Suttercorporatewatch Health

I was enraged after reading that a report of child abuse is made every ten seconds. It quickly became clear how prominent the abuse of children really is. Of course there are so many negative short-term effects of child abuse, including bruises, cuts and broken bones. But there are also numerous long-term physical effects that we should all be made aware of.

One type of abuse common among children that really is painful to learn about is Shaken Baby Syndrome. I always knew that Shaken Baby Syndrome could lead to death, but according to ChildWelfare.gov, “The injuries caused by shaking a baby may not be immediately noticeable and may include bleeding in the eye or brain, damage to the spinal cord and neck, and rib or bone fractures.” These conditions can lead to even more serious long-term ailments including blindness, mental retardation, learning disabilities, paralysis and cerebral palsy, among others.

Child neglect can also cause long-term impaired brain development. When I read the following quote from the ChildWelfare.gov Web site, I was shocked: “Child abuse and neglect have been shown, in some cases, to cause important regions of the brain to fail to form or grow properly, resulting in impaired development.” What’s really sad is that these impairments can affect the cognitive, language and academic abilities of children. Basically, a child who has been neglected may grow up with disadvantages. This doesn’t have to be the case, and can be prevented!