Six Year Old Boy Stabbed By Mom –The Naked Truth About Child Abuse
Action Plan
Child abuse and neglect occurs in a range of situations, for a range of reasons. Children are rarely subject to one form of abuse at a time. Adults can experience a range of psychological, emotional and social problems related to childhood abuse.
Child maltreatment is any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department for Children and Families (DCF) United States)
Child abuse is "any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm"- (the Journal of Child Abuse and Neglect).
Types of Child Abuse
There are four major categories of child abuse, each with implications that have been shown to harm child development.
Six-year-old Promise Eboye, had been living with his father in Edo State since he was one year old. But when he was five, his mother came to take him from his father’s house. The boy survived an attack that would have killed even an adult had the injuries been sustained in vital parts of the body.
Promise’s mother, Comfort, stabbed her son four times, inflicting life-threatening injuries on the boy’s body.
Reports says that the broken bottle the woman used on her son tore into the boy’s flesh inflicting one three-inch injury and another two-inch injury on the boy’s back. Two other wounds looked equally horrific but were not as long and deep as the other two.
Neighbours said if Promise had not run away from his mother, who held tight to his wrist and stabbed him as he screamed, he would have been stabbed to death.
#STOPtheABUSE
“The inability to regulate emotions like rage and terror, along with intense suicidal feelings, somatic disorder, negative self-perception, poor relationships, chronic feelings of isolation, despair and hopelessness; and dissociation and amnesia” are some of the implications of Child abuse
Child abuse is a common problem worldwide (40 million children), and its physical and psychosocial effects are felt by abused children, their families, and their communities. It has been linked to changes in the victims’ mental and behavioural development throughout their lives, putting them at risk of engaging in potentially dangerous behaviour in the future.
Given the prevalence of childhood psychological abuse and the severity of harm to young victims, it should be at the forefront of mental health because it has lasting, significant damage, equal to or exceeding the long-term consequences of physical abuse.
The case of 6 year old Promise Eboye’s case is a wake-up call for everyone (neighbors, community, Physicians) to play an important role in identifying cases of child abuse by reporting such cases to law enforcement and child welfare agencies, preventing further harm to identified children as well as to other children in the families, and providing further ongoing support and education to families.
“The inability to regulate emotions like rage and terror, along with intense suicidal feelings, somatic disorder, negative self-perception, poor relationships, chronic feelings of isolation, despair and hopelessness; and dissociation and amnesia” are some of the implications of Child abuse
Child abuse is a common problem worldwide (40 million children), and its physical and psychosocial effects are felt by abused children, their families, and their communities. It has been linked to changes in the victims’ mental and behavioural development throughout their lives, putting them at risk of engaging in potentially dangerous behaviour in the future.
Given the prevalence of childhood psychological abuse and the severity of harm to young victims, it should be at the forefront of mental health because it has lasting, significant damage, equal to or exceeding the long-term consequences of physical abuse.
The case of 6 year old Promise Eboye’s case is a wake-up call for everyone (neighbors, community, Physicians) to play an important role in identifying cases of child abuse by reporting such cases to law enforcement and child welfare agencies, preventing further harm to identified children as well as to other children in the families, and providing further ongoing support and education to families.
Where Can Child Abuse Occur?
Child abuse can occur in the home, organizations, schools or communities the child interacts with regardless of their ethnic, socio-cultural, economic, religious or educational background. Child abuse and neglect occurs in a range of situations, for a range of reasons. Children are rarely subject to one form of abuse at a time. Adults can experience a range of psychological, emotional and social problems related to childhood abuse.
Meaning of Child abuse
According to World Health Organization, child abuse is all forms of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power.Child maltreatment is any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department for Children and Families (DCF) United States)
Child abuse is "any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm"- (the Journal of Child Abuse and Neglect).
Types of Child Abuse
There are four major categories of child abuse, each with implications that have been shown to harm child development. - Neglect
- Physical Abuse
- Psychological Or Emotional Abuse
- Sexual Abuse
Meaning Physical abuse: Physical abuse is direct harm to a child’s body. It might be a single act or repeated acts. The physical injuries might be external (eg, a laceration or burn) or internal (eg, bruised organs).
