General Purpose- To Persuade
Specific Idea- My audience will be persuaded to think that child abuse is a serious problem.
Central Idea- I plan to talk about the alarming numbers of child abuse, the causes, and the signs and symptoms, and some solutions we can use.
Introduction
I. As you hear this, one little girl is crying out in pain, one little boy is begging not to be touched there anymore.
II. I am a strong opponent of child abuse. I believe that it is wrong and I have read and did research on the problem.
III. Only we, those adults on outside looking in on the problems in the neighbor’s house can help. Please, don’t hesitate to get involved.
IV. Today I plan to talk about the alarming numbers of child abuse, the causes, and the signs and symptoms, and some solutions we can use.
Body
I. We need to be aware of child abuse.
A. 1,185 children in 1996 died from child abuse.
B. Over three million cases of child abuse were reported last year.
II. I will discuss the two main causes of child abuse.
A. The most common and least understood cause child abuse is due to the abuser being a victim of child abuse themselves.
B. Another common cause of child abuse is alcohol and drug abuse.
III. I will tell about the symptoms and signs of child abuse.
A. The symptoms of children being abused by alcoholic parents.
B. The symptoms of children being abused by sexual abuse.
C. The signs of children being abused.
IV. I will talk about some solutions to child abuse.
A. Solutions used by parents.
B. Solutions used by professionals.
Conclusion
I.In closing I would like to encourage you all to become more aware of the children around you. Look for the signs that I have just described. With the numbers of children being abused today, it must be going on right under our noses, so please open your eyes and look for a child silently crying out for help.
II. My dream is that someday; this kind of speech won’t be needed anymore. My wish is that not a single child will be murdered tonight. Not a single child will be raped as you listen to this speech. My prayer is that we will hear the little cries and finally answer
As you read this, one little girl is crying out in pain, one little boy is begging not to be touched there anymore. Child abuse is one of the most commonly overlooked crimes. It is also the most commonly committed. Everyday more and more children are neglected, beaten, raped, touched, or mentally tortured. Right now, children are praying for someone to help them when they can’t help themselves. And we close our ears and avert our eyes. I am a strong opponent of child abuse. I believe that it is wrong and I have read and did research on the problem. What I want to persuade you to do is to keep your eyes and ears open, I want you to listen for the cries of these children who so desperately need our help. It is now estimated that 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 5 boys are molested in some way before their 18th birthday. This doesn’t even begin to cover how many are beaten or belittled in the name of love. This is a national tragedy that has to stop! Only we, those adults on outside looking in on the problems in the neighbor’s house can help. Please, don’t hesitate to get involved. Child abuse is NOT a family issue. It is a CRIME! Today I plan to talk about the alarming numbers of child abuse, the causes, and the signs and symptoms, and some solutions we can use.
The statistics on child abuse are alarming. According to the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse the most accurate data on child maltreatment fatalities, currently available estimate that in 1996, 1,185 children died from child abuse. For those who survive, the emotional trauma remains long after the external
bruises have healed. The US department and Human service state that there are over 3 million reported cases of child abuse each year in this country. Three million that’s a lot of kids! And that’s just the reported cases! Can you imagine how many other children out there who are getting beat and abused on a daily basis who are not reported because they either are too scared, too young, or they don’t even know that this kind of behavior from parents is wrong.
The most common and least understood cause of child abuse is due to the
abuser being a victim of child abuse themselves. You would think that these people, especially, would know how painful it is to be tortured and beaten with no means of protecting themselves. It is so important for this cycle of generational child abuse to come to an end, and I believe that people should just get involved when they suspect that a child is being abused, instead of saying it’s none of their business, people need to make it their business for the sake of generations to come. Child sexual abusers can make the child extremely fearful of telling, and only when a special effort has helped the child to feel safe, can the child talk freely.
Physical battering is not the only kind of child abuse; it’s just the most obvious kind. Many children are victims of neglect, and sexual or emotional abuse, and in many cases the child is subjected to all of these kinds of abuse from their parents or other loved and trusted relatives. According to George E. Fryer, JR 91.8 percent of the victims were abused by their parents, and another 3.8 percent were by relatives.
