Speech on Child Abuse

He grabbed her hair and threw her against the wall, still clutching a fist full of her hair, her long curly brown hair.

The tears ran down her face as he walked towards her screaming about something she didn’t say and accusing her of doing something that never happened.

This wasn’t her worst nightmare, this was real life, this was every day and this is what she thought was normal. The worst type of normal she didn’t want to be apart of.

He stood above her, his shadow taking away the small amount of light that was left in the house, she pulled her knee’s to her chin and rocked back and forth until the man was knocked back by a terrible force, her saviour, her everything. They fought and they yelled and she cried and cried until finally the man was done and went off to bed, her saviour cradling her in his arms.

Good evening adjudicator, chairperson, time keeper, ladies, gentlemen and fellow students.

This girl was as normal as you or I but she was living a terrible life. The man she feared was her very own father and her saviour her older brother.

This is one example of child abuse.

Child abuse is any form of cruelty to a child’s physical, moral or mental well-being. This abuse can be physical, mental or sexual or simply – neglect.

This can be caused by any number of people, from family members to caregivers, guardians or any older person for that matter.

Child abuse happens everywhere and sadly, it probably will never stop.

In Australia there were 137,938 reports of child abuse and neglect between 2001 and 2002. Within that, there were 27,592 reports of neglect and child abuse in Queensland. 22% of that was physical abuse, 32% was emotional, 5% was sexual abuse and the last 41% was neglect.

In Queensland 94% of abused children are harmed by someone they know and trust and 85% of abused children are harmed by their natural parents.

Out of those large numbers, so many more acts of child abuse go unnoticed because either, the child is afraid, or people don’t want to believe its happening.

You’re probably thinking, “who wouldn’t believe someone if they said they were being abused?” but it happens everyday, people ignore the signs and ignore the cries for help. Others just don’t want to tell because they think it’s their fault that it happened, but its not. It’s never the victims fault.

Child abuse, of course doesn’t just happen to young children, but also to teenagers. Victims can be of any race, religion, sex or backgrounds.

Victims neglected so badly that they have to beg for food, water, sleep and even visits to the bathroom. Being so abused physically that they pass out from the pain. Others sexually abused that result in having no self respect at all, while intense emotional abuse can lead to blank, emotionless faces and words.

You see ads on TV, stranger danger, don’t talk to strangers because they will hurt you, but often the abuser is someone they know and trust, but they don’t put that on the TV.

They don’t say, if your dad is touching you in places that feels wrong, tell someone. They don’t say if your parents aren’t letting you eat or drink, tell someone. They don’t say, if life at home feels like the end of the world, tell someone. They don’t address the fact that abuse can happen at home and if so you don’t have to deal with it any longer. Why don’t they have that on TV?

You hear kids who say, I love my parents, but, I hate what they’re doing to me.

I don’t understand how they can still love someone who has caused them so much suffering and pain. Are you aware that mothers, aunties and older sisters can be abusers too? Anyone- a neighbour, a teacher, and a group leader can be a child’s monster under the bed.

What long term effects could abuse have on the child?

Impaired social behaviour, antisocial behaviour, and difficulty establishing intimate personal relationships, alienation and withdrawal, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, feelings of worthlessness, self-injury, suicidal tendencies, substance abuse and high levels of medical illness, eating disorders or drastic changes in appetite, problems in school, impaired psychological development; personality disorders, prostitution, nightmares and bed wetting.

Returning to that girl, she was 14 years old, acting like your average teenager, but at home, she was the mouse, trying to hide from the cat, trying to keep herself alive.

The cycle of being beaten then rescued- repeated day after day.

How terrifying is that thought?

Children are supposed to play. Children are supposed to laugh. Children are supposed to be children. Children are not supposed to beg for food. Children are not supposed to be beaten day after day. Children are not supposed to wish for death. Children are not expected to protect themselves from abusers who are supposed to be their guardians. Yet, there are children out there who live in a hell most of us could never imagine.

Ladies and Gentlemen, enough is enough. End child abuse. End the suffering these children are going threw and end the hell that they call every day life.

Enough is enough.