due to age or illness. Some other factors may include issues arising in the home or personal environment of the perpetrator or victim. Emotional and developmental conditions can also trigger an individuals to carry out forms of abuse. Some factors can be stresses within the family unit, poverty, unemployment, inadequate education or skills, break down within the family structure, loss of a loved one or main care giver, poor living conditions, inability to control anger or other emotions, mental health issues, and substance dependency. Abuse can also be a learned behavior that can be passed down from parent to child or from caregiver to recipient. According to Bingham et al (2009:219) "consider a range of predisposing factors that can increase the likelihood of abuse occurring." Abuse can happen to anyone at any point in their life. I believe people need a better understanding of what abuse is, the signs and symptoms of abuse, and the devastating impact abuse can have in order to recognize it and possibly prevent it.
             Due to our multi-cultural society abuse within ethnic groups can and does go unnoticed, this can happen when individuals cultural attitudes, beliefs, values and customs are not in line with our own. In different cultures they may have different views on how to bring up children and there are certain things that we would categorize as abuse in our culture but for other cultures it is seen as acceptable or as a way of life. For example devout Christians in certain parts of Africa believe that mental health issues, bad behavior or unfortunate circumstances are caused by an individual being possessed by the devil. Demonic possession is embedded in their history and the way they deal with possession is to starve, beat and torture the possessed individual until the demon leaves their body. In our culture acts of starvation, beating and torture are categorized as forms of abuse.
             One case I have researched is th...