Abuse Between Young People: Factors and Vulnerability

This report discusses the factors and vulnerability of young people in relation to abuse between young people. It explores the impact of family, peer group, school, and neighborhood on their vulnerability to abuse and being abused.

Report Abuse Between
Young People

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Main Body.......................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................4

INTRODUCTION
The term contextual understanding is mainly related and associated with understanding
and responding to experience of young individual and people which could lead to significant
harm to them beyond their families. Further, the contextual safeguarding approach also involves
and lead to recognition of different relationship of young people which they shared and
experienced from their neighbourhoods, schools and online which can feature and involve
violence and abuse (Podnieks and Thomas, 2017). The current report is based on case study of
Kendra and comprises discussion about the various factors exist for Kendra and other young
people in relation to her family, her peer group, her school and her neighbourhood that is
increasing her vulnerability towards abusing or being abused.
Main Body
The approach of contextual safeguarding is mainly aim at understanding and responding to
experience of young people based on their relation with their neighbourhoods, schools and online
which can lead to significant harm to them along with featuring and increasing issues of violence
and abuse. It has been analysed that a serious impact and harm is lead out by youth violence on
women and girls which comprises of victims suffering from adverse physical and mental effects
along with increased health costs and other mental disorder (Day, Jenner and Weir, 2018). As per
the current study on Kendra who is a young girl of 16 years old and is youngest among the five
siblings and only girl of the family. It has been analysed that since her childhood she watched her
older brother and other elder people who are physically and emotionally abusing there female
partner and which also includes physical violence and mistreatment. This trauma and violence
seen by Kendra has lead a very negative impact on her behaviour and also disturbed her mental
health along with future violence perpetration and victimization which make her depressed and
emotional less. It has been analysed that the key factors which exists for Kendra in relation to her
family and peer group comprises of lack of mental capacity to fight and stand strong against the
abuse along with being physically dependent on the male partners of their family (Keeling and
Davies, 2020). Apart from this, it has been also analysed that having low level of self-esteem
which leads to a negative subjective sense of personal worth and value is also making these
young girls and women more vulnerable to violence and abuse. Apart from this, living a social
isolation and not interacting about the issues of violence and sexual abuse in childhood and
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young age are the main reasons and factors that is making Kendra more vulnerable to abusing or
being abused which is presenting Lack of access to health and social services or high-quality
information for her am making her a victim of abusing and being abused that leads to lack of
emotions and depression in her (Janßen and et. al., 2017).
Thus, an analysis can be made out that various factors exists for Kendra and other young
people like their physical, mental, emotional, or social developments and environment of
upbringing which is leading increase in the child's and young people vulnerability to
maltreatment and abuse. It has been analysed that the influence of peers group is also a major
factor which is increasing the vulnerability for abuse and being abused for Kendra, Apart from
experiencing abuse and neglect in her early stage of child and young age as her older brother
were used to physically abuse their partners as well as the she had also witnessed the exploitation
of girls in her local school and on the streets in her neighbourhood which created an issues of
low self-worth within her that is making her more vulnerable to abuse and being abused
(Pickard, 2019). Apart frim this, witnessing regular violence in home, neighbourhood and
community has made her having lack of attention, respect, love and emotions as she used to
believe that these emotions and love makes a person weak and more prone to abuse and mental
and emotionally harm from others.
Vulnerability for abuse is referred as a product of complex interaction of societal,
institutional, intrapersonal and individual factors. It has been found in a review that the
individuals with younger age, childhood victimization, less education, unemployment, mental
illness etc. as being associated to victimization. Abuse has been related to stress and depression
among women due to high unemployment rate, low level of education, and high prevalence of
depression (Ventus, Antfolk and Salo, 2017). Vulnerability is related to requirement for personal
assistance as well as the issue of social isolation which requires special attention. Child abuse is
often utilised interchangeably and it covers exploitation, trafficking and neglect. Physical abuse
does not happen in isolation, but as constellation of behaviours part involving anxiety provoking
behaviour, authoritarian control and lack of parental warmth. In case of Kendra, she was only 16
years old girl who was the youngest one of five siblings as well as the only girl in her family. In
her childhood, she watched older brothers emotionally and physically abuse their partners and
