While a single incident may be abuse, emotional abuse is a pattern of behavior that causes damage over time. Psychological abuse damages a child’s sense of self-worth and negatively impacts their emotional and social development. Often, there is great confusion for the child who is experiencing emotional abuse. Emotional abuse is a form of child exploitation. They usually will assume a caring role for their abuser as they are in a situation where they are expected to carry the burdens of adults. In addition to withholding love, the person emotionally abusing the child may also:
We Define Child Exploitation As
“Using a Child for Another Person’s Gain or Benefit“
We have purposefully used the word “exploitation” over many other more common descriptions for a purposeful reason. The phrase “child exploitation” helps us begin to dialogue about the macro connections between all the types of exploitation faced by children.
Normal
Excessive
Familial Patterns of Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse can occur in conjunction with other forms of abuse and is one of the most complex forms of abuse to recognize. Despite the devastating effects of emotional abuse, rarely is it considered severe enough to be “dangerous” for a child. Children often remain loyal to their abusers because they are afraid of what will happen if they disclose the abuse or because of their love for the parent/adult. An emotionally abused child also might think that being called names or denied affection is a usual way of life. They might not tell anyone about the abuse because they believe their experiences represent “normal” family behavior.
Join the Movement to PREVENT child Exploitation!
There is always a starting point for every great movement—a place where you become aware of a need and decide to be the solution. Join the mass movement of adults around the nation who are gaining the knowledge & skills needed to protect children!
