Kelly-Anne Mangum

Mrs. LoMonte

Pre-AICE- English Lang. per 2.

December 9^th 2010

We MUST be the S.A.M.E. [Stoppers of Abuse Methods Everywhere]

Abuse is everywhere. It could be substance abuse, alcohol abuse or even animal abuse; nevertheless, one of the most shocking acts of abuse is that of child abuse. Why it happens may never be understood. Read on to learn about a few types of child abuse, how to know a child may be exposed to abuse, and the reasons behind them,

Take emotional abuse for example; it involves calling a child names like stupid, worthless, dumb and so forth. Making them feel like they are nothing, and embarrassing them whenever possible. It has always been said that words can’t hurt, but in truth they can and leave scars in the process. All the love is gone; there is limited physical contact with the child and more bullying. Physical abuse is actually split into 2 areas. There’s the act of a parent or guardian putting their hands on a child and beating them without reason, and parents or guardians participating in sexual acts with their children; even though it isn’t always physical. Sexual abuse in my opinion is a whole different ballgame, so to speak. It’s doesn’t even always have to involve physical contact, just exposing a child to sexual situations is considered as sexual abuse. Truth is most sexual predators aren’t even strangers! They are actually relatives and friends that the children thought they could trust.

How would you know a child has been through emotional abuse? Well, for starters if the child doesn’t look attached to their parent[s] or guardian[s], it could be a sign. Another point that would stand out is that they child may be fearful and withdrawn, possibly showing extremes in behavior. The signs that children may be enduring physical abuse are bruises and cuts, inappropriate clothing such as sweaters when it’s summertime or the feeling that you get that seems like they don’t want to go home. As far as sexual abuse goes, the child may have trouble sitting, start to participate in sexual acts at an early age and encourage others to do so, or try to avoid certain people, or a person without reason.

Sometimes, parents abuse their children on account of they may have been exposed to it as a child and can’t help it. They only know one way raise children and that is the way they have been raised. Alcohol and drug abuse are another factor. When some people are drunk or high, they can get very temperamental. The slightest issues can set them off, and there is no way that a five or six-year-old would know that. Mental disorders of the parent or guardian should also be taken into consideration. There ARE such things as unfit parents in life, but it’s a concern that people would ignore for the sake of a good name. Stress can be another issue. It isn’t unusual for a parent to feel overwhelmed with work and balancing responsibilities, and in the end they may just not be ready for childcare – no matter how old they may be.

In conclusion, child abuse is something that can be prevented. The best way to help them is to actually believe them in the first place. If an adult won’t believe them, they could end up never getting help and the abuse will continue.

Delanie Michel

Period 2

Mrs. LoMonte

Child Abuse

            Child abuse has become a major problem in modern society. There are many different kinds of child abuse. There is physical abuse, child neglect, and mental abuse.       Child abuse is something that has to be stopped as soon as possible because the longer we wait the more children are going to be abused.

            According to childwelfare.gov an estimated 3,244,000 children were abused in 1999. Some visible signs of physical abuse are multiple bruises on the body, or many cuts. Parents that have been caught abusing a child have said that they were “Acts of discipline.” But there is a colossal difference between teaching a child right from wrong and causing a child to live in fear. Can you imagine a three year old child having to endure this with no way to escape? No way to know how their mom or dad is going to act that day? A child needs predictability, structure, and the knowledge that they are being protected, according to helpguide.org. So if this is taken away from them, they will  live in a world of fear for the rest of their life.

            Physical  abuse is’t the only type of abuse, there is mental abuse as well. An example of this is when a parent is constantly yelling, threatening, or bullying their child. Another example is when a parent or guardian is constantly telling their child that they are worthless or a mistake. This can permanently damage a child’s demeanor. Once they have been exposed to this emotional abuse, their life will be forever altered. 

            The most common type of child abuse is child neglect. This is still categorized as child abuse even if it isn’t actually called “abuse.” This is when a parent or guardian doesn’t take care of a child’s basic needs, like food, shelter, or hygiene. Sometimes a parent just can’t pay for the basic needs or aren't physically able to.  Other times the parent isn’t in the right state of mind. Drugs and alcohol is usually the cause of this according to helpguide.org. 

            As you can see this is something that can not continue. If you just sit back and hope that the children will be okay, the lives of thousands of children will be on your conscious. Children who were abuse at a young age are going to grow up and abuse their children because that is all they knew as a child. This cycle has to be stopped before the word becomes a place of fear.

