Child Abuse

Child Abuse Sarah Dubicki Due: 11/21/2012 3710 Social Welfare and the Social Work Profession: History, Trends and Basic Concepts.

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Abstract This paper will take a look at child abuse. It will depict statistics of child abuse in the last few years, and will define what child abuse is. The idea of child abuse and what it actually means has changed greatly in the last century, although the concept has been around since the time beginning of time. This paper will show that there are different kinds of abuse. This paper will also look at policies and laws that are put in place to help children, and different kinds of support in place.

Child Abuse When it comes to child abuse, the United States has the worst record in the industrialized nation losing five children every day due to abuse-related deaths. ("National Child Abuse Statistics | Childhelp", 2012) Childhood is a time of growth, emotionally and physically. Each child should be free to develop, as they should naturally, without interference. Children should have a safe environment to learn who they are as a person. Unfortunately many children do not grow up with this safe environment. In 2010, there were 3.3 million referrals made to CPS. Of those referrals, over 60% were screened for investigations. Further, of those investigations, 1/5 of the cases found there to be at least one child who was being abused or neglected. (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2012). This is a large group of children who were found to be living in conditions of abuse. What is not counted, or known, is just how many children are living with abuse in their day to day lives, for there are many cases that go unnoticed or unreported. The children who fall victims to maltreatment are at no fault of their own. In fact, many are too young to understand what is happening to them, much less deserve it. Children under the age of one account for the biggest number of victims. It was found then that the rate and percentage of victims goes down each year they grow older. Then, it was found that the rate of abuse was split almost evenly down the sexes. The occurrence of maltreatment in males was found to be 48.5% and 51.2% in females. Also, 88% of abuse in children fell in three ethnicity types. Caucasian children made up 44% of victims, African American made up

21.9%, and Hispanic children made up 21.4%. (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Administration for Children and Families, 2012). The US Department for

Child Abuse Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families went on to state that these findings in demographics have been stable for the last few years. Maltreatment in children does not always mean physical abuse. In fact, the most common type of maltreatment is neglect. Neglect accounts for 78.3% of the abuse victims had to face (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Administration for Children and Families, 2012). Neglect is basically the idea that a childs caregivers are not providing them with the care that they need based on their age. Children who face neglect are often malnourished, and in severe situations this could be a fatal occurrence. They also do not thrive the way that other children in loving homes do, and they can be known to suffer from medical conditions- some very dangerous. The symptoms of neglect include poor hygiene, tattered clothing, clothing that is not appropriate for the childs age, or their size, dirty skin, etc. (Child Neglect | Psychology Today, 2008) There are many ways in which neglect can be noticed, and it is a type of maltreatment that can be observed by teachers, other parents, or family members. Many of the symptoms are easily noticeable to outside individuals. Other types of maltreatment (and their percentage) include Physical abuse (17.6%), sexual abuse (9.2%), medical neglect (2.4%), physical maltreatment (8.1%), and other (10.3%) ("National Child Abuse Statistics | Childhelp", 2012) Physical maltreatment (or abuse) is known to start from a form of punishment that goes much, much too far. Physical abuse takes place in the form of hitting, scratching, kicking, biting, burning, etc. ("Child Physical Abuse", n.d.). Sexual abuse is not as easily defined as other types of abuse. However, many would agree that

Child Abuse sexual abuse is the act of partaking in sexual acts with children, physically or not. Acts such as making a child watch an adult masturbate, or watch pornography, also count as sexual abuse ("Child Sexual Abuse: Intervention and Treatment Issues: Definitions, Scope, and Effects", n.d). Psychological (or emotional) abuse is defined as the inclusion of excessive, aggressive, or other parental behavior that places unreasonable demands on a child to perform more than he is capable of doing. Examples of such abuse include belittling or verbal attacks; lack of love, support, or guidance; constant, excessive teaching ("History of Child Abuse", n.d.,). Medical

neglect is the failure to provide medical dental or psychiatric care that is necessary to prevent or treat serious physical or emotional injury or illness. ("Medical Neglect Law & Legal Definition", 2012). This can involve things like disregarding medical advice in the event of a chronic illness, not going to the emergency room when a child needs it, or when the child is desperately sick. The types of maltreatment that fall in the other category are abandonment, threat of harm to the child, or drug addiction. If maltreatment does not easily fit into the types of maltreatment referenced above, then a state will put them into the other category (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Administration for Children and Families, 2012). Historically, child abuse has been around since the beginning of time. What is considered abuse now, was a way of life in the past. It has even gone on for a very long time in America. In America alone, parents were allowed and often encouraged to discipline as they saw fit. This could be physically beating a child, or using what we now know is psychological abuse. In the seventeenth century, parents were