Methods of inflicting physical abuse; strongly shaking an infant, hitting a child, cutting a child’s skin, or burning the skin with a hot implement. Additionally, in some social cultures, certain abusive behaviour is legitimated by religious beliefs; for example, badly cauterizing a child or inserting sharp objects into a child’s body in order to heal disease or to force out evil spirits.
Six Year Old Boy Stabbed by Mom-Implications ofabuse
An abused child often suffers from more than one type of abuse; however, some types of abuse are more frequently seen than others. Consider the traumatic experience of 6year old Promise Eboye. |
| Promise before his wounds were dressed-Credits Saturday Punch |
Promise’s mother, Comfort, stabbed her son four times, inflicting life-threatening injuries on the boy’s body.
Reports says that the broken bottle the woman used on her son tore into the boy’s flesh inflicting one three-inch injury and another two-inch injury on the boy’s back. Two other wounds looked equally horrific but were not as long and deep as the other two.
Neighbours said if Promise had not run away from his mother, who held tight to his wrist and stabbed him as he screamed, he would have been stabbed to death.
History of Physical and Psychological Abuse
Neighbours said that Comfort sometimes punished the boy by smashing his head against a wall whenever he did something wrong.Promise also said that his mother has a “N30 cane”, which she uses to flog him, even when he had no idea what he had done wrong. He said she would sometimes beat him till he could not walk.
“My mother is wicked,” Promise said simply, quietly. As shocking as that sounded, coming from a six-year-old, it explained the kind of treatment the boy had been experiencing in the hands of his mother.
He said, “When I fell, my mother asked me what pushed me and why I fell. She was angry and went to take her N30 cane. When she was beating me too much and I was screaming, one of our neighbours came to hold her hand to take the cane away from her. The woman said I should run away because my mother would kill me the way she was beating me.
“My mother said ‘I will kill you, I will kill you’. When she could not find anything else to beat me with, she took a broken bottle on the ground and started to stab me on the back.”
Promise was rescued by alarmed residents, who took him to a private hospital nearby. But by the time the boy was taken to the hospital, Comfort had planted another story in the boy’s head.
Pastor Charles Agboola, a pharmacist who founded the hospital, said the two people who brought Promise in said the boy fell down and landed on a broken bottle. When Agboola’s wife, a nurse, asked the boy what actually happened, Promise told her that he was watching two people fight when he sustained the injury.
The nurse told punch online correspondent, “He told me that they pushed him and he landed on the broken bottles but when I informed my husband, he said immediately that the story could not be true. I also noticed that the wounds were not consistent with that story.
“It was shocking that the boy’s mother was not remorseful in any way. It was when she dashed out of the door under the pretence that she was going to look for money for the boy’s treatment, that a crowd from their street, who were coming to the hospital, grabbed her and told the true story of what happened.“When we asked Promise why he lied, he said his mother had told him what to say when asked how he sustained the injury.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Kenneth Nwosu, said Comfort would be arraigned as soon as possible.
The implications of Child Abuse
Studies on the relationship between childhood trauma and later health concerns
Child Abuse Survivors Demonstrate:
Is It Possible to Recover From Child Abuse?
We now understand that the long-term impact of child abuse is far-reaching as the above studies has shown. Therefore, without the right support, the effects of childhood abuse can last a lifetime.
However, it is possible to live a full and constructive life, and even thrive – to enjoy a feeling of wholeness, satisfaction in your life and work as well as genuine love and trust in your relationships.
Understanding the relationship between your prior abuse and current behaviour is the first step towards ‘recovery’.
Only a Psychological intervention by a professional can guide a victim of any form of abuse to a successful recovery to normal functioning and re-integration into society.However, find out which of the forms four of abuse is more damaging to a child in the next article.
The earlier abused children get help, the greater chance they have to heal and break the cycle.
“My mother is wicked,” Promise said simply, quietly. As shocking as that sounded, coming from a six-year-old, it explained the kind of treatment the boy had been experiencing in the hands of his mother.
Main Reason Why Mother Stabbed Son
Asked what happened to make his mother stab him, Promise said he tripped and fell.He said, “When I fell, my mother asked me what pushed me and why I fell. She was angry and went to take her N30 cane. When she was beating me too much and I was screaming, one of our neighbours came to hold her hand to take the cane away from her. The woman said I should run away because my mother would kill me the way she was beating me.
The Physical Assault and Psychological/Emotional Abuse
Promise was rescued by alarmed residents, who took him to a private hospital nearby. But by the time the boy was taken to the hospital, Comfort had planted another story in the boy’s head.