Casey Halbrook

Period 2

12/8/10

LoMonte

Child Abuse: Side Effects

            Although, the physical side effects of child abuse can damage them permanently, their mental health may pose a greater risk as they become integrated into society as adults. Psychological problems can arise in the forms of violence, depression, overeating, smoking, alcohol and other high-risk habits or illnesses. Survivors of child abuse are more likely to abuse their children and pass this detrimental act on for generations. If we can track our shipped packages all around to world and the number of thumbtacks manufactured daily, why can’t we better track child abuse?

            “At, three hundred pounds, I wasn’t considered overweight, I wasn’t even considered obese, my doctor charted me as morbidly obese, food was my drug”, recounts Darlene Barriere who was a sufferer of child abuse in an extremely violent home. She now maintains a healthy weight and life style and workers as an abuse prevention educator. Psychological aspects of abuse last forever; these children are affected either physically or mentally. The mental problems manifest in the form of the inability to trust others and other risky activities such as alcohol abuse and illicit drugs. Some abused children even turn to suicide as an escape of their past and problems. I feel that no kid should ever have to kill themselves to escapee the terrors of their current situations.

            As the abused children grow and become adults, having families and establishing their niche in the world, they pose a threat. Some becoming child abusers themselves and passing on this horrible undertaking, creating generations of pain and suffering of children. Abused child grow up are more likely to have a damaging affect on society and the people they come in contact with. These effects can include high risk activities like smoking, which can get other people sick and could possible kill them. This affects the society in a negative way, leading to callousness and anger.

            Every time you walk past someone on the street, they might be an abused child or abuser. They impact our society negatively with callousness and violence. Passing along child abuse down to the next generation and so on until someone breaks it. Even though on child may stop the cycle, they may face psychological affect afterwards like overeating, depression and violence. All these events effects our society and affects our future generations of children.

Resources

http://www.mental-health-matters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=300

http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/long_term_consequences.cfm

http://www.findcounseling.com/journal/child-abuse/

http://www.child-abuse-effects.com/emotional-abuse-effects.html

Beth's Essay: Child Abuse

Elizabeth Bairley

December 9, 2010

Mrs. Lomonte

Period 2

Child Abuse

            Everyone thinks that abusing children is cruel, awful, and unjust. But what is going on to cure and stop it? We all should be doing something to help the poor kids that have been harassed and tortured. But just in Alachua County 1,500 children are abused annually. There are different types of abuse; physical, sexual, and emotional. Neglect is also another kind of abuse when a child is not given what it needs as in not providing food, education, and affection. Abuse can be visible through physical and sexual from bruises and scars. But neglect and emotional abuse can be just as ruinous. Emotional abuse is any attitude, or interference with mental health and social development. All of these are harmful to the child. It can be found in any home, the parents may be abusive out of financial problems or out of pure ignorance, but this is no excuse the pain it causes.

            But this can be prevented. There are centers across the country to help with this problem. The CAC, Child Advocacy Center, is one of the many organizations helping and there is one to help the local children of Alachua County.  They have a system to punish the abuser and in the best way for the kid to go through court with the least amount of uncomfortable time spent in it. They accelerate the time the kids have in the legal system and give them and their family support so they can emotionally and economically heal. And for their volunteers they teach them a comprehensive multidisciplinary team response to the abuse.

            Volunteers are needed in any kind of organization for charity. Why should this be different? Because child abuse is found everywhere, even in “good homes”, there is an excessive need for helpers for this cause for our future generations.  

Sources

www.childadvocacycentergainesville.org

www.helpguide.org

www.athealth.com

Delanie Michel

Period 2

Mrs. LoMonte

Body Piercings

            Body piercing has been around for hundreds of centuries and many cultures and religions use body piercing to represent importance or status in a certain group. But body piercing has taken a new turn, and has become very popular. People have been piercing their bodies in extreme ways just so they can seem cool. But everything action has a consequence , and sometimes a can be a health hazard.

            Of course what type of piercing and where it is placed is up to the person who is getting it, but one example of extreme body piercings that have become popular are are corsets. This is when the back or side is pierced in two rows and ribbon is tied to make it  appear like a corset attached to their skin.

            Piercing the body is a very serious decision because there is a health risk. When a body part is pierced the is always a high risk of infection because it is an open puncture in the skin. This can be caused either from unsanitary use of equipment or because the body isn’t accustomed to having an open wound and bacteria gets in. This can happen even if the hole is old. Infection can also be transferred from a needle that hasn’t been properly cleaned.

