There are parents that actually put their infants in microwaves and ovens. Did you know that the death toll from child abuse is rising? Child abuse is something that has been going on for a long time. According to web definitions, child abuse is the physical, emotional, or sexual mistreatment of children. Even though this seems atrocious, parents may physically harm their children and call it discipline. Abusing children and calling it discipline should not be tolerated. This should be implemented because some parents do it for no good reason, people are not aware of the physical and emotional state it has on children, and the death toll from this problem is gradually increasing.
Although it is hard to believe, parents physically abuse their children for no reason. It is believed that parents physically abuse their children because they are stressed out and are dealing with other problems. Some parents do not want to admit they are physically abusing their child, so they call it discipline. Sometimes their emotional feelings and taking it out on their children go too far. For example, in the Marybeth Tinning case, Marybeth was indicted for killing her infant child, Tami Tinning. Marybeth said that the baby started to cry, and she would not stop, so she put a pillow over her face and suffocated her to make her stop crying. Now that is absolutely no reason to harm an infant child. Killing a baby to make it stop crying shows a lack of parental skills and patience Marybeth had. That is not all. Marybeth had eight other children, and all of them had died. Marybeth was given the name “baby killer” (Gado). Also, reported in the New York Times, a religious therapist was charged “one hundred and three years in prison on fifty-nine counts of sexual abuse” (Santora). Even after his trial and all of the commotion he went through, he still did not tell why he did it. All in all, just because parents and adults might be stressed are have mental problems, it does not give them a reason why to take it out on the children.
Even though physically abusing children is definitely out of line, some parents might say it is okay and it is a stronger and more forceful way to discipline a child. For example, hitting a child is a form of discipline and it can correct a child’s behavior. A study shows that “mothers in Kenya are most likely to physically discipline their children” (Natural Child Project). Also, the survey says that “children who were physically disciplined were less aggressive and less anxious” (Natural Child Project), which is a good benefit on child behavior. On the other hand, parents do not know the effect of physically disciplining, or even abusing, a child has on them. Children have tremendous effects of being physically abused. Some parents have no idea the effects of exposure to violence and harsh discipline it has on the kids. Out of the book Assessing and Treating Physically Abused Children and Their Families, it says that “the reactions from kids vary. Some include getting angry and aggressive, showing signs of being depressed, and being defensive about certain things that have happened to them” (Kolko). Children are physically and mentally torn on the inside. Parents should think about how their children will react after being physically abused or harshly disciplined by them.
In addition to that, the death toll of physical abuse is increasing. From the Encyclopedia of Child Abuse, they define infanticide as the “purposeful murder of infants” (Clark and Freeman). This could be done in the form of strangling, battering, starvation, or hyperthermia. It has been reported that there are “two thousand five hundred deaths a year due to infanticide” (ECMEF). This is shocking to think that parents were in their right mind set to mistreat their children up until the point where they are on their death bed. It is also sad to think that all of these kids never had the chance to grow up and experience the different aspects of life. The death toll of infanticide and child abuse should definitely be reduced.
It is unacceptable to physically harm or “abuse” your children and call it discipline. Parents and adults have no reason to abuse the use of physically disciplining a child. Children on the inside are depressed from such harsh and sometimes fatal treatment. The deaths from physical abuse are terrible and uncalled for, and it needs to be acted upon. If parents do not stop physically harming their children, children from all over the world will slowly and devastatingly start to disappear.
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