Child abuse has taken different forms and manifests it’s ugly head in sexual, physical, substance, kidnapping, verbal and neglect among other common various forms. Rituals that involve the disappearance and killings of young and adolescents and killings of young and adolescents children are rife in Zimbabwe and as such parents and to a larger extent, communication are on the alert regarding the perpetrators of the various forms of abuse, either by strangers or close relatives. The worst mind-boggling issue is that several cases of child mutilation, sexual and emotional abuse have been reported on electronic media as well as direct to the police by the victims themselves but surprisingly little has been done to relatively alert the impending social disaster. Parents and guardians leave in fear whenever they experience the various effects of sexual and alcohol abuse. The two areas have been extensively researched on, with heart-breaking effects such as deaths, prostitution, abortion, suicides and even labor abuses or exploitation. In Zimbabwe, due to the economic meltdown, pa
rents and guardians have migrated to look for jobs abroad, leaving their grandparents and children in the custody of strangers, relatives, and caregivers who are not even professional child developers, let alone, their parenting styles which are questionable. Some families are child-headed hence the deplorable situation of family lawlessness and exposure as well as vulnerability to different forms of abuse. A general survey of the Chitungwiza Community had shown that adolescent girls children who are attending school encounter a lot of challenges which have resultingly led to poor academic performance at the secondary level. The adverse situation has tempted the formulation and exploration of the psychological effects experienced by the neglected girl children on their academic performance. The researcher intends to explore the subject matter through the examination of the background to the study, statement of the problem, research objectives and questions. The chapter further explores the significance of the study, assumptions as well as operational definitions of key terms.