tyranny speech
DESCRIPTION
An original speech on the tyranny of child abuse.TRANSCRIPT
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Priscilla Navas
Ms. Gardner
English 10 Hon.
18 November 2015
The Tyranny of Child Abuse
Parents, we all have them and some might say we all need them. They're the people that brought
us into the world and they're usually the people that help us get accustomed to it. They can help
us wake up and get ready for school. They can remind us when to do our homework and they can
remind us of all the chores we need to do. Parents can help guide us through life and steer us
away from making bad choices. Some parents may choose to let us learn from our mistakes
while others may choose to teach us themselves. The problem with some of these choices are
that they can lead to many gray areas and fuzzy lines. At what point does corporal punishment
become physical abuse? At what point does independence become neglect? And at what point
does criticism become emotional abuse?
A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds and every year more than 3 million reports of
child abuse are made in the United States involving more than 6 million children. The United
States has one of the worst records when it comes to industrialized societies, losing an average of
about four to seven children to child abuse and neglect every day. These are horrifying statistics.
Many more studies show significant and startling long term effects such as Ischemic heart
disease, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, liver disease and other healthrelated quality of
life issues. Other issues involve mental health disorders and some cases of abuse can even lead to
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future substance abuse or addiction on the victim’s behalf. Some might even say it can lead to
the corruption of innocence as reports also show that children who experience child abuse and
neglect are about nine times more likely to become involved in criminal activity (Child Abuse
Statistics).
Due to all the gray areas and uncertain results, many choose to not come forward with their
problem or situation. Every state permits the use of reasonable corporal punishment, while at the
same time making it a crime to intentionally inflict a serious injury on a child (Wadhwani). Some
reports even show the parents or guardians claiming it was an accident when their child was left
in a coma or worst. I speak to everyone who is scared or hiding their problem or to those who
know someone in that situation: the result may not always be completely what you wish it will
be, but asking for help is the first step and without doing so the problem can only get worst.
This problem is very common yet this problem is constantly ignored. One might think they could
easily spot or identify when this problem is present, but many times this problem can go
unnoticed and escalate over time. That was my case. I ignored obvious signs and warnings that
told me to do something about it. This problem might have been able to be fixed but I let it go
on, and I did not defend myself, and I did not seek help, and I did not speak out, and I tried to
justify it, and I tried to find explanations. The situation got worst. The situation was always
abusive. The situation was set to crash and burn from the moment it started. Little did I know
that by not solving the problem, I was opening a Pandora’s box of many more problems to come.
This type of abuse can come from those you least expect and in my case it came from my own
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mother. From slight criticisms to judgmental remarks, from occasional sudden reminders to
several bruises and scars. I currently suffer from post traumatic stress disorder as a result from
the situation.
Solving the problem of child abuse seems like a huge task and it is, but like many other problems
this size, it can be broken down into smaller steps. The first step is to become informed about the
problem and it's effects. The next step is to help those who live in fear by creating a safe
environment and encouraging them to seek help. Some may be against it as they claim it to be
their biological right, but we as a society have to find a solution to this problem. What we do will
help others and as a result, what others do will help us. By fixing this problem early on, we will
also be fixing many other future problems before the begin.
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Works Cited
"Child Abuse Statistics." Childhelp Child Abuse Statistics Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov.
2015.
Staff, Proquest. At Issue: Child Abuse. N.p.: ProQuest LLC, 2015. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
Wadhwani, Anita. "Threshold of Abuse Is Tricky to Define." Tennessean 2014 may 25: 1. Web.
13 Nov. 2015.