Another common causes of child abuse is alcohol and drug abuse.
When parents become so deeply involved in substance abuse the children are
the ones who suffer. According to the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse 88 percent of respondents named substance as one of the top problems by families. Child and adolescent psychiatrists know these children are at greater risk for having emotional problems than children whose parents are not alcoholic.
Alcoholism runs in families, and children of alcoholics are four times more
likely than other children to become alcoholics. This in its self is a form of abuse.
There are over 90 thousand incidents of child sexual abuse reported each
year and 2,000 children die annually from child neglect. Currently about 47 out of every 1,000 children are reported as victims of child abuse, states the US department and human services. This is a huge problem in this country and in others. I believe that if people were educated about what causes child abuse and what some of the characteristics that lead to child abuse are, that the ever-increasing rate of child abuse might start to see a decline.
I think we need to be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of child
abuse in order to help these children. Murray Straus, author of Beating the Devil out of them states that a child in an alcoholic family may have a variety of problems:
Such as guilt, the child may see himself or herself as the main cause of the mother’s or father’s drinking.
Anxiety, the child may worry constantly about the situation at home. He
or she is afraid the alcoholic parent will become sick or injured, and may
also fear fights and violence between the parents.
Embarrassment, parents may give the message that there is a terrible
secret at home. The ashamed child does not invite friends home and is
afraid to ask anyone for help.
For victims of sexual abuse the symptoms are even more severe.
A child who is the victim of prolonged sexual abuse usually develops
Low self- esteem, a feeling of worthlessness and an abnormal perspective on
sexuality
The child may become withdrawn and mistrustful of adults, and can become
suicidal.
Some children who have been sexually abused have difficulty relating to
others except on sexual terms and become child abusers or prostitutes, or have
other serious problems when they reach adulthood.
Often there are no physical signs of child abuse, or signs that only a
physician can detect.
That’s why it is so important for adult caregivers to be aware of some of
the behavioral changes that go along with sexually abused children.
Unusual interest in or avoidance of all things of a sexual nature.
Sleep problems or nightmares.
Depression or withdrawal from friends or family.
Seductiveness.
Statements that their bodies are dirty or damaged,
Refusal to go to school
Secretiveness.
Unusual aggressiveness.
Suicidal behavior.
Other severe behavior changes.
Here are some preventive measures parents can take according to Christopher Bagley, author of Children, Sex, and Social Policy:
Tell children that ?if someone tries to touch your body and do things
that make you feel funny, say NO to that person and tell me right away.?
Teach children that respect does not mean blind obedience to adults and to
authority for example,
Don’t tell children to always do everything the teacher or baby-sitter
tells you to do.
Encourage professional prevention programs in the local school system.
Sexually abused children and their families need professional evaluation
and treatment. Child and adolescent psychiatrists can help abused children
regain a sense of self-esteem, cope with feelings of guilt about the abuse,
and begin the process of overcoming the trauma. Such treatment can help reduce the risk that the child will develop serious problems as an adult and possibly prevent them from becoming abusive parents.
In closing I would like to encourage you all to become more aware of the
children around you. Look for the signs that I have just described. With
the numbers of children being abused today, it must be going on right under
our noses, so please open your eyes and look for a child silently crying out for help. My dream is that someday; this kind of paper won’t be needed anymore. My wish is that not a single child will be murdered tonight. Not a single child will be raped as you read this paper. My prayer is that we will hear the little cries and finally answer.
Bagley, Christopher, Children, Sex, and Social Policy, Averbury Books,
copyright 1997
Coon, Dennis, Introduction to Psychology, Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.
Pages138-139, copyright 1998
Fryer, Jr., George E., Child Abuse and the Social Environment, Westview Press,
copyright 1993
Straus, Murray A., Beating the Devil Out of Them, Lexington Books,
copyright 1994
National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, Ebsco, copryright 1998
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Child Maltreatment 1996: Reports from the States to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1998).
