Child Abuse and Neglect Introduction
Children are dependent. They are physically, emotionally, and biologically incompetent to take care of their personal and social needs.
Table of Contents
Parents and guardians (primary caretakers) meet the physical, social, emotional, and financial needs and support the child wherever applicable.
The parent or primary caretaker is responsible to protect the child from physical and emotional harm/trauma.
Read And Learn More: Paediatric Dentistry Notes
When a stranger overcomes the resistance offered by the parents or primary caretaker and causes trauma to a child, it is a crime.
When a parent or the primary caretaker takes advantage of the helplessness of the child and harms the child or causes trauma of any kind, forgetting the moral responsibility towards the child, it is termed child abuse.
Child abuse may be physical, mental or emotional, or sexual.
The parents/primary caretakers bear the onus to provide the child’s basic needs such as clothing, shelter, and food.
They are also responsible for the medical and dental care of the child.
When the basic needs of the Child are not attended appropriately, it is termed neglect.
Child abuse and neglect (CAN) have social, moral, and legal dimensions.
The history of CAN, awareness, and medical observations.
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse pertains to inflicting physical harm/ traumatic injury by the parent or primary caretaker to the child.
The parent/primary caretaker who harms is referred to as the victor and the child is referred to as the victim.
Child abuse has to be suspected on the demonstration of the following on dental examination or general examination:
- Bruise marks, scalding, contusion injuries, bite marks, and burn injuries
- Fractured teeth with unclear history or different interpretation by the parent or the child
- The absence of hair locks may be because of hair pulling
- Inappropriate clothing in correspondence to the weather (full-sleeved warm, woolen clothes in summer to cover up bruises)
- An abused child looks frightened. The child receives treatment but does not comprehend or socialize during the procedures.
Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse results when the psyche of the child is harmed by verbal assault, repeated comparison with peers, demotivation, public humiliation, and rendering security to the child to meet his social challenges.
Such a child looks withdrawn and sullen. He remains introverted.
Sexual Abuse
The child looks sober and is highly apprehensive about physical contact with the dentist who is of the same sex as the victor.
The child may manifest with nail marks and ecchymoses of the palate indulged in forced oral penetration.
Neglect
A child whose basic needs are overlooked is termed a neglected child.
A child whose dental health is not taken care of is an example of dental neglect.
Every child has the right to basic needs and health care needs.
Every parent has the responsibility to deliver the same to the child.
When undone, the parent in this issue of neglect is not only morally guilty but also legally culpable.
Legislations
In India, there is a toll-free helpline number – 1098 – which directs to civic authorities who can do the needful in case of CAN.
The issues of neglect or emotional abuse are often overlooked and go unreported. Sexual abuse and physical abuse alone stand exposed.
All healthcare professionals should have the ‘eye’ to identify abuse/neglect.
To date, there is no legislation in India that sues healthcare professionals on negligence grounds for not reporting a suspicious case.
However, healthcare professionals are professionally, morally, and ethically bound to do so.
PANDA or Prevention of Abuse and Neglect through Dental Awareness is a program active in North America. A dentist can identify a case of child abuse/neglect and act further.
Although child abuse and neglect is a social problems, dental professionals have a pivotal role to play in both the identification and restoration of the condition back to order.
When this responsibility of the dental professional is performed, it escalates his social role.
Child Abuse And Neglect Summary
1. When a parent or primary caretaker harms a child, it is termed child abuse.
2. Child abuse can be physical, mental or emotional, or sexual.
3. The basic need of the child, such as food, clothing, shelter, and medical facility, left unattended is called neglect.
4. Th child suffering trauma is the victim and the person inflicting trauma is the victor.
5. Identifying an abused child in a clinic
6. Toll-free helpline for abused children in India: 1098.
7. Figures 64.1 and 64.2 show the health professional’s role in identifying an abused child.
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