Introduction
Crimes became one of the parts of people’s life in modern world. The level of criminality is very high, unfortunately. The most terrible crime is the crime directed towards children. Children are weak and cannot protect themselves, so it is very easy to hurt them. Some adults in order to assert themselves try their power on children. Sexual abuse is the most disgusting thing which people may do, so life imprisonment and death penalty should be provided for such crimes.
Children may suffer physical and sexual abuse from their parents, relatives and other people. Sexual abuse is “the involvement of dependant, sexually immature children and adolescents in sexual activities that they do not fully comprehend, to which they are unable to give informed consent or that violate and social taboos of family roles” (Smith et al 2003). Physical abuse “may result in physical injury to the child, but also includes high risk acts regardless of whether any actual injury ensues” (Levinson 2002).
Main Body
The huge problem in abuse is the difficulty to distinguish that it was the abuse. Parents do not tell that they abuse their children and children are usually very frightened to ask for help (Smith et al 2003). Children used to listen to their parents and think that they know better what to do. Children are sure that parents desire to punish is reasonable and do not know that they can refer for help. Abused children are usually told that they are bad and that they deserve nothing but punishment.
Violence against children must be punished. There are a lot of laws which protect children from abuse. There are a lot of facts and opinions for and against life imprisonment and death penalty. Children are the most innocent and most defenseless creatures in the world. Adults should know that abusing children they will be punished with the whole severity of the law.
European countries have refused from death penalty, which was constituted by life imprisonment. Such actions were provided in reference to the European Court of Human Rights. (Farrington et al 2001). The governments of European countries think that humanism, which they proclaim, can help. How could it happen? People know that sexually abusing and killing a child they will live and they do not afraid of punishment.
Alcohol is one of the causes for children abuse. Alcohol makes people uncontrollable and they may provide some actions which could harm a child. The emphasis should be made that alcohol does not release person from responsibility for child’s life. (Rice et al 2001).
Videotaping children sexual abuse should also be punished. People who do this as if taking part in raping. Such video files can be good evidences in the court (Vandervort 2006). Videotaping of children sexual abuse should be also punished severally. Death penalty is not what should be provided here, but from 25 years till life imprisonment should be given, depending on the level of his/her interactions. Those who videotape children rapes usually take part in that process, so they also should be punished with all severity.
One more problem is to prove the crime in the case of children physical and sexual abuse. Evidences are usually removed and the witness of the crime is only victim. The other reason is trauma which has already been maintained on the child and court procedure may create extra problems for a child. (Garbarino 2008).
Conclusion
In sum, my strong opinion is that death penalty must be provided for child physical or sexual abuse in the case when child has died. The life imprisonment should be prescribed for everyone who dared to provide sexual or physical abuse to child.
Works Cited
Smith, Peter K. Cowie, Helen. Blades, Mark. Understanding children’s development. Wiley-Blackwell, 2003.
Levinson, David. Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment: Volumes I-IV. SAGE, 2002.
Farrington, David P. Hollin, Clive. McMurran, Mary. Sex and violence: the psychology of crime and risk assessment. Routledge, 2001.
Rice, Christopher, et al. “Self-Reports of Physical, Sexual and Emotional Abuse in an Alcoholism Treatment Sample.” Journal of Studies on Alcohol 62.1 (2001).
Vandervort, Frank E. “Videotaping Investigative Interviews of Children in Cases of Child Sexual Abuse: One Community’s Approach.” Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 96.4 (2006).
Garbarino, James. Children and the Dark Side of Human Experience: Confronting Global Realities and Rethinking Child Development. Springer, 2008.