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urged to use any, even severe punishments, as they saw fit, in keeping with religious values. This continued on well into the nineteenth century, where although the religious values were declining in prevalence, there were no real attempts made to protect children. No laws passed or support available to children who were being abused. (Pfohl, n.d.). One of the first instances of reported child abuse that was sensationalized was the case of Mary Ellen. It is referred to as a legend, and there are different takes on the situation. Ettna Angell Wheeler was a Social Worker of her time. She was visiting an ill woman, and was told about a child who was being beaten so harshly, that the beatings could be heard through the wall. She tried and failed to speak to the child, and when she eventually saw Mary Ellen she knew that something was wrong. There were signs of beatings, and healed scars that showed that the beatings had lasted for quite a while. For quite a while Wheeler tried to get Mary Ellen out of the home of her foster parents, but was unable to do so. The local authorities would not help her, and she was told to leave it alone. Eventually she is reported to have gone to Henry Bergh who had a connection with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Then the child was determined to be a member of the animal kingdom and was protected under the laws afforded to animals. The child was removed from the home and her foster parents were persecuted. (Costin, 1991). There are various ways in which this story is told, but the result is the same. There were no laws there to protect children who were being abused, and therefore protection and support for those children had to be fought for.

Child Abuse The story above shows how children and their wellbeing were not as prevalent in society in importance. Ettna Wheeler was told to leave it alone. It was truly believed that a parent had the right to discipline, and if they caused damagethat was their right as a parent. Then she had to look into Animal Cruelty laws and try to use them in the case of Mary Ellen. Animals and their wellbeing were given more importance than children. The childrens rights movement was a big part of changing the support

needed for children. The policies and services in place today put in place to alleviate the problem can thank the childrens right movement. All states have laws and policies put in place to protect children against abuse (Melli, 1998). A very clear example is the law in Oregon to protect children. It defines abuse in very clear terms; Abuse means: (A) Any assault, as defined in ORS chapter 163, of a child and any physical injury to a child which has been caused by other than accidental means, including any injury which appears to be at variance with the explanation given of the injury. (B) Any mental injury to a child, which shall include only observable and substantial impairment of the childs mental or psychological ability to function caused by cruelty to the child, with due regard to the culture of the child. ("Chapter 419B Juvenile Code: Dependency", 2011) The law continues to explain different scenarios of what counts as abuse including rape, threatening a child, sexual exploitation, etc. It then establishes the duty of professionals to report suspected abuse, and clearly defines the process in which children are evaluated, taken from homes, photographed (if the case demands it), and more ("Chapter 419B Juvenile Code: Dependency", 2011).

Child Abuse According to Melli (1998) the separate state laws come from a federal initiatives. There was the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 1974 and The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980. After that there was the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1995 which in Mellis (1998) opinion changed the tone of future laws and legislature on the subject of abuse. She then continued to say that these laws were focused on three separate but alike things. 1) Removing a child from the home when said child was in danger. 2) the decision to return a child to their home after being removed, and 3) the conditions

and decision to terminate a parents right and to put the child up for adoption (Melli, 1998). In 1998, Melli also discussed the mandatory reporting laws, which was also discussed in Oregons state law. The fact that we even have these laws shows how far we have come over time. In the past parenting included punishment that now would be considered abuse. In those situations, whatever the parent deemed appropriate was their right. The services that are available to protect children are there for the children. A professional is required, by law, to report suspected abuse. (Melli, 1998) Not to do so is unethical and in some cases could be punishable by law. The people getting the services available are the children themselves. The services they are provided with, such as emergency transportation, shelter, guardianship, etc. are outlined in Oregons law ("Chapter 419B Juvenile Code: Dependency", 2011). While the children may not think what they are going through is there to help them, it is there for their own good. They may see the actions as invasive, or scary. They may be used

