Child abuse is a subject that has been shared by societies throughout the world, but that hardly has gone public nor has been recognized as a serious social problem due to the view that children belong to their parents and that their corporal punishme...
Child abuse is a subject that has been shared by societies throughout the world, but that hardly has gone public nor has been recognized as a serious social problem due to the view that children belong to their parents and that their corporal punishment may be tolerated and that the matter is nobody else's business other than the immediate family. Especially in our country, the traditional system of patriarchal household and the confucianism exacerbated the thinking. Also, turning into a post-industrial society, the country has witnessed the remarkable trend of nuclear family and the number of needy households growing. The probability of child abuse is being triggered by the increasing number of unmarried mothers and divorced couples due to the changes in the social structure.
Since child abuse is mostly committed on to growing children, its consequences may surface in the children's lifetime and may have catastrophic impact upon the society. That is because the once abused children may develop mental and/or physical handicaps due to the abuses, which in turn may lead the child to delinquency, hampering his growth as a sound member of the society. There remains the social peril in which the abused children may become abusive parents, creating a vicious cycle of abuse from generation to generation.
Hence, the study examines the cause, the types and the consequences of child abuse and outlines the problem and puts forth some improving measures.
Referring to some literature and preceding research in the field, the study finds the cause, the types, the consequences, the problems and the improving measures of child abuse.
The study consists of 6 chapters. In the first Chapter, the introduction, the study takes note of its significance, purpose, methods, and scope. In Chapter Two, it examines the definition as well as some theories on the cause of child abuse. In Chapter Three, it discusses the types and the consequences of child abuse. In Chapter Four, it discusses the current situation, cases and the problems of child abuse worth mentioning. In Chapter Five, it suggests the need of intervention in child abuse and the improving measures for child protection services. Finally, in Chapter Six, the summary of the study and its limitations, and further assignments for the future are presented.