Statistics are always staggering. It seems oftentimes that they are used to shock people, get their attention, and cause change. This is a good thing. One in four children experiences some form of trauma in childhood. Of this, 18% experience physical abuse. Kids can become really
From personal experience, I remember using excuses such as falling on my brother’s bike, wearing long sleaves in public, and even lying to my own mother about my bruises. Since my abuse was a neighbor, it seemed I had one excuse after another. Children who are physically abused, as with all types of trauma, are often threatened if they “tell”. Hiding physical abuse can be the most difficult form of trauma to hide because of it’s obvious effects.
Sometimes, the best way to stop and prevent physical abuse is to remove the child from his or her home. While this may be temporary, it may give time for the child to heal, and the perpetrator to seek treatment or brought to justice. At times, there can also be other forms of abuse occurring along side the physical abuse. In today’s society, education about abuse is much more transparent than it was even ten years ago. You no longer have to be a teacher or a social worker to discover a child who is being traumatized. As we in society continue to work together, that 18% of kids who experience physical abuse can go down in numbers.