REFLECTION ACTIVITY 

Child physical and emotional maltreatment can have an immediate negative impacts on child wellbeing, as well as longer consequences for their health and development. Do you remember Janek and his sister? Can you identify the ways in which maltreatment was affecting how well their were doing?

The consequences of child maltreatment can vary in severity depending on:

• The length of period for which the child experienced maltreatment
• The number of forms of maltreatment
• The age of the child at the time of maltreatment
• The presence or absence of protective factors

The most frequent long-term effects of child physical or emotional maltreatment include:

• Mental health issues
• Poor academic achievements
• Risky behaviour
• Behaviour problem

ACTIVITY 

Drag and drop each of the following consequences of child maltreatment into the correct

Myth busting

ACTIVITY

There are many beliefs about physical and emotional abuse.

Read the following statements and decide if they are true or false.

Some parents feel that corporal punishment or smacking is the most effective form of discipline. However, research however does not back up this sentiment. In fact, recent studies have shown that positive behavioral change in children can be achieved with non-violent methods, by being a role model, explaining, setting clear rules.

Some people also believe that corporal punishment does not have any long-term negative consequences for children. Again, the latest research show that, if it is repeated, corporal punishment can be as harmful as other forms of abuse.

There is also a belief that parents use physical punishment because they believe in their effectiveness. Meanwhile, parents who resort to physical punishment admit that they do so primarily when they lose control or feel powerless.

Additionally, some people think that emotional abuse has less serious impacts on child development. This is not true either. Research shows that emotionally abused children face even higher risk of having mental disorders or engaging in self-harming activities.