Pastor Charles Agboola, a pharmacist who founded the hospital, said the two people who brought Promise in said the boy fell down and landed on a broken bottle. When Agboola’s wife, a nurse, asked the boy what actually happened, Promise told her that he was watching two people fight when he sustained the injury.
The nurse told punch online correspondent, “He told me that they pushed him and he landed on the broken bottles but when I informed my husband, he said immediately that the story could not be true. I also noticed that the wounds were not consistent with that story.
Mother’s Response Not Remorseful
Comfort, who is nursing a toddler, said Promise stepped on her baby, which was why she became angry.“It was shocking that the boy’s mother was not remorseful in any way. It was when she dashed out of the door under the pretence that she was going to look for money for the boy’s treatment, that a crowd from their street, who were coming to the hospital, grabbed her and told the true story of what happened.“When we asked Promise why he lied, he said his mother had told him what to say when asked how he sustained the injury.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Kenneth Nwosu, said Comfort would be arraigned as soon as possible.
Fear of Returning Home
By the time the boy was about to leave the clinic, he was crying and did not want to go back home. Anytime the issue of who would take over his care was brought up he became very sad.Father Rescues Son
Promise’s father came to Lagos on Thursday to take the boy. The father declined to speak on the issue when Saturday Punch reporter tried to ask him some questions. “I only came to Lagos to pick the boy,” he said.Original Story from Saturday PUNCH
The implications of Child Abuse
The effects of the abuse suffered by Promise in the hands of his own biological mother can be long lasting despite the being rescued by his father. Let us look at some of the possible long lasting damaging psychological and emotional impact.
Over two decades of research have demonstrated potential negative impact of child abuse and neglect on mental health including:
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A number of studies have explored the relationship between childhood trauma and later health concerns. The long-term impact of child abuse is far-reaching; some studies indicate that, without the right support, the effects of childhood abuse can last a lifetime. This study by (Draper et al., 2007) found:
Child Abuse Survivors Demonstrate:- Poor mental health: are almost two and a half times as likely to have poor mental health outcomes,
- Unhappiness: are four times more likely to be unhappy even in much later life
- Poor physical health: are more likely to have poor physical health.
- Medical diseases: increases the risk of having three or more medical diseases, including cardiovascular events in women
- Relationships: causes a higher prevalence of broken relationships, lower rates of marriage in late life,
- Isolation/social disconnection: cause lower levels of social support and an increased risk of living alone
- Behavioural health effects: is associated with suicidal behaviour, increased likelihood of smoking, substance abuse, and physical inactivity.
Research has found that childhood abuse contributes to the likelihood of:
Depression, Anxiety disorders, Addictions, Personality disorders (Spila, Makara, Kozak, & Urbanska, 2008) Eating disorders, Sexual disorders and Suicidal behaviour (Draper et al., 2007). Low-self esteem, Problems with family functioning (Palmer, Brown, Rae-Grant, & Loughin,2001).
A recent study found that almost 76% of adults reporting child physical abuse and neglect have at least one psychiatric disorder in their lifetime and nearly 50% have three or more psychiatric disorders (Harper et al., 2007).
Adults with abuse histories also present with physical problems more frequently than those who have not experienced abuse (Draper et al., 2007).
Furthermore, child sexual abuse has been found to be a key factor in youth homelessness with between 50-70% of young people within Supported Accommodation Assistance Programs having experienced childhood sexual assault (van Loon & Kralik, 2005b).
We now understand that the long-term impact of child abuse is far-reaching as the above studies has shown. Therefore, without the right support, the effects of childhood abuse can last a lifetime.
However, it is possible to live a full and constructive life, and even thrive – to enjoy a feeling of wholeness, satisfaction in your life and work as well as genuine love and trust in your relationships.
Understanding the relationship between your prior abuse and current behaviour is the first step towards ‘recovery’.
Only a Psychological intervention by a professional can guide a victim of any form of abuse to a successful recovery to normal functioning and re-integration into society.However, find out which of the forms four of abuse is more damaging to a child in the next article.
The earlier abused children get help, the greater chance they have to heal and break the cycle.
To Get Help on Management and Support of Victims of child abuse
Request Help Through E-Mail:
BBM: 73D50E8
References: www.ASCA .org
Psychology Today
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