also witnessed exploitation of girls in the local school where she studied and on her
neighbourhood streets (Burén and Lunde, 2018). This highly impacted her and she decided that
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she wasn't going to be abused. Due to all such situations which she was suffering, she became an
abuser as she was scared of being the victim of abuse. The vulnerability of sexual abuse is high
as it involves the act where adult utilizes child for sexual purpose. It may include a stranger,
while most of the abuse is perpetrated through someone the child trust and knows. It involves
any touching for sexual purpose, buttocks, sexual intercourse, oral sex, genitals, an adult
exposing themselves to child. There are some signs through which it can be recognize that
Kendra is being abuse or vulnerable to abuse. These factors include family factors,
environmental factors, risk factors etc. Due to issues regarding identification, institutional
systems and stigma, concerns regarding allegations of abuse are reported much. The individuals
with health needs or requirements make up large part of referrals for adult abuse involving
individuals with mental health disabilities, learning disabilities and others (Karsberg and et. al.,
2019). Some of the risk factors includes, previous history of abuse, social isolation, lack of
mental capacity, low self-esteem, being physically relying on others, increasing age, lack of
access to social and health services or information of high quality. In case of Kendra,
psychological abuse is also one of the factor which increase her vulnerability of being abuse. It
involves deprivation of contact, verbal abuse, intermediation, controlling, blaming, humiliation,
harassment etc. It is very much necessary to safeguard the vulnerable adults in order to keep
Kendra safe as well as prevent her from abuse. In such case, representation and support is one of
the greatest need and it is very much necessary to take actions prior the harm occurs (Podnieks
and Thomas, 2017).
Thus, with respect to current excerpt from Abuse Between Young People: A Contextual
Account by Carlene Firmin (2018) it has been outlined and analysed that the main factors which
her school and her neighbourhood that may increase her vulnerability to abusing or being abused
comprises of feeling of low self-esteem and negative experience of abuse in her physical abuse
in form of physical violence, misuse of medication, inappropriate restraint or sanctions (Day,
Jenner and Weir, 2018). Further, a threat of sexual abuse and emotional abuse including threats
of harm or abandonment, deprivation of contact, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation,
harassment, verbal abuse is also experienced and felt by Kendra within in her peer,
neighbourhood and streets which created a sense of trauma and weakness in Kendra that makes
her more vulnerable for abusing or being abused. This, vulnerability for abusing in the physical
environment has made Kendra more scared and depressed along with emotion less as she even
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forget to feel things and had started thinking the caring and love for other makes a girl weak and
more prone to physical and mental abuse (Keeling and Davies, 2020).
CONCLUSION
On the basis of above report, a conclusion can be made out that the issue and awareness
about the peer on peer abuse and vulnerability of young people of abusing and being abused has
risen and become a serious matter of concern. The contextual safeguarding approach is helping
out to understand and respond towards the experience of young people in their physical
environment which makes significant harm to them beyond their families. Further, a
summarisation can be made out that the sociological and feminist perspectives which has led to
low self-esteem in females and gorals which makes them more vulnerable for abusing and
sexual, physical and emotional harassment in their living environment. At last, a summarisation
can be made that lack of mental capability along with history of expressing abuse in childhood
and young age are also the main factors which are leading increase in vulnerability to abusing or
being abused.
REFERENCES
Books and journal
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Burén, J. and Lunde, C., 2018. Sexting among adolescents: A nuanced and gendered online
challenge for young people. Computers in Human Behavior, 85, pp.210-217.
Day, A.S., Jenner, A. and Weir, R., 2018. Domestic abuse: predicting, assessing and responding
to risk in the Criminal Justice System and beyond. In Women and the Criminal Justice
System (pp. 67-94). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Janßen, K. and et. al., 2017. Relevance of medical reports in criminal investigations of cases of
suspected child abuse. International journal of legal medicine, 131(4), pp.1055-1059.
Karsberg, S. and et. al., 2019. The association between distinct categories of child abuse
experiences and dating violence in early adolescence. Journal of family violence, 34(3),
pp.165-176.
Keeling, J. and Davies, C.T., 2020. SAFEGUARDING ADULTS FROM DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE AND ABUSE. Safeguarding Across the Life Span, p.152.
Pickard, S., 2019. Politics, protest and young people: Political participation and dissent in 21st
century Britain. Springer.
Podnieks, E. and Thomas, C., 2017. The consequences of elder abuse. In Elder abuse (pp. 109-
123). Springer, Cham.
Ventus, D., Antfolk, J. and Salo, B., 2017. The associations between abuse characteristics in
child sexual abuse: a meta-analysis. Journal of sexual aggression, 23(2), pp.167-180.
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