Verified Document

What Victimology Says About Child Abuse Data Term Paper

Child Abuse and Victimology Victimology is the study of the victims of crime and how their psychology is affected by the experience. Thus, child abuse relates to victimology because it is abuse is a crime endured by the victim (the child) at an early age. The psychological effects of the abuse can be hidden for years (though not always), which makes the victims of child abuse an important focus for victimologists. This paper will discuss child abuse and show how it relates to victimology.

Child abuse can take different forms. It can be mental, emotional, or physical. It is any action that exacts harm on a child, and because children are young and vulnerable to their surroundings, the abuse can be very subtle or it can be very extreme, and this can be found in either case, mental or physical (Daigle, Muftic, 2016, p. 188). Child abuse is also prevalent in society. In 2011, for example, more than 3 million cases were reported, though investigators were only "able to substantiate the allegations" in fewer than 20% of the reported cases (Doerner, Lab, 2015, p. 329). Nonetheless, those numbers still reveal that hundreds of thousands of children are found to suffer from child abuse each year. This creates an enormous subject of focus for victimology.

How are the victims of child abuse affected by their experiences? According to victimology reports, children can feel guilty, as though...

This feeling stems from the fact that children are naturally inclined to accept the authority of others and even if they do not understand the punishment they will accept the idea that they deserve it for some wrong that they have committed. This feeling of trust is exploited by child abusers whose victims can in many cases develop a guilt-complex, or shame, or feelings of self-blame in the wake of abusive experiences. In biological terms, researchers have stated that psychological trauma stems from "neurobiological consequences" of abuse and that "the nature and magnitude of cognitive deficits" differs depending on the type and level of abuse experienced (Gould, Clarke, Heim, Harvey, Majer, Nemeroff, 2012, p. 500).
More importantly for victimologists, however, is the fact that child abuse victims may not show signs of abuse until they are in adulthood, when psychological or emotional problems become apparent. Thus, in order to prevent such disorder later in life, researchers such as Norman, Byambaa, De, Butchart, Scott and Vos (2012) argue that it is important to be able to identify child abuse victims at an early age and to recognize the symptoms so that the issues can be addressed immediately. Norman et al. (2012) state that "the awareness of the serious long-term consequences of child maltreatment should encourage better identification of those…

Sources used in this document:
References

Burgess, A., Regehr, C., Roberets, A. (2013). Victimology: Theories and Applications.

MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.

Daigle, L., Muftic, L. (2016). Victimology. UK: Sage.

Doerner, W., Lab, S. (2015). Victimology. MA: Anderson Publishing.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Forensic Psychology Fulero, S. And
Words: 1273 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Profiling or Guessing- the role of criminal profiling is certainly one in the popular press and media. Television shows such as CSI or Bones bring the task of forensics into the mainstream living room, but these shows tend to focus more on the sexier forms of criminology as opposed to the gray area of forensic psychology. A professional forensic psychologist, though, understands that a typical profile is not meant to

Restitution for Victims of Crime
Words: 1679 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Holistic Victim Restitution Plan The study of victimology has been extensively done and various facts have been drawn or reached on concerning the victim blaming, theories have been put forth and legal outlines and guidelines on the protection of victims from further blame have been stipulated. It is important however, to know and have in place a comprehensive and holistic victim restitution plan order to ensure that the victims of crime

Crime Victims
Words: 2804 Length: 9 Document Type: Question Answers

CRIME VICTIMS Crime Victims: An IntroductionThe particular problems faced by persons who experience hare crime are broadly characterized by the trauma and fear they go through resulting from the crime (Reilich & Chermak, n.a.). The fear of visiting outside places might increase within the victim�s and his family�s minds and he might be constrained to his home.The seriousness of cyberstalking could be estimated from the physical and mental effects it

Crime Scene Analysis Introduction- There
Words: 2629 Length: 10 Document Type: Research Paper

T. Apparantely in good health, need to investigate insurance and other issues, get medical report. Married, one-4-year-old son Appears happily married with young child, no indication of turmoil in marriage; check. Colleagues say victim was "very organized," and kept to himself, did not make friends nor enemies Mr. T. appears to be inoffensive, not prone to situations that would engender violence. Profession: Attorney; normal office hours 8am-5pm; known to work late on cases as necessary Q:

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now