            Another effect of extreme body piercing is the permanent damage of the nervous system. When getting multiple body piercings it goes through the epidermis and dermis of the skin layers. The dermis hold everything vital to keeping the skin alive. One of the many things that is held inside the dermis are nerves. This allows the skin to send messages to the brain and give the skin the sense of touch. If these nerves are stabbed or damaged in any way then that area of skin will be numb and will never be able to feel again.

            All in all body piercings is something that a person would have to think about very carefully before going through with it. People of all ages go through with this everyday. You don’t need somethings to be cool.

Kelly-Anne's Essay

Kelly-Anne Mangum

Mrs. LoMonte

Pre-AICE English Language per. 2

Dec. 5^th 2010

To Make a Point: Where, Why & How

            Body piercings and tattoos have been around for many years. Piercings have traveled from country to country, from America to the Middle East, and almost anywhere in between. Tattoos started in Egypt with pharaohs and mummification, and have traveled to America since that time. There are many consequences that come with getting piercings or tattoos and one should be especially careful when getting them done. Let’s take a look at how tattoos are made and the safety issues, the risks, and where certain piercings come from.

            Tattoos are made with tiny ink droplets from a hand-held machine that punctures the skin. “Tats” as they are normally called, can be “removed” but technically they are permanent because the removal process only slightly takes away the pigmentation of the tattoo, leaving a faded image. The process of getting a tattoo can take up to several hours depending on the size and if you want colors; and there is a possibility of pain. Now, how can you put your body in danger by getting a tattoo? Well for starters, you have one of your friends do them. Chances are, if you get any tattoos or piercings for that matter done by one of your friends, it could lead to infection. When getting a tattoo, make sure the artist is properly licensed and has the proper equipment. All equipment that is non-disposable should be sterilized with an autoclave after use, and that the artist had sterilized their hands as well.

            Tattoos may be attractive [depending on the style] and the hip new thing today, but it is extremely easy to infect your body if you don’t take care of it. The main risks of tattoos are but not limited to allergic reactions, skin infections, and blood borne diseases. The actual color from tattoos comes from dyes which can cause allergic reactions to the skin; especially red dyes which could lead to rashes that may not even appear until years after you get the tattoo. Bacterial infections are a possibility along with keloids, which are raised areas cause by scar tissue or bumps called granulomas which form around the dyes, especially the red. Some of the most dangerous risks involved with getting a tattoo are those that involve the blood borne diseases. The needle doesn’t actually pierce through the skin and into nerves or our blood cells, but it does go through the epidermis, which is the outermost layer of the skin and very thin. If the needle is contacted with infected blood from your body [or anyone else’s for that matter], then you could contract hepatitis B or C which are two different types of liver inflammation or even Human Immunodeficiency Virus [HIV] which can lead to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome [AIDS], a fatal disease.

            From an observation of the people today in America, my opinion has been made that there are 3 main places that people like to have their piercings, from the most popular to the least: the ears, the nose, and the lip. Taking a look through history I have found that our first attempt at piercing any part of our body was the ears, mainly because it’s a simple job. Traditionally it was the women that would wear the earrings but men like Shakespeare would wear gold “rings” or hoops, in their ears during the Elizabethan Era. As for nose piercings, which were actually mentioned in the Bible as a Shanf, which is Hebrew for “golden earring” and that translates into nose ring. Nose rings aren’t exactly popular today as you will find more people with a little silver or gold ball on their nostrils instead of a ring dangling from them. The practices of the actual nose rings are still present in Africa and the Middle East, where the size of the ring can actually signify wealth. The trend traveled throughout the decades, from the hippie years into the punk rebellions of conservative values. As for lips and tongue piercings, those are another story. The lips are pierced throughout the world, but only in 2 tribes in Africa do they actually use a ring and the term is really “lip labret”. Through this method, plates are inserted into the lips, to stretch them out. The plated may be made of almost any material including, ivory, quartz crystals, and clay. The lips may actually be pierced together but it’s not a regular thing with the tribes. This “way of life” transitioned from Africa to the ancient Aztecs and Mayans which lead to this practice by some of the Pacific Northwest Native Americans, and all the way to North America and Canada.

            In conclusion, body piercings and tattoos have been around for many years, inspiring new traditions, and trends for people to follow. Be mindful that these types of body modification can come with more than what we may have bargained for and that one should be especially careful with what we do to ourselves.