From my study of the topic area family I have learnt that Child Abuse can have a devastating effect on Children. According to the Collins dictionary A Child is a young person who is not yet an adult. Abuse can be defined as any physical, emotional, psychological behaviour that is damaging to a person. This was illustrated through our class novel Goodnight Mr Tom through the characters of William Beach and the Night children. This was further examined in THE "FELLS ACRE" RITUAL ABUSE CASE were Nine children who attended the Fells Acre Day Care Center testified that Gerald had dressed up as a clown, took them to a what they called a hidden, magic, secret or special room upstairs (or downstairs) in the day care building and abused them there. And further illustrated in the poem by Ashleigh Mc Gibbon entitled ABUSE.
When Will first came to Little Weirwold it was obvious to Tom that Will was a victim of child abuse. Physically he was underweight, his body was covered in burses and his clothing was inadequate for the climate. Physiologically the abuse was even worse. He had little self esteem, he had no social skills he lived in fear of being physically abused by his mother, his mother also told him wrong information to make him look dumb in front of others like if he was bitten by Sámi he would die, the color red was evil and women shouldn't ware trousers .
When the evacuees came to little Weirwold farmer Barnes selected the night children for their size. He wanted big strong children to work on the farm . Their mother was so outraged at their treatment that she collected them from Little Weirwold and took them back to London . She clearly felt that London in the blitz was preferable to slave labor in Little Weirwold. .
Child Abuse has also been illustrated through the case of the Amirault Family. (Consisting of Gerald Amirault, 32, his mother Violet Amirault, 62, and his sister Cheryl Amirault) were charged with multiple counts of child abuse.
