In Prior Years and Currently

This research paper will be exploring child abuse and the different types of child abuse immigrants' children are facing. Child abuse is widespread and can occur in any cultural, ethnic, or income group. Child abuse can be physical, emotional or sexual. It can also result from neglect. These immigrants' children all experience different forms of child abuse because of a number of different factors affecting them as immigrants which still does not make it right for it to be happening. Therefore, the impact that such actions leave behind on the child's life has a lifetime effect.

The negative outcomes of maltreatment are wide-ranging. It can be associated with lower school achievement, juvenile delinquency, substance abuse, and mental health problems. Certain types of maltreatment can result in long-term physical, social, and emotional problems, or even death. What can be done to decrease such actions and put a stop to it for future generations? The paragraphs below explain in detail

Firstly, the most known form of child abuse is physical abuse which is a non-accidental physical injury caused by hitting, choking, punching, kicking and etcetera and neglect which is also the failure of a parent, guardian to provide the basic needs for a child such as shelter, food medical attention, education and emotional support. According to National Child Abuse Statistics, 7.4 million children were reported concerning child abuse. However, in 2016, an estimated 3.5 million children received either an investigation or alternative response by child protective services.

As in prior years and currently, the majority of children suffered from neglect (74.8%) and physical abuse (18.2%). Young victims of crime are generally underserved, and the systems responsible for caring for them can often be fragmented and ineffective for youth and their families. The other forms of abuse are just as bad but are committed less frequently such as sexual assault and verbal assault. The U.S. Department of health and human service reported that 9.2% of all victimized children are sexually assaulted and also, 1in 5 girls and 1 in 10 boys is a victim of sexual child abuse.

In addition, a reason why children of immigrants are physically abused is that they there is a high probability that they were brought from their countries to actually serve as slaves to a master they would be sold to. These factions of immigrants are brought from their countries with promises of greener pastures in the United States. These children usually lack basic amenities and facilities in their communities and then a child trafficker' comes in form of a philanthropist who promises them a better life in the United States only to sell them into modern slavery which may be in form of serving in a brothel or in-house as a maid.

It is usually more common in border states where people and goods can be smuggled into the United States. According to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) chapter of the United States, Child victims of trafficking are recruited, transported, transferred, harbored or received for the purpose of exploitation. They may be forced to work in sweatshops, on construction sites or in houses as domestic servants; on the streets as child beggars, in wars as child soldiers, on farms, in traveling sales crews or in restaurants and hotels. Some are forced to work in brothels and strip clubs or for escort and massage services.

Another form of overlooked child abuse is emotional abuse, the emotional abuse of children may be the most damaging form of maltreatment, affecting their physical health, mental health, cognitive development, and even their emotions. These types of maltreatment have to stop once and for all especially for children of immigrants.

With immigrants being 3.8 percent (12,505,800) of the U.S. population means there are numerous children being deprived of their rights and are being abused. These immigrants are first placed at risk at the border by not being accompanied by any guardian after crossing the border and that's where everything starts to go south. With other people knowing the process of parents sending their child/children across the border alone put them at risk of being sexually, physically or even emotionally abused.

In fact, depriving children of getting an education is another form of Child Abuse. Most immigrants with children usually have their children working odd jobs to make ends meet. These children, like every other child of their age range, deserve to attend school instead they are deprived of school because they have to work odd jobs to make ends meet. Another reason why they can not attend school is that they can not afford to be documented.

Immigrants refuse to go to places where they will have to present any form of documents or documentation and therefore they will not report any form abuse to any police or anything knowing they are illegal should not be in the United States. This should not be, because of the fear of getting deported their or themselves will live with what happened to them which is not healthy in any shape or form. The result from such decisions made earlier normally ends up with a menace to society due to the trauma they experienced when younger without any sort of professional help.

However, there are several means of solving these forms of child abuse. The most effective stakeholder in this fight against child abuse is the government. The government is required to make laws to help these children survive and thrive in the United States even though they are not citizens of the United States -- they are human beings that deserve help! Below are some ways the government could aid these children.
Most importantly, the government should make more laws that make sure that people that are caught abusing children undergo severe punishment under the law. These punishments should serve as a means to discourage other people from abusing children for the fear of getting caught and facing a huge fine and possibly a long jail term. An example of these kinds of laws is the Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), as amended by the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003.

According to Findlaw, a person charged with child abuse may enter a plea of guilty, not guilty, or no contest. In a large number of cases, sentencing can include probation or a prison term of up to five years. Sentencing in more serious cases may include a longer prison term.
Another way to help fight is providing a better system that helps children that have experienced child abuse is by improving the systems that help them recover from the experience. The Social Services officials should be more equipped to serve victims of child abuse in such a way that these children grow past the experience. A special schooling system could also be set up to meet their specific needs: a school where most of the instructors are well-grounded psychoanalysts.

Subsequently, education should be made more accessible to children of immigrants. It is a known fact that the children of immigrants would most likely run away from places where they would be documented but it is not their fault that they are are in the United States illegally. However, the laws protecting every minor in the United States should also apply to these set of children too so the loop of this form of child abuse -- being deprived of education -- could end.

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