5 1 -1 9 7 .

31 N. Ljubojev, V id o v i e m o cio n a ln o g z lo s ta v lja n ja d e te ta u p o ro d ici, “S o c ija ln a m is a o ” 2004, no. 3 -4 , pp. 3 3 -5 0 .

32 See g e n ea lly R.P. R ohner, E.C . R ohner, A n te ce d e n te s a n d C onsequences o f P a re n ta l

In th e family, only one child can be the victim of th e p a re n t’s abuse, although th a t can be all th e children of the m any-m em ber family. Abused are th e children of all races, all economical levels and all ethnic groups.

The investigation, done in Novi Sad (Republic of Serbia), a t th e C entre for social welfare, from th e 1998 to 2003, w ithin th e registered cases, child abuse was only occurring w ithin th e family. The investigation was done on th e specim en of 74 children, who were abused and neglected, during the m entioned tim e, on th e territo ry of th e town of Novi Sad.

The p a re n ts th a t abuse th e ir children do not rep re sen t th e homogenous group, they differ in th e way of th e ir education and level of intelligence, and can be found w ithin all races, economic levels and ethnic groups.

The child abuse is phenomenologically divergent occurrence which pro­ duces v aried and complex consequences and which is influenced by different conditional factors. W ith the abuse the psychophysical development of the child is harm ed, leaving body injuries and emotional or behavior consequences.

The tran sm issio n often exists in th e family, th ro u g h the generations, th e p a tte rn of the abused parent. T h at does not m ean th a t th e violence gives b irth to violence, because it would be too sim ple to claim. However, violence can born violence, and th e abused children very often become th e p a re n ts th a t abuse.

In th e lite ra tu re , th e concept of th e child abuse is defined in different ways, b u t th e a u th o r opted to determ ine th e im p o rta n t elem ents for juridical definition of th e concept. The a u th o r defines th a t child abuse exists w hen the p a re n t usin g its physical s tre n g th and powerful position, m aliciously tre a ts th e child, w ith w h at th e child’s life, h ealth , physical or em otional develop­ m en t is endangered.

The abuse is m anifested th ro u g h occurring forms of physical, sexual and em otional abuse. In theory, it is generally accepted th a t these are th e ap p a­ re n t forms of the abuse. It is impossible th a t th e child is sexually and physically abused w ithout, on th a t occasion, not being em otionally abused. T h a t’s why it is considered th a t the sexual and physical abuse is always connected w ith em otional, while th e em otional one can be expressed as a sep arate entity.

Em otional child abuse m eans acts and non-acts of th e p a re n ts or the guardians, such as abandoning, insulting, isolation, terrorizing, verbal atta ck and th e like, w hich can provoke serious and long-lasting disturbances in the child’s em otional development.

Sexual child abuse m eans th e a ttem p ts and carrying out sexual relation, as well as o th er m eans of activities w ith th e child which are done for sexual purposes, using th e force or not.

In th e end, physical abuse of th e child w ith in th e fam ily m eans physical acts of th e p a re n t or g u ard ian , w ith th e intention, using physical force, w ith or w ithout using oth er objects, causing or can be causing physical injuries or som etim es even th e d eath of th e child.

S tr e s z c z e n ie

M a ltreto w a n ie d zie c i w ro d zin ie

Słow a kluczow e: m a ltre to w a n ie dzieck a, przem oc w ro d zin ie, p ra w a d zieck a, w y k o rzy sty w a n ie s e k s u a ln e i zn ęc an ie się fizyczne.

W ykorzystywanie dzieci w rodzinie stanow i najbardziej bolesną formę przemocy, biorąc pod uwagę właściwości psychofizyczne ofiar, emocjonalny związek, relacje zau fania i zależności oraz obowiązki rodziców wobec dzieci. Zjawisko to stanow i w yraźny przykład n aru szen ia i zagrożenia praw dziec­ ka. A utorka a rty k u łu określa istotne elem enty praw nej identyfikacji tego zjaw iska: z krzyw dzeniem dziecka m am y do czynienia, gdy rodzice źle je tra k tu ją i używając siły fizycznej i swej pozycji, powodują zagrożenie życia, zdrowia, fizycznego lub emocjonalnego rozwoju dziecka.

N adużyw anie przejaw ia się w ogólnie przyjętych w teorii formach: fi­ zycznej, seksualnej i emocjonalnej przemocy, k tó ra je s t indyw idualnie defi­ niow ana w tym badaniu. N ależy zauważyć, że seksualne i fizyczne znęcanie się są zawsze zw iązane z m altretow aniem emocjonalnym, podczas gdy prze­ moc emocjonalna, czyli tak ie zachowanie lub zaniechanie rodzica lub opieku­ n a ja k wyrzucanie, obrażanie, izolowanie, zastraszanie, a ta k i w erbalne itp., może pojawić się indyw idualnie. Przem oc sek su aln a dotyczy usiłow ania lub odbycia kontaktów seksualnych z dzieckiem, ja k również innych form czyn­ ności o ch arakterze seksualnym z udziałem dziecka, przy użyciu siły lub też bez, dokonywanych przez rodzica lub opiekuna. Fizyczna przemoc wobec dziecka to fizycznie działanie rodzica lub opiekuna z użyciem siły fizycznej, z użyciem lub nie innych narzędzi, powodujące lub mogące spowodować ran y fizyczne, a czasem naw et śmierć.

A utorka zaznacza, iż dzieci w szystkich ra s o różnym poziomie ekono­ m icznym i ze w szystkich grup etnicznych są narażone n a m altretow anie. M altretow anie je s t złożonym problem em , który prowadzi do różnorodnych negatyw nych konsekwencji, ponieważ szkodzi rozwojowi psychofizycznemu dziecka, powodując ran y cielesne oraz emocjonalne i wychowawcze konse­ kwencje.