Child Abuse to the abuse they were under and not know that it was wrong. It is just a way of life that they are used to. The data reported in many sources showed that child abuse can happen to

nay child, regardless of race or sex. The occurrence in males and females was almost half and half (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Administration for Children and Families, 2012). And as referenced above, the occurrence of reported child abuse was found mostly in Caucasian families, followed by African American families and Hispanic families. Child abuse knows no prejudice. An official is expected to report suspected abuse regardless of any race, sex, or age ("Chapter 419B Juvenile Code: Dependency", 2011). Not all countries are as protective of children as America is. Argentina, for example, has a very strong presence of sex tourism. There are a supposed 5,000 children sold into the trade a year. The laws put in place do not reach as far as they should and are not severe enough in their punishments. When convicted of child pornography, someone in the USA could be spending upwards of 15 years in prison. In Argentina someone convicted for the very same thing, could only spend 6 months in prison (Dale, 2011). There are laws that are, in theory, there to protect children but they prove ineffective. For example, The Criminal Code in Argentina criminalizes the prostitution of minors of eighteen years of age or younger, but it only sanctions those who promote or facilitate prostitution, and not the client who exploits the minor. (Law Library of Congress, 2007). In America, this would not be the case. This does not mean that, unfortunately, child prostitution and pornography

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do exist in America, however the consequences are much more severe when those individuals are caught. In Russia, there is a great lack of support for children. The hard economic climate does not make it easy on parents emotionally, or money-wise. Children are often placed in orphanages or abandoned on the streets. There is an estimated 200,000 children in Russian orphanages and these orphanages are not equipped for the amount of children they house. There is little to no heat, food is scarce and does not meet the nutritional needs of growing children. The caretakers in these orphanages also use cruel methods of punishing children. The Human Rights Watch reported that various children interviewed stated that public humiliation was not uncommon. There was a specific story where a child was required by a teacher to undress and stand by a cold, open, window in front of their peers, as a threat to the other children ("Report Documents Brutal Treatment in Russian Orphanages | Human Rights Watch", 1998). The Human Rights Watch also reported that orphanages were not even the most economical choice for abandoned or homeless children. It specifically said many of these children do not need to be institutionalized at all, but could be better cared for at home, or in foster homes, at considerably less expense ("Report Documents Brutal Treatment in Russian Orphanages | Human Rights Watch", 1998). There is a family code in Russia that requires professionals to report if they find any indication of abuse at the hands of a childs parents. This is someone like a doctor, teacher, or anyone else in a school setting, just to name a few types of professionals. However this is not always the case. Alexei Golovan, the Childrens

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Rights Commissioner for Moscow stated In the West this notification system works well: at the smallest suspicion, doctors and teachers inform authorities. Here the alarm is usually raised by neighbors, friends, or relatives. We often come across neglected cases. We start to investigate, and we discover that the school knew, the clinic knew, but they did not take any steps to notify authorities, even though they were legally obligated to. And all because they dont have anything to lose by not caring about the childs fate. And this will continue until we start holding people responsible for failing to report such incidents ("Child Abuse in Russia", n.d). The fact that professionals like doctors and such are required to report these situations is very similar to the United States. However, if during an investigation a doctor or teacher knew about the suspected abuse and didnt report it, this is not an event that would be taken lightly in any way. In Lebanon, sexual abuse is prevalent among society. There are laws there for when a childs interest is at risk and those laws are to be acted on in the occasions of A child is in an environment exposing him to exploitation, or adversely affecting the childs health, safety, morality, or upbringing and when a child was exposed to sexual or violent corporal attack beyond the customary non-harmful disciplinary measures. (Law Library of Congress, 2007) These laws are not always acted upon. For it is estimated by the womens rights group KAFA (Enough Violence & Exploitation) that 45 percent of children in Lebanon are subjected to physical violence annually and approximately 16 percent of children have experienced some form of sexual harassment or abuse. (Taylor, 2012). When people are harassed and sexually or physically abused schools

