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Velita Sanders

Mrs. Kenly

British Literature

23 March 2018

Child Abuse

Child abuse isn’t just about black eyes. While physical abuse is shocking due to the marks it

leaves, not all child abuse is as obvious. Ignoring children’s needs, putting them in unsupervised,

dangerous situations, exposing them to sexual situations, or making them feel worthless or stupid

are also forms of child abuse and neglect. Regardless of the type of abuse, the result is serious

emotional harm. But there is help available. If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected,

it’s important to speak out. By catching the problem as early as possible, both the child and the

abuser can get the help they need.

Child abuse is one of the five leading cause of childhood death in the United States today and

had serious physical, emotional behavior for a child, in some cases, a tendency toward

aggression and violence.the reasons for child abuse was that parents who abused their children

were mentally disturbed, sick parents are mainly the mothers that’s doing the child as wrong as if

they don’t want the child anymore. In most abuse’s the parents would either be drunk, or on

drugs and they would have most parents talk to cures psychotherapy or counseling or and most

case’s to remove the child from the home.

Abusive behavior comes in many forms, but the common denominator is the emotional effect on
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the child. Whether the abuse is a slap, a harsh comment, stony silence, or not knowing if there

will be dinner on the table, the end result is a child that feels unsafe, uncared for, and alone.

Although research findings have helped to debunk the "crazy-parent" theory, much of the focus

on child abuse still suffers from problems that limit its usefulness. How would I know you would

ask, studies show that professionals are more likely to report child abuse if the family is of color,

poor, or headed by a single woman. Also some studies are wrong concluded that child abuse is a

problem among people of color, the poor, and single women. In fact, child abuse is found in

every population and at every economic level in U.S. society.

However, several well-designed longitudinal studies,

have identified factors that contribute to the risk of abuse, including being the child of a parent

who grew up in an abusive home; being the child of a teenage or single mother; or experiencing

poverty, family conflict, dangerous neighborhoods, social isolation, and substance abuse. A

particularly troubling finding is that the majority of mothers of abused children also are battered

by their male partners. Protective services may view a woman as unprotected and remove her

children, even though the abusive man may be victimizing both the mother and children. As a

result, women are often blamed for their children's abuse or neglect.

It is important to realize that risk factors do not create abuse; rather, they increase the likelihood

of abuse. Recognizing that child abuse is not caused by any single factor but more typically

occurs when risk factors converge.This viewpoint underscores the importance of looking at child

abuse in a social and family context and not, as is often the case, as maternal failure or
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malfeasance.. This rarely happens. Once cases are recognized, a flexible and compassionate

family assessment is the ideal first step toward identifying where the problems are and finding

ways to alleviate them, including a combination of advocacy, counseling, and family support. A

movement exists among those responsible for child protection to keep at-risk or abused children

within their homes and to provide services to strengthen their families.

Programs that support this type of intervention are woefully underfunded, however, leading

child protection workers to remove children from their families because such family support

services are unavailable. Furthermore, poorly trained workers often believe that mothers

deliberately set out to harm their children. This blaming of mothers reflects a historical and deep-

rooted prejudice against women whose children are at risk. For example, for decades

psychiatrists erroneously held mothers responsible if their children were schizophrenic or

autistic. Efforts to improve child protective services must include attention to the way

professionals treat mothers as well as children.

“In addition to interventions to treat abused children and their families, other programs are

designed to prevent child abuse from occurring in the first place, said Barbara Smith.” A

worrisome trend is the use of interviews and checklists designed to screen new parents to

determine whose children are most at risk of being abused. The problem with screening is that

professionals don't know precisely which factors cause child abuse, and labeling families can

stigmatize them. Another preventive approach is home visiting, where trained specialists visit

new parents, usually those who are very young or are single mothers. The best programs, which

offer comprehensive educational, social, and medical services, appear to reduce reported
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incidents of child abuse, although--as with all child abuse interventions--more evaluation is

needed to determine what is most effective and for whom.

A model law making it mandatory for doctors and hospitals to report cases of physical abuse of

children by adults is being drafted by the Children’s Bureau of the Department of Health,

Education and Welfare.

The recommendation to formulate such a statute came as a result of conferences on child abuse

held by the Bureau in January and May.

Findings at the conferences, attended by lawyers, judges, probation officers, doctors and social

workers, indicated there is a high incident of unreported physical child abuse in the United

States.

Bureau officials said yesterday that information regarding child abuse came first-hand from those

attending the conferences and from spot surveys conducted by individual doctors.

The proposed statute would be limited in application to doctors and hospital administrators

because, according to Katherine B. Oettinger, Children’s Bureau chief, “these groups are bound

by law as well as by professional ethics to respect the confidentiality of professional

relationship.”

