Neglect...

While we know many children have been neglected over the course of past decades, recognition of neglect as a serious social problematic is relatively recent. Neglect is often less apparent than other forms of maltreatment, being defined as an absence of care in physical, medical, educational, psychological or affective terms.

Consequently, neglect is often defined as an act of omission rather than commission. But though the bruises and scars of physical violence are easier to spot, the impact of neglect causes no less suffering and devastation.

Studies in fact describe the consequences of neglect as often being the most damaging to young victims. They also indicate that emotional neglect would be the element most often noted in cases of maltreatment.

According to the Quebec Youth Protection Act, a child is considered neglected when he or she does not receive the necessary care for healthy personal development. The child's security or development is considered to be in danger where:

his parents are no longer living or do not, in fact, assume responsibility for his care, maintenance or education;
his mental or affective development is threatened by the lack of appropriate care, or by the isolation in which he is maintained, or by serious and continuous emotional rejection by his parents;
his physical health is threatened by the lack of appropriate care;
he is deprived of the material conditions of life appropriate to his needs and the resources of his parents or the persons having custody of him;
he is in the custody of a person whose behavior or lifestyle risks creating a moral or physical danger for the child;
he is forced or induced to beg, to do work disproportionate with his capacities or perform for the public in a manner that is unacceptable for his age;
he is a victim of sexual abuse or he is subject to ill treatment through violence or neglect;
he has serious behavioral disturbances and his parents fail to take the measures necessary to put an end to the situation in which the development or security of their child is in danger or the remedial measures taken by them fail.

A multitude of consequences may result from neglect. Scientific literature eloquently demonstrates that neglect can lead to physical problems. A child who lacks appropriate care at an early age may exhibit malformations during growth. Moreover, the child's health may be more than normally fragile. The child may consequently have a greater risk of contracting a wide range of illnesses.

In addition, academically and intellectually, some children show a lack of motivation, self-confidence and below average academic results. Younger children are often observed to have language or learning difficulties and even lower intellectual capacities due to a sometimes severe lack of adequate care.

Psychological and emotional problems have also been observed. Studies indicate that a child who has experienced neglect from parents or legal caretaker often has a feeling of emptiness and abandonment. The child consequently develops low self-esteem and a personality with egocentric and passive-aggressive traits.

Moreover, this affective condition engenders social interaction problems. Contact with others being more difficult, the child has difficulty creating healthy and adequate relationships with significant others.

Many studies show the link existing between neglect and the prevalence in developing delinquent behavior during puberty and associating with peers experiencing the same difficulties. This is why a high number of young persons having experienced neglect join street gangs or delinquent groups. They attempt thereby to fill a relational emptiness, find a sense of group belonging and social acceptance. They then have the feeling of having found "a place".

Émilie Girouard, Bachelor of Psychoeducation