Child Abuse pretend it doesnt exist. Parents choose to turn a blind eye on the subject. Women learn to stay quiet. Children are children and are seldom believed when they do speak out. They sometimes tell, because they are immersed yet in the culture of

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shame. But most of the time, telling doesnt pay. The culprit goes unpunished, and so the harassment continues (Bahnam, 2012). The sociodemographics of Lebanese children who are sexually abused show no trend in gender, education, religion, etc. However it was indeed found that there was a higher rate of occurrence in children in fragmented homes (Usta, Mahfoud, Chahine, & Anani, 2008). When the children in the above referenced interview were asked if they confided in someone, many had. After confiding in someone about their traumatic experience 26.7 % said that the person they told listened carefully to them, 6.7% were told that their experience was of no importance and 13.3% were told not to tell anyone about what had happened (Usta, Mahfoud, Chahine, & Anani, 2008). The media has a great deal to do with public perception of child abuse. Many people, when asked might not know that neglect is the most common form of child maltreatment. They may think that sexual abuse or physical abuse is more common, because those are the stories we hear on the news or read in magazines. These stories are sensationalized and these children can become household names. Stories of children who have been abused fatally are even more likely to become covered by the news. One such situation was the Caylee Anthony case. Casey Anthony, Caylees mother was accused of neglect and murder. She did not report her childs disappearance for 31 days, and instead was found to have lied at different times

Child Abuse about where her daughter was or what happened (Casey Anthony, n.d.) She was

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acquitted but not before the media took the story and made it a national issue. When Casey was acquitted millions of people were watching or listening to the verdict, and many took to twitter and facebook to share their opinions. This is a story of alleged child abuse that went much too far, and the media made it a phenomenon. The problem of child abuse is one that, in some cases, become an issue that the entire nation is invested in. The media can do great help for children being abused, or they can do great damage. The book, A Child Called It and its sequels written by Dave Pelzer called a great amount of attention to the issue of child maltreatment and abuse. Although the books were greatly criticized by some, they did bring awareness to the subject of physical abuse and neglect as in all the uproar over child sexual abuse, few writers but Pelzer have focused on physical abuse, though it's much more common and often more damaging (Plotz, 2000). The books were bestsellers, and according to Plotz (2000), A Child Called It was even used in training teachers so they could see the effect they could have on a childs life by noticing abuse and reporting it. Politicians will use child abuse to push policies or their views on American people. They will use (sometimes even erroneous) public perception to push for policy change. It is even stated that politicians will always feel the need to respond to public anxiety. ("Damaging perceptions of child abuse", 2011) If a politician feels they can take a case of child abuse to promote policy change, they may feel that the most public cases is the best way to do so. Although in the long run this may allow for policy changes to come into effect to later help children, sometimes the invasive

Child Abuse interviews and attention brought by the media may not actually help the child in question, but instead make them relive their horrors for other peoples gain.

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Personally, I find the entire concept of child abuse to be disgusting. I believe there is no reason an adult should harm a child be it physically, sexually, psychologically, etc. There is no excuse, and it should not be tolerated in any way, shape, or form. I believe one of the causes of this problem are unfit parents. There are instances where parents do not know how to be parents, or are barely adults themselves. I think that there are parents who psychologically have been abused and cannot break free from the cycle. I think the responsibility for bettering these childrens lives and providing them with a voice rests on all adults. All adults in a professional setting, if they see what they believe is abuse should have to report it. I think not to report it should be more of a crime. I believe there are a few things that we can do to improve the situation. There could be more advertising, that if you see a child and believe they are being abused, you have to call, and then a number should be provided. This advertising should be in magazines, commercials, whatever is needed to get the message across. Also, since many of the abusers were abused themselves, there should be better access to therapy. There should be better options than making people feel hopeless. This issue is connected to Social Work values and ethics. In fact, in the NASW Code of Ethics, the concept of service is greatly valued. What this means is that Social workers primary goal is to help people in need and to address social problems (Code of Ethics, 2008). Child maltreatment is a social problem, and therefore Social Workers are expected to help those people in need, namely the

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children at risk. It is mandatory for a Social Worker to report suspected abuse and not to do so goes against the value of service. If they do not report, they are not following the value of service which a Social Worker pledges to value and do, when they become a Social Worker.