Child abuse can result from physical, emotional, or sexual harm. While child abuse is often in the
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form of an action, there are also examples of inaction that cause harm, such as neglect. Some

households that suffer from alcoholism/substance abuse and anger issues have higher

occurrences of child abuse as compared to households without. Outcomes of child abuse can

result in both short and long term injury, or even death. There are some children who may be

unaware that they are victims of child abuse.

Child abuse is widespread and can occur in any cultural, ethnic, or income group. Child abuse

can be physical, emotional, verbal, or sexual. It can also result from neglect. Abuse can result in

serious injury to the child and possibly even death.

Physical abuse involves non-accidental harming of a child by, for example, burning, beating, or

breaking bones. Verbal abuse involves harming a child by, for example, belittling them or

threatening physical or sexual acts. Emotional trauma can result from several forms of abuse.

Studies show that one in four girls and one in eight boys are sexually abused before the age of

18, and that approximately one in 20 children are physically abused each year. Child sexual

abuse is the deliberate exposure of a minor child to sexual activity that the child cannot

comprehend or consent to. This means a child is forced or talked into sex or sexual activities by

another person. This behavior includes acts such as inappropriate touching of a child's breasts or

genitalia, someone exposing their genitalia to a child, fondling, oral-genital contact, genital and

anal intercourse, as well as exhibitionism, voyeurism, and exposure to pornography.

Religious freedom has become a point of contention, some states allow for medical neglect due
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to religious objections. There are also examples of some extreme religious acts that are

considered child abuse that are acceptable in other countries.

“Hard cases make bad law. That may be the disturbing but difficult-to-avoid lesson from the

stomach-turning abuse suffered by the 13 children of David and Louise Turpin for at least a

decade”, said Naomi Schaefer Riley

"The Supreme Court has said that parents have the right to raise children without unwarranted

government intervention....The Turpins are the terrible but extremely rare price we pay for this

liberty....We are already living in a country where more than a third of children under 18 years

old come into contact with child services. Some of these are no doubt instances of real neglect

and abuse but others are cases of kids who have been left in the car while their parent runs into

the dry Regcleaner. Do we really want to encourage people to report on their neighbor's

parenting practices more than they already do?", said Louise Turpin

“Flight crews can restrain passengers or even divert flights when violent behavior erupts midair,

but when the situation involves a parent potentially abusing a child, the decisions are not so clear

cut.”, said Regina Garcia. A 5½-hour JetBlue flight earlier this month continued to its final

destination after three passengers reported a mother mistreating her 8-year-old son, including

grabbing him by the neck and shoving him against a window as he cried.

The same day, the airline diverted a flight to Las Vegas after a man reportedly hit and bit other

passengers. The airline did not respond to requests for comment on the incident involving the
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child, and a federal complaint against the mother does not say whether the flight attendant who

received the passenger complaints intervened.

While it may vary by airline, flight attendants are trained in how to de-escalate violent situations

under widely accepted procedures, and it is likely that JetBlue concluded it was safest to leave

the mother and son together and not disrupt the flight, aviation experts say. “This is certainly a

very unpleasant situation, but it is one that is full of, if you will, gray areas, as opposed to a

black-and-white type of situation,” said Henry Harteveldt

At least 786 children died of abuse or neglect in the U.S. in a six-year span in plain view of child

protection authorities--many of them beaten, starved or left alone to drown while agencies had

good reason to know they were in danger, The Associated Press has found, said Garance Burke.

Most of the 786 children whose cases were compiled by the AP were under the age of 4. They

lost their lives even as authorities were investigating their families or providing some form of

protective services because of previous instances of neglect, violence or other troubles in the

home.

“A child protective services worker visited the day after her husband's attack, spoke with her

briefly and left. Her husband pleaded guilty to assault and was ordered by a judge to take anger

management classes and stay away from his wife, said Jennifer Blaz. She said the next official

contact between the family and Montana child services came more than six weeks later--the day

of Mattison's funeral. The system also failed Ethan Henderson, who was only 10 weeks old but

already had been treated for a broken arm when his father hurled him into a recliner so hard that

it caused a fatal brain injury. Maine hotline workers had received at least 13 calls warning that

Ethan or his siblings were suffering abuse--including assertions that an older sister had been

found covered in bruises, was possibly being sexually abused and had been burned by a stove

because she was left unsupervised. Ethan himself had arrived at daycare with deep red bruises
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dappling his arm. Still, the caseworker who inspected the family's cramped trailer six days before

Ethan died on May 8, 2012, wrote that the baby appeared "well cared for and safe in the care of

his parents."

