The reason behind my research question: What are the causes and effects of child absue?

Child Abuse Effects. 2011. Photograph. My Child SourceWeb. 3 Feb 2012. <http://mychildsource.com/child-abuse-effects/>.

"Help me!” This is the plea of many children in America. Children being forced to deal with things that most of us would never imagine in our worst nightmares. Violence has unfortunately become a common occurrence of today's society. Everywhere we turn, all we see are visions of violence shown as solutions to problems. Parents and other caregivers abusing young children that they are supposed to love. Child abuse has grown more and more rapidly over the years. Innocent children bruised and beaten to death for reasons that are unjustifiable. On the news, in the papers, everywhere you hear about newborns and kids being beat to death. There are four primary types of child abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect. Physical abuse is when a parent or caretaker harms a child by hitting, shaking, pushing, or throwing a child. Sexual abuse is any sexual act between an adult and a child, including both touching and non-touching acts. Emotional abuse is when children are constantly shamed, humiliated, or terrorized by the use of words to attack, hurt or injure someone.  Neglect is a pattern of failing to provide for a child’s basic needs. The ones doing this to these innocent children have no logical explanation for their actions, yet they only get a short sentence. No matter what their sentence, nothing can compare to their actions. The neglect and the physical, sexual, and emotional abuse can never be taken away. These tragedies will be carried with the children for the rest of their lives. Although, not all child abuse is deliberate or intended, child abuse effects how the victims feel and what they do years later. Children who suffer abuse have a much greater chances of being arrested; suffer from poor self esteem, social withdrawal, and insecurity. Why would someone abuse a defenseless child? When will the abuse stop?