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Bahnam, R. (2012, September 30). Child sexual abuse in Lebanon. Alarabiya.net English | Front Page. Retrieved from http://english.alarabiya.net/views/2012/09/30/241066.html Casey Anthony - The New York Times. (n.d.). Times Topics - The New York Times. Retrieved from http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/a/casey_anthony/index.ht ml Chapter 419B Juvenile Code: Dependency. (2011). Oregon State Legislature. Retrieved from http://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/419b.html Child Abuse in Russia. (n.d.). The CoMission for Children at Risk. Retrieved from http://comission.org/resources/?id=1359 Child Neglect | Psychology Today. (2008). Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/child-neglect Child Physical Abuse. (n.d.). American Humane Association | Home. Retrieved from http://www.americanhumane.org/children/stop-child-abuse/fact-sheets/childphysical-abuse.html Child Sexual Abuse: Intervention and Treatment Issues: Definitions, Scope, and Effects. (n.d.). Child Welfare Information Gateway. Retrieved from http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/sexabuse/sexabuseb.cfm Child Welfare Information Gateway (2012). Child Maltreatment 2010: Summary of Key Findings. 4.

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Code of Ethics. (2008). National Association of Social Workers. Retrieved from http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp Costin, L. B. (1991). Unraveling the Mary Ellen Legend: Origins of the "Cruelty" Movement. Social Science Review, 203-223. Dale, Y. (2011, November 8). Argentina: Paradise for child sexual abusers | Washington Times Communities. Washington Times Communities | Entertainment, Sports, Politics, Family News. Retrieved from http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/rights-sodivine/2011/nov/8/argentina-child-sexual-abusers-paradise/ Damaging perceptions of child abuse. (2011, May 5). The Independent | News. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/editorials/leading-article-damagingperceptions-of-child-abuse-2278946.html History of Child Abuse. (n.d.). Integrated Publishing. Retrieved from http://armymedical.tpub.com/MD0584/MD05840095.htm. Law Library of Congress (2007). Argentina. Childrens Rights: International and National Laws and Practices. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/law/help/childrights/index.php. Law Library of Congress (2007). Lebanon. Childrens Rights: International and National Laws and Practices. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/law/help/childrights/index.php. Medical Neglect Law & Legal Definition. (2012). In Legal Definitions Legal Terms Dictionary. Retrieved from http://definitions.uslegal.com/m/medical-neglect/

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Melli, M. S. (1998). Protecting Children in Child Abuse and Neglect Proceedings. Parenthood in America. Retrieved from http://parenthood.library.wisc.edu/Melli/Melli.html National Child Abuse Statistics | Childhelp. (2012). Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse | Childhelp. Retrieved from http://www.childhelp.org/pages/statistics#1 Pfohl, S. J. The "Discovery" of Child Abuse. 21-33. Plotz, D. (2000, September 29). Dave Pelzer - Slate Magazine. Slate Magazine - Politics, Business, Technology, and the Arts - Slate Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/assessment/2000/09/dave_pelzer.ht ml Report Documents Brutal Treatment in Russian Orphanages | Human Rights Watch. (1998, December 16). Human Rights Watch | Defending Human Rights Worldwide. Retrieved from http://www.hrw.org/news/1998/12/15/report-documents-brutaltreatment-russian-orphanages Taylor, A. (2012, September 20). Awareness campaign aims to prevent child abuse | News , Local News | THE DAILY STAR. Breaking News, Lebanon News, Middle East News & World News | THE DAILY STAR. Retrieved from http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Sep-20/188622-awarenesscampaign-aims-to-prevent-child-abuse.ashx#axzz2CtnyMUDv U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Administration for Children and Families (2012). Statistics & Research | Children's Bureau | Administration for Children and Families. Home | Administration for Children and Families. Retrieved from

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http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/research-data-technology/statisticsresearch#can Usta, J. A., Mahfoud, Z. R., Chahine, G. A., & Anani, G. A. (2008). Child Sexual Abuse: The Situation in Lebanon. 1-148. Retrieved from www.childtrafficking.com%2FDocs%2Fchild_sexual_abuse_lebanon_0109.pdf.