One of the grievances facing our society today, which is often ignored and swept under the carpet, is the issue of child neglect. Since the outcome of this issue is never addressed, our society is unaware of how neglect traumatises and psychologically damages a child. The most disturbing aspect concerning child neglect is the manner in which society has become desensitised to this issue and subsequently ignores it in our communities. These cases frequently go unreported and even when they are reported, are often ignored until a tragedy occurs, like the death or serious injury of the unsupervised child.
The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) defines child abuse and neglect as any amount of serious harm or maltreatment which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, and including an act, or failure to act, which presents an imminent risk to a child under the age of 18 (www.yesican.org/defined). In this definition it is clear that child neglect is therefore abuse. Yet society fails to recognise child neglect as a similar serious offence such as physical and sexual abuse. Before we go further, it is essential to evaluate the definition of child neglect. According to C.H Kempe, child neglect is the failure of parents to provide for a child’s basic needs in safeguarding the health, safety and well being of the child. It includes nutritional neglect, educational neglect, and failure to provide medical care or to protect a child from physical, emotional and social danger (Horbert & Frankel 2005).
Society at large is unaware that at most times, the trauma related to child neglect has a far more wide-reaching consequence than that of sexual or physical abuse. Neglect can be extensively destructive to the child; impairing the child’s physical, psychological, intellectual, social, behavioural and emotional development (Lindon, 2003). Studies have indicated that “the number of cases of neglect per year is approximately twice the number of physical abuse and approximately four times the number of sexual abuse” (Giardinoa, 2007).
Neglect is not easy to detect because it tends to exist below the surface of a family system. In most cases it is established gradually over an extensive period of time which makes it difficult to identify (Lindon, 2003). The reasons behind child neglect are often not easy to trace and may differ due to varying factors concerning the nature of the neglect. Sadly, one common factor is that some parents may be replicating a distorted parenting style learned from their own parents (Giardinoa, 2007). Therefore parents are unable to differentiate between raising the child and abusing the child, which then develops into a vicious cycle. The question we need to grapple with is how do we break this vicious cycle from continuously sabotaging innocent children?
It’s a heartbreaking reality that thousands of children are subjected to neglect; this has been such a huge problem in South Africa. The government has implemented the Children Act, which contains guiding principles for parents to comply with to ensure that the child’s best interests and well-being are regulated. Act No 18 of 2006 states that a person with specific parental responsibilities and rights are obliged to provide the needed care and protection for the child. Act No. 38 of 2005 stated that if a child is not provided with the minimum standard of care to meet their basic needs, the child must be removed to a place of safety (Government Gazette, 2006). Yet our society often fails to follow up on this procedure, which raises more concerns regarding our fight against child neglect.
Another factor we need to bear in mind when dealing with child neglect are the most extreme cases of emotional and psychological neglect. Severe neglect of a child is one form of trauma that will most certainly have a long-term impact on a child well into adulthood. In fact, ongoing trauma caused by neglect may cause a child to suffer from depression, insomnia, promiscuity, brain alterations, suicide and extreme anger and eventually suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Today there is growing evidence that verifies that PTSD can be a result of the accumulation of such childhood traumas. In some cases trauma does not show up until much later in life or until it is triggered by certain circumstances (www.casapalmera.com).
Severe forms of neglect mostly occur in families with a lack of resources. If parents can't look after their children, who will? How can we raise awareness to address these matters? Can the child rely on society in order for their needs to be met? These are the questions we need to grapple with. Child neglect needs to have a voice in order to raise awareness. Most of us know morally that child neglect is wrong, yet we witness it daily in our schools, in the streets and in communities. Unfortunately nothing is still being done to reduce this injustice in our society. Awareness, both at social level and at an individual level, is of paramount importance to bring a voice to the voiceless.
References
Casa Palmera (2011).Neglect, Abuse and Other Forms of Childhood Trauma.
Giardinoa A, (2007). Helping Children Affected by Abuse. St Louis. G.W. Medical Publishing, Inc.
Government Gazette,(19 June 2006), Act No. 38,2005& Act No. 18,2006. Children’s Act.
Horbert, C & Frankel, J (2005). Good Practice in Child Protection.( 2nd Ed) United kingdom. Stanley Thorns (Publishers) Ltd.
Lindon J, (2003). Child Protection. (2nd Ed) London, Hodder& Stoughton publishing.
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