The Issue of Child Abuse and Neglect among Students

A. Introduction

Background of the student

Child abuse is a physical maltreatment or sexual molestation of a child. Child

maltreatment has changed significantly to encompass not only physical abuse, but a wide

range of behaviours, clinical features and assumptions (Parton 1979) embracing sexual

abuse, emotional abuse and neglect. The psychoanalytic approach posits that

unconscious parental drives and conflicts determine abusive behaviour (Galdston, 1973;

Steele and Pollock, 1974). And in a review of the abundant literature which views child

abuse from a psychoanalytic perspective, the primary causes were seen to be in the

parents’ psychological troubles. Kempe et al. (1962), for example, described the abuser

as the “psychopathological member of the family.” Such concerns on the part of clinicians

derive in part from the frequently noted multigenerational nature of identified clinical cases

of child abuse: the parents of abused children are often themselves perceived to have

been abused and neglected in childhood (Steele and Pollock, 1974). Whatever the form,

these facts about child abuse describe an urgent and growing need. Millions of children

around the world are suffering and need someone to speak up on their behalf.

Globally in 2014, 1 billion children aged 2–17 years experienced physical, sexual,

and emotional or multiple types of violence. People under eighteen (18) years old,
whether perpetrated by parents or other caregivers, peers, romantic partners, or even

strangers. Experiencing violence in childhood impacts lifelong health and well-being of

children, families, communities, and nations. In Philippines, the Department of Social

Welfare and Development (DSWD) documented an increase in cases of child abuse and

neglect (Yacat & Ong, 2002). And eighty percent (80%) of the 3,866 respondents aged

13-14 years had experienced form of violence in their lifetime, whether in the home,

school, workplace, community or during dating. The estimated total prevalence of

violence against children among males was 81.5 percent and 78.4 percent among

females.

Locally, parallel to this report, THE Kean Gabriel Hotline of the Davao City Social

Services and Development Office (CSSDO) recorded 488 child abuse cases from

January to December in 2017. Of these, 238 involved physical abuse, 44 sexual abuse,

55 neglect, two child labor, four drug/violence related, 23 child custody and 122 other

cases. The youngest victim accommodated by the Kean Gabriel Hotline in 2017 was in

the 0-5 bracket, while the oldest was in the group of 19 years old above. Of 488 victims,

236 are male and 252 females. Through the Kean Gabriel Hotline, 87 male and 75

females were rescued. There were 46 male and 46 female children referred to an

institution while other cases were referred to counselling/advice.

There are a lot of impact when it comes to violence of children. It could result death,

lead to severe injuries, impair brain and nervous system development, and may also

result in negative coping and health risk behaviours. And could contribute to a wide range
of non-communicable diseases. Children exposed to violence is a multifaceted problem

with causes at the individual, close-relationship, community and societal levels of risks.

Child abuse can create a scar into child's life. The victim could possibly extend

violence from being exposed to abusive acts. Similarly, by these actions, there are

consequences of child abuse for the victim whether to his or her family, or worst, society.

As Harrington and Dubowitz (1993) contend that the greater interest has eventuated as

a consequence of the professional community’s discovery of the harmful and expensive

outcomes that can result from child abuse and neglect, such as physical and emotional

harm, the intergenerational transmission of abusive behaviour, delinquency and/or adult

criminal behaviour.

Statement of the Problem

Child abuse became a stigma to the whole society. A combination of individual,

relational, community and societal factors that contribute to the risks of it. This may also

lead to disabilities or mental retardation in children, social isolation of families and

community violence. A widespread and can occur in any cultural, ethnic, or income

group. Where the issue has been increasing substantially throughout the years.

Significance of the Study

 Conducting research in the field of child maltreatment presents huge problems.

Although we know very little about the causes, definitions, treatment, and prevention of

child abuse and neglect, we do know enough to recognize that the causes and effects

of child victimization are not limited to the months or years in which episodes were

reported. The long-term effects of child maltreatment appear to be more destructive to

victims and their families, as well as more costly to society, than the immediate or acute

injuries itself, for those who survive. Yet this, little effort is put into figuring out what

factors predispose, alleviate, or avoid the behavioral and social repercussions of child

maltreatment.

Research Questions

The primary objective of this study is to understand the life of the victim of abuse.

This research formulates and extracts questions that regards to the research title and

objectives. The study endeavor to answer these questions:

1. What are the victim’s thoughts about the reasons of child abuse?

2. What does the victim feel when they are being abused?

3. How does child abuse affect the focus and engagement in schoolwork?

4. How does the victim overcome abuse?

Scope and Delimitation

 Reports of child maltreatment have increased from 416, 033 per year in 1976 to

1, 700,000 per year in 1990, the most recent year tracked by the National Child Abuse

and Neglected Data System. Leading organizations, such as the United States Advisory

Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, have termed the rise in recorded incidents of child

abuse in the United States as an "epidemic" of child abuse, referring to the problems of

child abuse and neglect.

Theoretical Framework

For a better understanding of the impact of child abuse or child labor on

secondary school students' academic performance, single motherhood and divorce

have been identified as key variables contributing to child abuse or child labor. This

behavior has been explained using the principle of relative deprivation. According to

Gurr's (1990) relative deprivation theory, relative deprivation refers to a perceived

disparity between value expectations and value capabilities.

The wider the average perceived gap between expected and valued skills, the

larger the severity and scope of relative deprivation among members of the same

collective, and the higher the risk of collective violence. Gurr goes on to say that

violence happens when a person or a group of people compares themselves to others.

They are perceived to be of the same class or standing as them, and they feel less

measurable as a result of the system's denial of opportunities or resources to which

they are equally entitled. When their plans to meet up are blocked, they become

frustrated, and they are more inclined to strike at the source of their frustration (Gurr,
1990). When parents or couples split, studies suggest that the children are more likely

to live with one or both of the spouses, or to be split between the couples. As a result,

children from an early age are susceptible to various sorts of maltreatment. They are

subjected to child labor, hawking, domestic abuse, and other forms of exploitation.

B. Research Methodology

Research Design

Phenomenology qualitative design is used in this study since it describes how

human beings experience a certain phenomenon and felt by senses. A

phenomenological study attempts to set aside biases and preconceived assumptions

about human experiences, feelings, and responses to a particular situation.

Research Locale and Participants

The respondents of the study were students, age’s range fourteen (14) to

eighteen (18) years old.

Sampling Technique
 The study used an Interview Guide Questionnaire as the Research Instrument.

The researchers prepared an interview questions that would accurately answer the

research problems.

Data Analysis

Since all the respondents answered in vernacular, the researchers transcribed

and translated their responses into English. Then it has been summarized into codes

prior to the statements. And categorized each code to form a theme to each research

questions based on the respondent’s answers.

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Submitted by: Christine Pearl L. Ibañez

Submitted to: Genelyn A. Barbasan