Lack of Government Data. Because no single, complete set of data exists for the deaths of

children who already were being overseen by child protective services workers, the information

compiled over the course of AP's eight-month investigation represents the most comprehensive

statistics publicly available. The AP reviewed thousands of pages of official reports, child fatality

records and police documents for the period in question, which ran from fiscal year 2008 through

2013. And, even then, the number of abuse and neglect fatalities where a prior open case existed

at the time of death is undoubtedly much higher than the tally of 760.

Seven states reported a total of 230 open-case child deaths over the six-year period, but those

were not included in the AP count because the states could not make a distinction between

investigations started due to the incident that ultimately led to a child's death and cases that

already were open when the child received the fatal injury. Some states did not provide data for

all six years, not all branches of the military provided complete information, and no count of

open-case deaths of any type was obtained from the Bureau of Indian Affairs or FBI, which

investigate allegations of abuse on reservations. The lack of comprehensive data makes it

difficult to measure how well those responsible for keeping children safe are protecting their

most vulnerable charges.

The data collection system on child deaths is so flawed that no one can even say with accuracy

how many children overall die from abuse or neglect every year. The federal government

estimates an average of about 1,650 deaths annually in recent years; many believe the actual

number is twice as high. Even more lacking is comprehensive, publicly available data about the
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number of children dying while the subject of an open case or while receiving assistance from

the agencies that exist to keep them safe--the focus of AP's reporting.

What should you do if you suspect that a child has been abused? Or if a child confides in you?

It’s normal to feel a little overwhelmed and confused. Child abuse is a difficult subject that can

be hard to accept and even harder to talk about, for both you and the child. When talking with an

abused child, the best thing you can provide is calm reassurance and unconditional support. If

you’re having trouble finding the words, let your actions speak for you. A common reaction to

news as unpleasant and shocking as child abuse is denial. However, if you display denial to a

child, or show shock or disgust at what they are saying, the child may be afraid to continue and

will shut down. As hard as it may be, remain as calm and reassuring as you can. Let the child

explain to you in their own words what happened, but don’t interrogate the child or ask leading

questions. This may confuse and fluster the child and make it harder for them to continue their

story. It takes a lot for a child to come forward about abuse. Reassure them that you take what is

said seriously, and that it is not their fault. If you feel that your safety or the safety of the child

would be threatened if you try to intervene, leave it to the professionals. You may be able to

provide more support later.

If you suspect a child is being abused, it's critical to report it—and to continue reporting each

separate incidence of abuse if it continues to recur. Each report you make is a snapshot of what’s

going on in the family. The more information you can provide, the better the chance of the child

getting the help they deserve. Of course, it’s normal to have some reservations or worries about

reporting child abuse.

I don’t want to interfere in someone else’s family... Child abuse and neglect is NOT merely a
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family matter, and the consequences of staying silent can be devastating for the child. What if I

break up someone’s home? A child abuse report does not mean a child is automatically removed

from the home, unless they’re clearly in danger. Parents may first be offered support, such as

parenting classes or anger management counselling. They will know it was me who called...

Reporting is anonymous. In most places, you do not have to give your name when you report

child abuse. It won’t make a difference what I have to say… If you have a gut feeling that

something is wrong, it's better to be safe than sorry. Even if you don’t see the whole picture,

others may have noticed as well, and a pattern can help identify child abuse that might have

otherwise been overlooked.

Work Cited

Smith, Barbara “ In addition to interventions to treat abused children and their families, other

programs are designed to prevent child abuse from occurring in the first place.”

Schaefer, R. Naomi “Hard cases make bad law. That may be the disturbing but difficult-to-avoid

lesson from the stomach-turning abuse suffered by the 13 children of David and Louise Turpin

for at least a decade.”

Turpin, Louise "The Supreme Court has said that parents have the right to raise children without

unwarranted government intervention....The Turpins are the terrible but extremely rare price we

pay for this liberty....We are already living in a country where more than a third of children under
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18 years old come into contact with child services. Some of these are no doubt instances of real

neglect and abuse but others are cases of kids who have been left in the car while their parent

runs into the dry cleaner.”

Garcia, Regina “Flight crews can restrain passengers or even divert flights when violent

behavior erupts midair, but when the situation involves a parent potentially abusing a child, the

decisions are not so clear cut.”

Harteveldt, Henry “This is certainly a very unpleasant situation, but it is one that is full of, if

you will, gray areas, as opposed to a black-and-white type of situation.”

Dalton, Erin "We definitely oversample the poor,”

Burke, Garance At least 786 children died of abuse or neglect in the U.S. in a six-year span in

plain view of child protection authorities--many of them beaten, starved or left alone to drown

while agencies had good reason to know they were in danger.

Blaz, Jennifer A child protective services worker visited the day after her husband's attack,

spoke with her briefly and left. Her husband pleaded guilty to assault and was ordered by a judge

to take anger management classes and stay away from his wife.