Interpretation of Tina’s ordeal and how she has been affected: I would like to report a case of abuse on behalf of my student Tina who is an 11 year old girl and whom is at a very tender age and has been through a lot in her life that not all children her age might have been exposed to.
She is very young and vulnerable and she has come from a broken home where she has grown up without a father. A father is someone whom is seen to bring safety and stability to the home, the provider and protector. Tina’s mother has not been very supportive as well as Tina is blamed for her dad walking out on them at the age of three.Her mother does not think rationally and Tina has this lingering thought perhaps she is to blame. Her mother could have also been a woman who had lots of men in the past and now she has settled down. Tina’s mother is trying very hard for the new family to work out however she is not even paying attention to her little daughter whom is been sexually abused by her step brother.
It is even sadder as Tina does not even feel confident to tell her mum as she will be blamed for splitting the new family as she has already been told she is not trying hard enough. The mother is not supportive of her.Tina has endured far too much at her age and has endured severe and potentially lifelong trauma. She has suffered emotional abuse and emotional neglect, sexual abuse and physical neglect.
She is not coping well in class and seems on edge she feels all alone as if a prisoner in her own home. She has thus resulted in confiding in me due to the fact that she knows that I am always there for my students. I am very worried that if we do not assist her soon that is her emotional well being as well as putting an end to this sexual abuse it could have an impact on her overall development. If this is not dealt with it could lead to learning difficulties, lack of will to live and thrive, poor self esteem, no sense of self worth.
It could also lead toUnruly behaviours (teen pregnancy, drugs), not able to build relationships due to lack of trust in people. I am here for Tina and we will do the best we can to assist her.Child Abuse: is when a parent / legal guardian of a child or any other person in whose care a child is in. A person who abuses the child and or allows the child to be abused, and or deserts the child is guilty of an offence.
Any person who is legally liable to maintain a child and who fails to provide adequate food, clothing ,lodging and medical treatment ,while able to do so is guilty of an offence. There are many different types of abuse:Physical abuse: this refers to violence directed at children. A physically abused child is defined as any child that receives intentional and persistent physical injury as a result of acts on the part of his to her educator, parent /legal guardian. Usually such abuse takes form of beating, kicking, burning with cigarettes.Physical neglect: this refers to failure to protect a child from exposure to any kind of danger. To carry out important aspects of care, resulting in significant impairment of the Childs health development.
Tina was also in a position where her own home environment became an unsafe environment as her mum did not pick up on what was going on in their own home her step brother was sexually abusing her. Her mother could have stopped this if she did actually show concern for her daughter. She should have paid attention to Tina’s cue e.g.: she gets edgy, scared when her brother came around or would even try to leave the room.
Emotional abuse: the abuse of Childs emotions results in vague almost indefinable constructs various components of emotional abuse. The adult refuses to acknowledge the Childs worth; the adult isolates the child from normal social experiences. The adult can verbally assault the child and creates fear in the child. Tina is a victim of emotional abuse as she feels alienated from her family. She also feels isolated as she has no one to turn to. Her mother blames her for father leaving home and so she also feels guilty and probably questions herself as to what she did wrong to drive him away, if he were here maybe her life would be different.
Her mum does not give her love and attention and in a way despises her as she blames her for splitting the initial family and not putting an effort for the new family. Her brother is also instilling fear in her as he would threaten her not to tell anyone.Emotional neglect: family violence and inappropriate sexual stimulation can all damage the Childs emotional life. The child experiences a handicapping stress.
Neglect also entails adult’s inability to provide for a child: nurturance, protection. Tina is also a victim of emotional neglect as her mum did not protect her from her brother and the brother has no regard for Tina been his little sister whom he should love and protect he is rather doing the opposite. Tina would feel lost, unable to trust people, fearful, her innocence taken. Her life changed forever.
The effects of child abuse: the impact of child abuse and neglect on a child is often discussed in terms of physical, psychological, behavioural and societal consequences. Physical consequences such as damage to a Childs growing brain can have psychological implications such as cognitive delays or emotional difficulties psychological problems often manifest as high-risk behaviours, depression and anxiety e.g.: make a person more likely to smoke, abuse, alcohol or illicit drugs, these behaviours can lead to long term physical health problems, delinquency ,teen pregnancy, adult criminality. These children become insecure have a loss of trust in people. Sexual Abuse: is the use, inducement of any child to engage in or assist any other person to engage in any sexually explicit conduct or simulation.
Rape in case of care-taker and inter-familial relationships. Most common forms of sexual abuse: incest, paedophilia, rape, statutory rape, sodomy, sexual molestation, child pornography, and prostitution.In Tina’s case she is being sexually abused by her brother. This is incest as it is intercourse between people who are related to each other within the forbidden degrees of relationship; in her case their relationship through marriage.The effects of Sexual abuse: extends far beyond childhood, sexual abuse robs children of their childhood and creates a loss of trust, feelings of guilt and self –abusive behaviour. It can lead to anti social behaviour, depression, identity confusion, loss of self esteem and other serious emotional problems.
It can also lead to difficulty with intimate relationships later in life. The sexual victimization of children is ethically and morally wrong. A person whom has been through such an ordeal can grow and keep hatred within them and become very aggressive people as well as suicidal.Tina’s needs not met when comparing it to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:Maslow believed that human needs influence each person’s development. He set up a hierarchy of levels of basic needs. The base of the hierarchy commences from physiological needs and moves up to safety needs, love and belonging needs, self esteem needs and the need for self actualisation.
Maslow believed that a person does not move up the hierarchy of needs until the previous ones have been satisfied. If the case of Tina who has been sexually abused the child merely attains her physiological needs and barely encounters any of the higher order needs. Tina met her physiological needs because these include food, water, shelter, warmth and oxygen.Tina’s safety needs are not fulfilled because she is not safe from the abuse from her brother, there is no stability, and she is raped in her own home by her family member, no freedom as she is always thinking when the next time he comes into the room. Tina’s love and affection needs are not satisfied she does not feel any affection from her mom as well as her new family she feels alienated and alone. Tina’s self esteem needs will also not be met as she has a lack of self confidence, shame, Tina’s self actualisation needs as unsatisfied as well as she is not happy with her life and would not maximise her potential to experience self-fulfilment.
Her basic physiological needs are the only ones satisfied. Due to these traumatic experiences Tina’s growth and basic levels in Maslow’s hierarchy has not been fulfilled.
