Essay, Research Paper: Child Abuse

Some say that we must take a look at how child abuse has grown and become apart of society. If they just look into our society’s history maybe they would know that it has always been there, and it has been worse. In early Rome, the father of children had the power to kill, abandon, or even sell his child. In Hawaii, Japan, and China, children with disabilities were killed to maintain a strong race without overpopulation. This type of behavior (or culture, some might call it) was, to say the least, ok. It was tolerable and approved behavior and acts of violence. Children were looked at more as objects and problems than needing love and the nurture of family.
Child sexual abuse has also always been around. In earlier times it was a way of “teaching” and “training”. Boys of noble blood were actually compelled to take adult lovers because of the adult lover being a “protector” and guide. It was not until 1548 that legal protection from sexual abuse was offered to children. In that year, England passed a law protecting buys from forced sodomy. In 1576, another law was enacted that prohibited the forcible rape of girls under the age of 10. At this point in time parents were either not aware of abuse taking place to their children or didn’t think it was that wrong. It took until the 1700's for educators to start warning parents to protect their children from abuse by supervising them at all times and by ensuring that they were never nude in front of adults.
Times have changed and our society has grown and awaken. But just because we are more aware of what is happening to our children, and do realize it’s wrong, doesn’t mean it has gotten any better. Today we abuse, torture, and murder our children, sometimes for no reason. At least in the past it seemed as though fathers who sold, killed, or abandoned his children did so for societal reasons (which by all means doesn’t make it right.) Now we do such things out of anger, jealously, or our own mental disabilities...basically all of those lead to pure selfishness. Having our society be more aware and helpful definitely makes a difference. It saves a few more lives. But when it comes down to it, until our society and the people in it stop becoming so selfish and bitter towards our children things will never change.
I believe that history repeats itself. We are living in history today, it’s just much worse. Instincts, ideas, feelings... those are what make child abuse flare. We get those instincts from our history. Back then fathers, countries, families wanted to better themselves, that’s why they used their children to try and get them there. They would kill a child who “wasn’t good enough” to better their society. Today mothers, fathers, etc, abuse and neglect because they think that in some way it will better themselves. Until our society realizes that in order to better ourselves we must first better our children our history will continue to repeat.


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